Another LS fuel system question

[HotRodPayne]

I'm ready to do the fuel system on my 84. I have read all the different ways to do this and am having a hard time deciding on which direction to go. I have dual tanks and was going to just do the inline pump and corvette filter/regulator. I keep reading that this isn't going to last longterm. My question now is if I do the 87 tank do I just get rid of the other tank and switching valve? Is there a breakdown of all the parts needed to do this fuel setup?

[dec010974]

hello HotRodPayne. when i completed my 5.3/4L60e in my 1987 c10 i used the regular saddle bag tank. im not saying that u cant make dual tanks work but I only used the single tank operation. the fuel pump I used was an in-tank pump (ep381). I modified the stock sending unit with weld-on #6 an fittings and ran braided line to & from the corvette fuel filter regulator. below is a pic of the regulator and fitting I used. I hope this helps. good luck my friend.

[dec010974]

I almost forgot, here is a pic of the #6 an weld on fittings. im almost sure you can keep the dual tank set up, but you may need to used an external fuel pump and mount it on the frame rail. I don't see why you cant switch tanks back and forth for a fuel source and keep your dual tank set up as it stands now. when your current, dual tank setup needs more fuel you just switch tanks. rite? I think hotrodlane.cc completed a lsx swap using dual tanks. Google it, attempt to make this work, and give us trucksters some feed back.

[akdg87]

What motor are you putting in? Return or Return-less fuel rails? A common misconception is that one would need a corvette filter/regulator, but you only do if the fuel rails are return-less.

[HotRodPayne]

I have a return less system.

[First c10]

not to hijack the thread but can you use 3/8" steel line instead of -8 an flex line?

[doubeys_nova]

Yes you can but the connections at every end will be a real pain and you still have to have a flexible spot somewhere in the system between the engine/frame for movement and vibration dampening.

I have dual tanks on my 85 k10 SWB. I ran the corvette filter/regulator set up and the 255 inline pump with -6 AN braided supply and return to one tank and wanted to set it up to hook up the second tank. I ripped the switch off thinking they were cheap years ago and since have not had the spare cash to purchase a new one and also decided to stay with the single tank set up.

I have looked into it a lot and laid out the system a handful of times in different ways. You will still have a lot of pressure in your return line, knowing it free flows back into the tank, because your pump is running full power at idle or WOT. with no real way to know how much pressure would be at the return side of the switch valve with the truck running at idle I only seen it fit to have a high pressure switch. I am looking for my paperwork on the research I did.

I think it was a ford F150 EFI dual tank switch with K5 blazer TBI pickups modified to fit in-tank high pressure 255 lph pumps. With all the necessary fittings and hose it added up to more than I was willing to spend. I will just stop at the gas station more frequently.

If you have a long bed it is a 20 Gallon tank anyways. That should get you around 300 miles between fill ups. A short bed is looking at 225-250 miles between fill ups which isn’t that bad either. It was pretty cheap doing the Walbro 255 lph corvette filter/regulator and it is still working great after 2 years/~15-20k miles of fairly rough/hard conditions minus the filter needs changed I think.

Another thing to consider is that you don’t have a baffled tank so it is best to keep it above 1/4 tank or it will spit and sputter if you create any high g-force that would cause the fuel to get away from the pickup.

In my opinion, the inline pump and regulator makes working out kinks easier, it is cheaper, easier long term maintenance, easier to install and has the potential to be just as reliable. As with all electronics, this pump is going to be working hard so use the appropriate gauge wire, connectors and solder any place you have a break. Don’t use butt connectors. Ensure your pump is grounded better than anything else on your truck with the appropriate gauge wire or ground strap. The less resistance in your electrical system will extend the pumps life. I do need to change my filter after two years but I am sure debris was in the tank from before I did the swap and it has had a lot of use in two years.

I have heard in the past that if you do this swap then money is obviously not an issue. If that is the case, spend hundreds to thousands(yes I have seen people that had over 2k in a fuel system) of dollars so you don’t have to stop at the gas station twice as much.

As for me, I am by no means wealthy but I built this truck so I could have a reliable bulletproof truck with nearly 30+ years proven under its belt that once complete will not nickel and dime me to death and holds the same value based on usage and performance as the newer trucks. So far I have had fun, learned a lot and have a truck that is more reliable than a 1998 or newer Chevy. In 2 years, I had 1 fuse blow which made my fuel pump not turn on. It only happened once and after a quick look over I didn’t notice anything that might have caused it so it was probably a 20 year old fuse that just gave out finally. Other than that regular maintenance is all that it has asked for. Sorry for being so windy. Hope the info helps.

[BigDan3131]

I plan to relocate the saddle tanks to the inside of my bed at the rear and I will be adding -16 crossover line so both tanks keep an equal amount of fuel in them and with two filler necks I can fill it from either side.