Which gas tanks are interchangeable?

[UATahoe]

Working with an 87 R10 and need a new RH gas tank. Are all of the 16 gallon tanks interchangeable or are they year specific?

[J Knight]

I believe all 87 tanks have a special baffle in them because the fuel pump is in the tank. If you get a used one you will need an 87 tank.
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[UATahoe]

Thats what i was thinking. I wanted to make sure before i made the purchase. Thanks for the info!

[hatzie]

It's not a 1987 only item.
The baffles are in all of the 87-91 RV series squares. Tanks from the 88-91 R30 or V30 will fit your 87.
73-86 tanks will bolt on but...
The 81-86 CK tanks don't have the TBI fuel pump baffles.
The 73-80 CK have a different diameter filler hose.

[UATahoe]

So if i were to use a gast tank from an 86 for the right hand side, what issues would i see? Is it a big enough issue to worry about? Reason i ask, i bought a lot of parents from a guy recently. Mainly just to get a newly rebuilt seat. The gas tank came with everything else. Its basically brand new purchased from LMC but it was for an 86.

[hatzie]

The fuel pump is heavier and has more surface area than the tube and sock on the plain sender assembly. These tanks are long and narrow so cornering isn't the problem. The baffles are there to slow down the sloshing fuel when stopping or starting up an incline. I've actually heard the fuel slosh after a panic stop with 3/8 of a tank. Kinda like kids in the bathtub before mom catches on.

I'd guess that the force of the sloshing fuel could eventually damage the pickup tube and fuel pump assembly. Dropping the fuel pump into the tank when it's energized could be exciting to watch from a distance. Id rather not be sitting on top of it.

[foamypirate]

Originally Posted by hatzie

The fuel pump is heavier and has more surface area than the tube and sock on the plain sender assembly. These tanks are long and narrow so cornering isn't the problem. The baffles are there to slow down the sloshing fuel when stopping or starting up an incline. I've actually heard the fuel slosh after a panic stop with 3/8 of a tank. Kinda like kids in the bathtub before mom catches on.

I'd guess that the force of the sloshing fuel could eventually damage the pickup tube and fuel pump assembly. Dropping the fuel pump into the tank when it's energized could be exciting to watch from a distance. Id rather not be sitting on top of it.

The fuel won't damage the pump, but you do run the risk of starving the pump (and thus, the engine) causing engine stumbling/stalling if you get on the brakes hard or are accelerating, and you uncover the pump.

[RandyP]

New tanks are available from O'Reillys. I put one new one on my 87, it had the baffles in it. Chances are if you find a used tank from an 88-91 R/V series truck, it'll be the larger tank and not the 16 gallon. Mostly because the 88-91 R/V trucks you find are gonna be 3/4 and 1 ton trucks.

[UATahoe]

Good info to have. Will probably just try to sell the tank. I got everything for a great deal so it was a no brainer to buy whether i could use the tank or not. Thanks again guys