gas tank relocation thought

[My Boy's Toy]

while pulling the 700r4 out of my wifes old 88 GMC mini van ( to put in the 67 LWB ) I noticed the fuel tank ,took some measurements 18" X 25" X 10" High , it would fit right behind the rear axle , between the frame rails & cross members nicely , any one try this ? or is this a bad Idea for location ?

[67cst]

sounds like a good idea, my dad has a mid 80's elcamino tank under hi box in the same place, i was temped to return my blazer tank and do the same, can someone tell me what the big hype is on blazer tanks? i know its nice cause the gauges will all work right away, unlike my dads 53, but there are tons of tanks that would fit under the box...

[lofly'a]

i have 2 of the mid 80's elco tanks, and i've never measured to see if they woulf fit. gonna go find out as soon as i can.

[Longhorn Man]

You ever see where a car ends up hen they rear end one of these trucks? They end up inderneath with there bumper hitting your rear axle.
I still say that in the cab is the safest place for your tank if it isn't leaking.

[chevy2racr]

I'm lookin for somethign else too, prolly end up just goin wiht a fuel cell

[lofly'a]

i need cab space for my sh*t, amp, and speakers. i put the blazer tank in my 68 and never regreted it. i also thought about the possiblity of rear crashes and welded in a heavy hidden hitch to protect the tank. oh, and statistically most cars do not explode in a rear crash like mustangs and pintos because they were placed in the bottom of the trunk (a tank in a tank and spewed gas into the passenger compartment on impact). read this as result of NHTSB findings and study over the last 30 years. heck even the 73-87 chevy trucks were given a bad unwarranted rap cuz of the ABC news report where they rigged the truck to blow. all studys (good unbiased ones) have shown that the tank will explode in any location if the impact is directed there....i.e. ......... directly behind my AZZ...no way

just my 2 cents

[junkyardjohn]

I'VE GOT A TANK OUT OF A 78 BLAZER THAT I'M GOING TO PUT IN MY 72 PROJECT.
AS FAR AS SAFETY?? WELL ABOUT 26 YEARS AGO, A GUY IN A BUICK 225 RAN A STOP SIGN AN T-BONED ME. I WAS DOING ABOUT 60 MPH IN A 72 FORD 3/4 TON. HE DROVE RIGHT UNDER ME & I ROLLED END OVER END ABOUT SIX TIMES. I WOUND UP PINNED IN THE TRUCK, WITH MY HEAD PINNED TO THE GROUND. IT WAS DECEMBER 23rd, IN MICHIGAN, THE GROUND WAS FROZEN, IT KNOCKED THE CAB OFF THE FRAME, & THE CAB HAD ME PINNED TO THE GROUND. IT WAS A BAD ACCIDENT, BROKE MY BACK,COLLAR BONE, & ALL THE RIBS ON MY LEFT SIDE EXCEPT THE TOP TWO. BUT THE WORST PART WAS IT STOPPED IN A LITTLE DEPRESSION, & THE GROUND WAS FROZEN. I HAD JUST FILLED MY TANK (BEHIND THE SEAT) & IT BURST & I ALMOST DROWNED IN GASOLINE. I WAS CONCIUS (<---AWAKE) FOR 20 MIN. & ALL I COULD THINK ABOUT WAS BURNING TO DEATH. LUCKY FOR ME THE BATTERY GOT PITCHED OUT DURING ONE OF THE ROLLS. SORRY FOR SUCH A LONG REPLY BUT SAFE?????? YA RIGHT I WANT THAT BIG ROMAN CANDLE AS FAR AWAY FROM ME AS I CAN GET IT.

[junkyardjohn]

AN OLD PIC OF IT

[junkyardjohn]

& ANOTHER

[Longhorn Man]

That is an extreem acident. There is no place to put it for every type of accident.
However...for your normal daily driver wreck you see everyday on the local highways and on surface streets, nothing will get to your cab.
I know not all tanks explode on impact, it is in fact very hard to get a tank to explode. However, a tank with 1 1/2 tons of sheet metal going into it...with a bettery and powered day time running lights right on the front bumper, may well trigger it. But more importantly than that, it will not burst open in a typical accident if it is in the cab.
I knew I would get flamed for this..but this is how I think when it comes to this.

[chevy2racr]

so you lower ur truck really low and then unless a ferrari hits you u'll be ok

[Longhorn Man]

LOL!
Just think of my opinion as food for thought.
In reality, probably the absolute best. location would be underneath inside the frame rail and the tank made out of some kind of poly-something or another.
Kinda liek the new ones.
But I know personally, I don't want one there wither...I have 1/2 my exhaust on one side, the other 1/2 on the other.

[Truck Hippy]

Heres an idea that i have thought about doing sometime. I was going to try and find a long narrow tank out of a newer pick-up and put it under the truck on the inside of the frame (i was fixing a leaf spring truck) and still use the original gas cap location but run a piece of tubing down through the floor into the new tank. It would look "factory" from the outside but still be safer and free up the space behind the seat.

[Shane]

Not to "add fuel to the fire" (pun intended ) ... but I have never heard of a rash of Chevrolet Blazer explosions caused by an impact from a rear-ender ....

Isn't it the same tank & its mounted in the same place??? Why is it "unsafe" mounted in a pickup chassis ... but safe in a Blazer chassis ???

[shadetree]

Later model tanks will fit, however, if it was a fuelinjected donor, the tank will have an in-tank fuel pump to deal with. These ele. pumps are not compatable with most carbs, as the pressure is too great. I put my tank behind the rear axle, and feel that is where "the general" shoulda put it, in the first place.

[My Boy's Toy]

Shadetree thanks for your reply, I was wondering about the intank fuel pump , weather or not that would work. might have to see if an earler model float & tube assembly will fit my tank.

[XXL]

Originally posted by longhornmail
I knew I would get flamed for this..but this is how I think when it comes to this.

Flamed, gasoline... ha ha...

OK, all that levity aside, your logic defies that of hundreds of engineers working for government agencies, insurance companies, auto manufacturers, and independent test labs all over the world for the last 30 years.

Fact is, you want the fuel system far away from you. Period. In the unlikely event that it catches fire, you don't want it propping up your seat.

</flame off>

[Stano]

From my experience in collision repair no place is "safe" for a fuel tank or filler neck. I have fixed many newer pickups hit in cab and right on cab corners that would have either punctured or dislocated tanks if they had been in cab. Also fixed trucks with bed sides smashed to or around the frame and severing the filler neck. My 79 burb tank is just as safe behind the rearend inside the frame with a cross member behind it as any newer truck. Besides if its your time to go not really much you can do about it. LOL My advice on it would be is to look at your options on location and mounting and do it the safest way possible.

[PanelDeland]

I think the behind the axle is safer.The Blazer tank reasoning is probably as simple as you can get.It comes as a kit,the fuel line from a 'Burb can be ordered and used and the holes(If I remember right) are already there to put it in.The only drawback is filler location,something you have to worry about anyway.The setup is basically stock.This makes it look factory and work factory.This makes it easy,most of us look for ways to do it right but easy.That's just human nature.
GM pays a lot for engineers and always has.The technology was the best they had at the time and it is in the location used in most cars.The logic is there and GM has paid big$$$ over the years so if there was a better spot I imagine they would have found it by now.

[PICKMUP]

If the tank leaks, I want it running onto the ground, not under by butt...and if it burns!!! Well, you get the idea...out of the cab!

[lofly'a]

to reply to the comment by "my boy's toy", you can use an in tank or inline electric fuel pump assembly but you'll need an inline fuel regulator to decrease pressure. efi pumps are demand pumps as are engine mounted diaphragm pumps, and they only supply as much fuel as necessary reqiured by the carb or fi unit. carb pressure demands are a lot lower, so a fuel pressure regulator is all that's reqiured to swap one in. the opposite is not true cuz mechanical pumps don't put out enough pressure.

on the subject of tank location, you're not totally safe in any location, and i see everyones point of view as valid to a point ans i love the analogy by "pickmup".

[autorecycler]

I just want to slide the seat further back...lol. the tank has been there since 67 with no problems but I have long legs! who makes the kit mentioned?

[Danny69']

I'm thinking that this one is not true, but if it possibly is then I would want to take advantage of it.

A friend of mine was telling me that his cousin restored a 72 SWB, and in the process he called up GM and talked to one of the higher guys and complained about the location of the tank. He said that they sent him a $500 for a relocation. Doesn't sound right because it wasn't a recall or anything, but would be nice if it is.

How I see it is that we are keeping their trucks alive, should they keep us alive ?

[Chevy Punk]

If yoy have a tank behind the axle and are worried about it blowing up, why don't you just make a skid plate to go on it. it probably wouldn't cost much and then you could have peace of mind that you aren't gonna explode.

[crazy longhorn]

I for plan to move my tank to the rear........i dont like that load of gas riding in the cab with me(can you say "chicken"!). As low as the back bumper is on my old longhorn, i doubt that anything would be able to run under it.......