New here , 58 under bed tank questions and more

[JimDirt]

Hi all , hopefully i can get some guidance here , i recently inherited my dads 58 Chevy Apache32 Long Bed Stepside , it already has a 69 350HP 350 with a Turbo400 trans , that my dad had installed in 1969 , this is the truck i would go on trips from California to Ontario Canada in starting when i was 7 years old , i am now 56 , my dad died in 2003 , one of my brothers got the truck , he was 65 and died of cancer just this past June , so now its mine , it was running/driving when my dad had it , the cam went flat right after my brother got it , and it has not run since 2005 , my brother let it sit outside , uncovered , and it deteriorated badly , i just got the truck to my place in August

I already have a engine/trans crossmember's kit from Classic Performance Products , to get the engine up where it needs to be , , the mounts that were made to swap from the 6 cylinder back in 1969 were not thought out , and you can sit on the fender and rest your feet on the valve covers , thats how low the engine is , its so low i can't get the harmonic balancer off because it hits the frame crossmember , and the exhaust manifolds are level with the frame rails and touch the steering box , so hopefully this kit will raise the engine where it needs to be

Now to my questions

I am wanting to put a tank under the bed instead of in the cab , i need the room and i need a larger than 15 gal tank and i remember the fumes when i was a kid , i did some searching and read thru some posts , but none (that i found) addressed my specific needs , first and foremost , i am on a tight budget with this truck , second , i want to retain the stock fuel gauges and i do not want the filler to be in the bed , i would like it to exit the side of the bed or thru the fender tub , which side of the truck is not a concern

If possible , i would like to find a OEM Chevy/GMC (so i can use the stock gas gauge) tank , and am not sure if ALL GM tanks utilize the same ohms so the gauge will register correctly , or if i will have to add something ?? , so i was thinking of some kind of Wrecking Yard tank , that would work/fit without welding , i do not have access to a welder without loading the truck on a trailer and hauling it somewhere and paying someone to do the work , i can weld , i just do not have one anymore , so a bolt up mounting system would be best for me , as the truck is not running at this point and will need some work to get it road worthy again , i am planning on using the truck as a dirt bike hauler/cruiser during the summer , so it will be driven on the weekends , most every weekend , so this needs to be a reliable setup , i eventually plan on trying to adapt some vehicle air conditioner into it so i do not roast when it gets 110 here in the summer , in the winter it snows so i will be driving my Toyota 4x4 then

The truck itself i will be keeping (aside from the engine and gas tank obviously) fairly original , so its somewhat like it was when my dad had it , as this is important to me , but we had talked about doing some of these modifications before he got ill , so i want to finish what we had planned , i will be retaining the Carb setup , so no FI , and the stock 2wd straight axle 6 lug front end and rear end , with drum brakes and all , i will be adding a power booster master cylinder for the brakes , but do not know if i should convert (what fits/swaps easily?) to a firewall mounted brake pedal/booster setup , or getting the one that goes in the stock location with a dual cylinder and mini booster , and a "newer" power split bench/drop down console seat , and a tilt column ( i understand certain year Chevy van columns will work ?? , but not sure what year , and i do not want a shifter on the column)

So for the tank i was under the impression a Blazer or Suburban tank will fit ?? , but have not seen as to what years will work , i am looking to be within 20-25 gallon range , so i can at least drive it without needing to fill the tank every 100 miles (stock seat tank is 15 gal), but i dont want a huge tank hanging down as the truck will be lowered somewhat , though only so a 15" wheel will fill the openings and not look like a 4x4 with low profile tires , and as mentioned i do want to retain the use of the stock gas gauge to work with this tank (what sending unit do i need ?? , will the one in the tank work with the stock gauges ??) , i have Fab skills , but again , i am limited to "normal tools" no milling machines or tube or sheet benders ,welders , just simple fabrication/mechanical hand tools , in fact , i don't even have a garage to do this in , it will be mostly done outside in gravel , or under a gravel floor carport where i currently park my Toyota , its about as redneck as you can get here , so keep this in mind when suggesting something

so ,i am needing : Gas Tank (using stock gauge) and as cheap as possible , Tilt Column (as close to bolt in as possible without spending $500 on a IDidIt column ,Wrecking Yard column preferred with no shifter) , and lowering tips using stock rear end and front axle , without dropped spindles (flipping springs to bottom of axles maybe ?? , just want 2 or 3 inches to set the truck at a nice stance) , and budget is key , so the cheaper the suggestion (that works correctly) the better ....Thanks .... Jim


Any help would be appreciated....

This is its current condition , its rough , but i plan on having it running and the changes i mentioned done by next June (hopefully)