I Don't Think I'm Going To Move My Fuel Tank

[GASoline71]

Originally Posted by Lattimer

I modified my gas cap and it no longer leaks. Mine is a vented non-esc cap. All you need is an o-ring kit.I put an o-ring around the sealing face, then I stacked several o-rings behind the gasket on the cap. This gives it enough pressure on the gasket and additional sealing against the tank neck so I no longer have any leakage, even when full and turning hard right.

It did take a couple of tries to get a replacement cap with a vent that actually works right. And the o-rings wear out over time, so I do have to maintain them.

My issue with relocating the tank was the filler. I do not want the filler in the bed, and my fab skills don't support anything fancier....

Sweet deal Lattimer! I will check back in with you when I get to that point.

I was actually going to cut my old filler neck off of the tank and fabricate mounting tabs so I could stick it back through the factory hole. To keep it stock appearing, even with a rear fill under bed tank.

But I'm seriously thinking I'm gonna huck my stock tank back in my rig.

Gary

[The Junkman]

I was going to put a blazer one in the back of the one i just built ,but it hung down too much ,so the one behind the seat stayed ,i am glad i did ,the stock chrome cap looks good where the factory put it in my opinion ,the filler neck was another reason i didn't ,i could not come up with a location i liked .

[randy500]

60 minutes in the late 70's or early 80's had film of our trucks flipping on their side and the gas tank igniting from the cap being sheared off. It was around the same time of the pinto tanks and the 73 and up truck catching fire with a side impact....

[truckster]

Originally Posted by randy500

60 minutes in the late 70's or early 80's had film of our trucks flipping on their side and the gas tank igniting from the cap being sheared off. It was around the same time of the pinto tanks and the 73 and up truck catching fire with a side impact....

It was actually Dateline NBC, and they were forced to apologize when it came out that those tests were rigged by the producers:

http://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/10/us...propriate.html

[67ChevyRedneck]

Mines been under the bed since 2006. I put a lot of time/miles on my truck and I've never had a fuel delivery problem. Haven't had to replace a stock fuel pump since then either.

I used a blazer tank. My only complaint is the 16 or 17? gallon tank is too small. 20-22 gal would have been a lot better.

[randy500]

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

Mines been under the bed since 2006. I put a lot of time/miles on my truck and I've never had a fuel delivery problem. Haven't had to replace a stock fuel pump since then either.

I used a blazer tank. My only complaint is the 16 or 17? gallon tank is too small. 20-22 gal would have been a lot better.

Agreed here too, using a blazer or burb tank will duplicate the burb setup and a burb is essentially a long bed truck, same wheelbase and same frame with added body mounts

[special-K]

A rear tank is obviously not the cause of any fuel delivery problems. The rear of the vehicle is where more tanks than not have been located in cars, SUVs, etc. 67 Redneck brought up a good point. Is there a 21 gallon tank to mount under the bed? Gm managed to fit a 21 gallon tank in unused wasted space in the cab. I figure the tans went to outside the frame in '73 due to the advent of the Crewcab. But, they didn't move it under the bed behind the axle. They still needed a place to the spare

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by special-K

A rear tank is obviously not the cause of any fuel delivery problems. The rear of the vehicle is where more tanks than not have been located in cars, SUVs, etc. 67 Redneck brought up a good point. Is there a 21 gallon tank to mount under the bed? Gm managed to fit a 21 gallon tank in unused wasted space in the cab. I figure the tans went to outside the frame in '73 due to the advent of the Crewcab. But, they didn't move it under the bed behind the axle. They still needed a place to the spare

I don't know what the reasoning, but for some reason there is a 17 and a 21 gallon tank. Not sure which or both is OEM and if the other is an aftermarket size or what, but I ran my truck out of gas one time, AT the gas station, had to push her about 10 more feet... but it took like 17.1 gal to fill it. Even with my OD I can only go about 200-225 miles "safely" on a tank. My 65 mustang has a 16 gallon tank but gets much better fuel mileage, I can go 300+ miles on that.

[46stude]

Sorry- the spare tire argument holds no merit at all, considering my '72 has a factory installed spare tire mount in the bed.

[GASoline71]

Originally Posted by 46stude

Sorry- the spare tire argument holds no merit at all, considering my '72 has a factory installed spare tire mount in the bed.

Step side?

Gary

[46stude]

Nope. '72 longbed fleetside.

[Fraud]

what are most people doing with their spares after putting a tank back there?

[randy500]

Originally Posted by Fraud

what are most people doing with their spares after putting a tank back there?

Put it in the bed for longer trips then take it out around town so you can us the full bed...big hassle

[leddzepp]

I relocated a tank once, waste of time and energy with no benefit, won't do it again.

[randy500]

Originally Posted by leddzepp

I relocated a tank once, waste of time and energy with no benefit, won't do it again.

I did it once too, well before it became common, about 1992. Used a blazer tank with side marker filler...won't do it again either, ganied nothing by doing it except making it a hassle to have to move the spare tire around all the time.

I did store a little unneeded useless stuff where the tank used to be

[Maximus]

I moved my '55 pickup to behind the axle, and dont mind it there. That said I have an almost totally original '72 F100 (OMG A FORD!) and its tank is still behind the seat and works great. No reason to relocate it in that truck.

If you have new seals on your sending unit and filler neck - fumes are a non-issue.

the tank was behind the seat in trucks for 30 years?, it isn't a huge safety concern unless its not maintained and your huffing raw fuel for lack of maintenance.

I relocated my '55 tank to remove the gas cap from the cab. purely aesthetics. my 72 F100 wont be moved.

[leftybass209]

It's pleasant to see this thread stayed away from the "bomb behind your seat" nonsense.

The most annoying thing about the tank behind the seat is the fuel sloshing noise. I haven't done any sound deadening on the tank to see if it helps.

Either way, it's staying put until I can find a fantastic use for that small bit of space that would outweigh the fuel tank.

[67ChevyRedneck]

I've never seen or heard of one blowing up. There was a member here, junkyardjohn, that was in a bad accident where his C10 rolled over and because the tanks don't have a flap like modern ones, gas poured all over him and he couldn't get out of the truck until someone was able to help him out. That was the worst I had ever heard.

I moved mine because I like the cleaner look and I wanted room for speakers, etc behind the seat. I'm actually worried a bit about behind the frame, but I have a bumper, I'm adding a hidden hitch (mostly to protect the tank) and because my truck is now lowered, small cars shouldn't slide under it anymore.

[leftybass209]

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

I've never seen or heard of one blowing up.

I haven't either, just gets brought up by several people every time a thread like starts; they know a guy who knows a guy who had their truck blow up, or just those paranoid that it can happen.

[Fraud]

I can only see a handful of benefits to moving the tank

1: somewhere to put a small bag with a change of clothes, maybe a laptop or something, out of view behind the seat, and where it won't get rained on.. Of course without the factory bench seat being able to flip forward conveniently, that benefit isn't huge...

2: To relive my early 20's, I also wouldn't mind somewhere to put some stereo gear without wedging it under the seats etc.

3: I think some extra weight behind the rear axle and mounted low would probably be a positive thing for traction/braking/handling when driving around with nothing in the back (which is 95% of the time when I'm driving it), and putting the tank back there would be a good way to do this without actually adding to the overall weight of the truck.

But I can think of plenty of things I need to do before I think about moving the tank for these reasons alone...

If i was ever doing some other major work and already had the tank out, or already had the tray off, or something, then I'd probably consider doing it while I was there... But I'd still invest some serious time into working out where the spare and filler were going to go...

[In The Ten Ring]

I'm with Fraud.....

I would like to have some in-cab tool room but it's not a big deal since I plan to build my own tool box in the bed.

[special-K]

My favorite place for a gas tank is between my legs.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by special-K

My favorite place for a gas tank is between my legs.

Why are you sitting on the gas tank when there is a perfectly good seat right behind it???

[BigCountryx]

When I bought my 70 there was about an inch of cigarette ash in the ash tray and the tank was still in the cab. If that old man didn't blow up, safety concerns are probably not an issue lol. I did install an under the bed tank when I did my LS swap though. Not sure it bought me much. I usually do the unthinkable and roll without a spare.
on long trips I just chunk one in the bed.

[skytop]

I was watching a show that covered the entire construction of the ultra high end Audi R8 sports car. I was especially noticing that Audi mounts the fuel tank directly behind the two bucket seats. Of course, their tank is actually a fuel cell but even today, fuel tanks are being installed just behind the occupant's seat.