gas tank location

[67stepper]

I need to replace my gas tank soon due to its age an rust and crap getting past two fuel filters and into my carb causes idling issues.
Is it really worth the extra effort and expense to move the gas tank to the rear? i really dont have any gas smells in the cab.
pros and cons?

[Grumpy old man]

PROS...

1) More room in the cab
2) Fuel out of the passenger compartment
3) Better weight distribution ,fuel weight aft and lower where you would want more weight
4) Safer in crash
5) The costs are minimal compared to the benefits

Just to name a few and those should be enough !

CONS...

1) Cost/ time to convert ...What are safety and comfort really worth ?

[Aussie Ol' Blue]

Any recommendations to type of tanks and locations?

[cdowns]

i think it is a waste of time and effort to relocate the gas tank a simple case of monkey see monkey do t itit's best

all the hype of safe safe safe is just thet i have been askin for well over 25years for anybody to show just one incedence where the gas tank caused a problem in the cab still have not seen one listed

[Grumpy old man]

Well... than forget about safety and consider the reality of better weight distribution with the tank rear mounted and way lower in the frame handling /braking/traction/ride comfort all benefit ! In my opinion it's a no brainer ! To each their own .

[Molberg]

I moved mine for 2 reasons.:. Weight over rear tires, and the stereo panel I made for behind the buckets. Lots of work though. If neither of these are a concern for you... Leave it in the cab.

[bMr]

Given how much they're driven, the demographics of those who drive them, and the increased safety measures in other vehicles, the odds of an accident causing problems with a quality in-cab tank must be fairly minuscule at this point.

I wonder how many people move the tank but don't do anything about the lack of shoulder belts or headrests...

[67 chevelle]

Originally Posted by bMr

Given how much they're driven, the demographics of those who drive them, and the increased safety measures in other vehicles, the odds of an accident causing problems with a quality in-cab tank must be fairly minuscule at this point.

I wonder how many people move the tank but don't do anything about the lack of shoulder belts or headrests...

Great question , I moved my tank and put in shoulder belts , and today actually used my shoulder belts , got to get in the habit of doing that all the time , I needed an intank high pressure pump for my ls based engine so under the bed was easiest for me

[Dean'smeanmachine]

i prefer my in cab tank. keeps it out of the elements. but thats just me, remember its YOUR truck.

[motorcritter]

If only to get the additional space in the cab- it's not like that will be an enormous increase, but it is very useful. My plan is to put a couple of sidesaddle auxiliary tanks w/ wheel well fillers to replace the in-cab tank, and perhaps a rear mount tank (Camaro? Suburban?) to augment them. I'm not so concerned about the possible safety issues, but the practicality of what needs to be done to address my modifications.

[Rich916]

If you’re not having problems with gas smell in the cab it most likely isn’t leaking at all.
Call around to some radiator shops and see if they can clean it out for you.
Its a relatively cheap option.

[elektrik]

I'd like to move mine out of the cab and to the back, but all the conversion kits I've seen require you to fill the tank from the bed, not where the original (side) input is....am I missing something...?

[Grumpy old man]

Well......... There is a reason why the in cab fuel tanks were discontinued in 1973 , There have been flaming results that I remember back then and if you feel comfortable with 20 + gallons of fuel 5 inches behind you in a closed cab ,Well ... more power to ya ! There really is no good reason not to move it as far away as possible given the availiblity and ease of the retrofit ,we're not talking brain surgery just a basic retrofit and a couple hundred bucks ,You choose for yourself . that Honda civic with air bags and protected fuel tank that T bones you at an intersection may make you change your mind ....

[cdowns]

Please post those flaming results

[Grumpy old man]

Google 1968 chevy truck fuel tank accident , Then stop acting like they never happened ! These are facts not some suggestion . The major manufacters were dealing with these issues in the late fifties and early sixties before our trucks where built .. !

[novafrog]

x2

[Don Quixote]

I am not seeing the value of the arguement.

Having attended Bomb Tech School, I have deduced that if a 20 gallon molotov cocktail goes boom 5 inches behind you, it will have about the same effect as a 20 gallon molotov cocktail going boom 5 feet behind you. If you live, you probably won't look right. If not, you won't care what you look like.

Now take a smaller car. It is smaller and therefore the gas tank mounted in the back is still quite close to the people in it. I also have a Hyundai Elantra, late model, as in all small cars, my girls are about sitting on the gas tank, that is made of plastic, by the way and state laws require them to ride in the back seat, on top of the tank.

Let's talk a bit about fumes. Roll down the windows. Don't wait for your passengers to toss a mexican food fart.

Yes, my girls do ride with me. No, I have no problem with it.

[Grumpy old man]

i just can't believe the justifications for not spending a couple hundred bucks to relocate a fuel tank when there are just nothing but benefits and the only down side is $. it's just one thing that should be fixed that if heaven forbid you had an accident and (by some strange chance ) your family got injured(burned or died) how would you tell their mother that you could have fixed it but didn't want to spend $300.00 .But you will readily spend $ to install 3 point seat belts ????? REALLY ? it's located inside a closed cab good luck getting out while on fire !

[jmorri34]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

i just can't believe the justifications for not spending a couple hundred bucks to relocate a fuel tank when there are just nothing but benefits and the only down side is $. it's just one thing that should be fixed that if heaven forbid you had an accident and (by some strange chance ) your family got injured(burned or died) how would you tell their mother that you could have fixed it but didn't want to spend $300.00 .But you will readily spend $ to install 3 point seat belts ????? REALLY ? it's located inside a closed cab good luck getting out while on fire !

I have to agree here, proof or no proof if you knew there was a possibility however remote it was that there could be serious consequences reached in a collision hard enough from the side to split that tank and cause a fire. Would you be willing to risk the lives of those family members when you could have nearly eliminated that risk for a few hundred bucks and some time? I am on both sides of the radio in the emergency services and I am a firefighter and emergency responder in this country and I can tell you that the remote does and will and has happened. I HAVE my tank in the cab with me and as soon as I canI will be moving it to the outside,8 feet + is a whole lot more safe than 5 inches any way you look at it! That aside these are our trucks and anyone here should be free to have them as they please so if you think you should move it move it if not then dont but if you meet the remote you better be ready for the consequences!

[Craftsmen]

All I know is that since I mounted my tank to the back I no longer have to use anymore of those scented Christmas trees😏

[swamp rat]

Maybe even if the tank didn't explode in a crash what if you rolled it and it ruptured the tank possibly by the jack ect, or the outlet tube broke or filler became separated at that rubber hose? even if it didn't ignite i can tell you gas can still burn your skin by contact. Between that and also dealing with the smell (vapors) in the cab always made me nervous. Yea the smell is not nearly as bad now that i changed the filler hose but still, it always bothered me.

[cdowns]

still waitin on the documentation ??WHERE IS THE SMOKIN GUN??
your not provin a damn thing with your bigfoot type rants on exploding gastanks

wild speculation of unproven facts with not one documented case over the past 45or so years aint enough to loose sleep over

[BlacklandCamper]

:popcorn:

Never seen, or heard of any car, or truck randomly bursting into flames from an accident that didn't involve some form of external tank, or improperly maintained equipment. The only photographic evidence I have seen came from mass media "special reports", and most of those were dis-proven as having been setup using pyrotechnics to achieve a desired result.

The only times I have seen vehicle fires involved one of two things.

Race fuel, including ethanol.
Faulty electrics, including stripped wiring.

Aircooled VW's were "notorious" for suffering from fuel fires due to old and worn fuel pumps. I know people who have only run factory style pumps, and NEVER had an issue. Not even in a rear end collision.

[Elliot949]

Originally Posted by BlacklandCamper

:popcorn:

Never seen, or heard of any car, or truck randomly bursting into flames from an accident that didn't involve some form of external tank, or improperly maintained equipment. The only photographic evidence I have seen came from mass media "special reports", and most of those were dis-proven as having been setup using pyrotechnics to achieve a desired result.

The only times I have seen vehicle fires involved one of two things.

Race fuel, including ethanol.
Faulty electrics, including stripped wiring.

Aircooled VW's were "notorious" for suffering from fuel fires due to old and worn fuel pumps. I know people who have only run factory style pumps, and NEVER had an issue. Not even in a rear end collision.

can you say Pinto????... LOL

[Don Quixote]

The original question posed here is what is worthwhile.

For cost, get a cab tank. It was already there the last 40 years and nobody spontaneously combusted.

If you drive a lot like I do, throw a second tank in the bed or under it. It doesn't matter where you put it. It's gasoline.

Unfortunately you started an argument that began a long time ago and is still raging for literally no reason.