Saddle tanks on a Fleetside?

[jnocero]

Is it possible to install side fuel tanks on a 67 swb fleetside?
The reason I ask is that I would like to keep my spare tire under the bed, and add a receiver hitch, and I know I don't want the tank in the cab.
Didn't Chevy put the tanks on the side in the 80's, kinda half under the cab and half under the bed?
I know it wouldn't be as safe as between the rear frame rails, but seems like a frame could be made to protect it.
Is there room in front of the rear wheels for 15 gallons on each side of the truck?

[rbagley]

I know there is an auxiliary tank for sale on the parts board, unless it sold recently. They fit just right and are made for these models.

Edit
Here's the link. They hold about 19 gallons each.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=410756

[beautimus]

i will be watching this thread as that is the way i would like to go also.

after looking at my short fleet bed,(sitting on a dolly not on the frame)
it looks like it would take some very artful fabrication to end up with a tank that can be put in that space and hold more than 5 or 6 gallons.
i can see how you could build a tank that holds maybe 10 gallons to fit the space but , there would not be enough clearance to get it in place once its made. maybe some of the more skilled guys on here could do it but i dont have that level of skill. anyway to the top for you
tony

[GASoline71]

My truck is a '72 and it had 2 auxilliary tanks under the bed outside the frame rails... not sure if it was dealer installed or a factory option. But it was available for these trucks...

Gary

[Shyguy]

I saw what appeared to be a stock '66 not long ago that had twin saddle tanks.

[crakarjax]

I've got dealer installed twin saddles on mine and was told that they hold 20 gallons ea.... they actually are 10 gallon each. I know because I ran out of gas!

The problem with these is that they have no sending units in them, and also there is a tank selector in the cab to switch between the three tanks... you'd have to find a selector that also switches the sender wires, which shouldn't be TOO hard to do.

I like the tanks linked to above better since they don't fill through the sides, and apparently they are 15-20 gallon tanks. They would tend to pick up a lot of grime kicked up form the wheels though. Probably a fair tradeoff, especially if you have to worry about a nice paint job. I get gas on my paint every time I fill the things up.

[67chevy2wd]

I am a single saddle tank on the drivers side. I holds 15 gal (filled it up from bone dry) and has a sending unit. There is a valve on the cab floor to switch fuel flow and a knob on the dash to switch sending units.

[coloradosean2009]

I have one on my '72 fleet on the driver's side. I don't use it because the switch over valve has been removed. I also have concerns regarding burning up in a t-bone accident. Having seen the rapid decline in driver skill and attention with the "new cellphone age" I expect the chances of getting t-boned in an intersection has gone up significantly in the last 5 years.

If I bring it back on line, I will only use it for long haul fueling.

[mrein3]

Originally Posted by coloradosean2009

I have one on my '72 fleet on the driver's side. I don't use it because the switch over valve has been removed. I also have concerns regarding burning up in a t-bone accident. Having seen the rapid decline in driver skill and attention with the "new cellphone age" I expect the chances of getting t-boned in an intersection has gone up significantly in the last 5 years.

If I bring it back on line, I will only use it for long haul fueling.

Most of the pukes who talk on their cell phones or text while driving are in vehicles that would crush on impact with one of the saddle tanks designed for these trucks. The saddle tanks made back then for these trucks are constructed of plate steel and are quite stout.

That NBC footage of the mid 80's GM truck exploding on impact was fabricated by NBC after they couldn't get one to blow with just the impact. Mythbusters tried to get a car to explode after driving it off a cliff. They couldn't get it to blow either. They too had to rig a charge to the tank to get it to blow. It has been a while but if I remember correctly they fastened a tank to the front of the car and put an explosive charge on that.

I have one saddle tank on my truck. I use it all the time. It holds 17 or 19 gallons I can't remember. It has the old period correct selector on the floor with room for 3 tanks total. I have one port blocked and just run on two - the seat tank and the saddle.

Some of these tanks came with a sender but more often than not they didn't. The one I got didn't have a sender so I bought a sender and gauge from JC Whitney and installed it.

[coloradosean2009]

Originally Posted by mrein3

Most of the pukes who talk on their cell phones or text while driving are in vehicles that would crush on impact with one of the saddle tanks designed for these trucks. The saddle tanks made back then for these trucks are constructed of plate steel and are quite stout.

I hear what you are saying. I used to think that old iron was the way to go for safety. This video changed all that for me

YouTube - Crash Test 1959 Chevrolet Bel...

I am not saying that an explosion is going to occur. What I figure will happen is the roll welded seam or other portion of the tank will breach in the event of a t-bone and spill gas all over the accident scene. 5+ gal. of spilled gas on hot asphalt is not my idea of fun.

[Brodie67]

Originally Posted by mrein3

Most of the pukes who talk on their cell phones or text while driving are in vehicles that would crush on impact with one of the saddle tanks designed for these trucks. The saddle tanks made back then for these trucks are constructed of plate steel and are quite stout.

That NBC footage of the mid 80's GM truck exploding on impact was fabricated by NBC after they couldn't get one to blow with just the impact. Mythbusters tried to get a car to explode after driving it off a cliff. They couldn't get it to blow either. They too had to rig a charge to the tank to get it to blow. It has been a while but if I remember correctly they fastened a tank to the front of the car and put an explosive charge on that.

I have one saddle tank on my truck. I use it all the time. It holds 17 or 19 gallons I can't remember. It has the old period correct selector on the floor with room for 3 tanks total. I have one port blocked and just run on two - the seat tank and the saddle.

Some of these tanks came with a sender but more often than not they didn't. The one I got didn't have a sender so I bought a sender and gauge from JC Whitney and installed it.

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[OhOneWS6]

My 72 has twin saddle tanks. They are fiberglass though. I would not use them with today gasoline. Most of today's gas has up to 10% ethanol in it. Ethanol is a very big issue in the boat community. It dissolves the resin in fiberglass tanks leading to all kinds of issues. I would suggest anyone else with fiberglass tanks do a little research before using them.

[El Jay]

Just a tad off topic: I installed 2 saddle tanks on my Jimmy back in the '70s.
They bolted to the floorboard just like the tanks in the link in rbagley's post. They were mounted outside the frame rails and ran roughly from the rear wheel wells forward almost to the toe board. the filler was in the rear wheel wells.
I had to run 2 switching valves, 1 for the fuel to the fuel pump and 1 for the return line back to the tank.'IIRC, they held just about 18 gal. each.

I don't know of any reason why the same set up couldn't be used on a pick up.

[67chevy2wd]

Originally Posted by El Jay

Just a tad off topic: I installed 2 saddle tanks on my Jimmy back in the '70s.
They bolted to the floorboard just like the tanks in the link in rbagley's post. They were mounted outside the frame rails and ran roughly from the rear wheel wells forward almost to the toe board. the filler was in the rear wheel wells.
I had to run 2 switching valves, 1 for the fuel to the fuel pump and 1 for the return line back to the tank.'IIRC, they held just about 18 gal. each.

I don't know of any reason why the same set up couldn't be used on a pick up.

sounds like what I have.

[C20-67_N_MO]

Interesting.

I would like to possibly do this as I too would like to have my spare under the bed not in it.

Seems like if you find an 80's series truck that has them in the junk yard it would be a fairly straight toward swap. But I could be wrong.

[Crabass]

Originally Posted by C20-67_N_MO

Interesting.

I would like to possibly do this as I too would like to have my spare under the bed not in it.

Seems like if you find an 80's series truck that has them in the junk yard it would be a fairly straight toward swap. But I could be wrong.

I have a '87 sb fleetside with factory twin tanks and a tank selector switch on the dash. I've had the driver's side out to replace a bad fuel pump, and after that exercise I started contemplating a conversion to the same setup on my '71 3/4t 4wd long bed. Found an '86 parts truck with the twin tank setup so I got the whole system (the tanks are hung from heavy brackets bolted to the frame). To the point, it ain't gonna be easy or pretty doing it this way. The tank dimensions for the later gen trucks don't match up well at all on the earlier trucks. Another consideration is that you have to have the bed side filler doors grafted in to be able to fill the tanks.

[crakarjax]

Has anyone figured out how to keep gas from spilling onto the fleetsides when filling up a saddle tank with a side-mounted filler?

[scrapmetalart]

Originally Posted by crakarjax

Has anyone figured out how to keep gas from spilling onto the fleetsides when filling up a saddle tank with a side-mounted filler?

paper towel?

[crakarjax]

Filler doors! Great idea, that will keep the gas off the bedsides!

[Brodie67]

I had one of my aluminum saddle tank doors damaged recently and am having trouble locating one. Do you know where to buy them?

Thnaks
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[Brodie67]

I am in need!!!
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