gas tank ideas

[60apache]

my truck is a 1960 and there are really no rear tank kits available that I can find so I ended up ordering the lmc kit for the 63-66 I set it in today and it just hangs way too low for my truck with the 5" drop considering I plan to bag it later. so I am back to the drawing board. so I need some suggestions on a rear frame mounted tank on a 60 that wont hang too low or some ideas for a bed mounted tank. please post ideas and pics. I thought about taking that tank and putting it in the bed hidden in a tool box or something to that effect.

[lakeroadster]

Take a look at post #8 of my build thread for my '65 SWB. I am unsure though if it will work on a 1960 frame design though.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=363509

[Heater63]

You've discovered the drawback to the blazer tank, it hangs too low for most of us; otherwise it is great. Most other steel tanks that fit in the dimensions don't have enough capacity.

I really like lakeroadsters setup, also, check out his bed, the bed widening is very neat. John, did you move back the rearmost crossmember to fit this tank when you chopped for rollpan?

I want 18-20 gallon capacity, and not too low hanging, so the dimensions will have to be increased in length. To do that, I have been thinking about removing the rearmost crossmember, using a class III trailer hitch plus additional bracing to maintain the rear frame integrity, and finding a steel or poly tank that fits. I may have to pay the $$ to have one custom built.

[lakeroadster]

Originally Posted by Heater63

You've discovered the drawback to the blazer tank, it hangs too low for most of us; otherwise it is great. Most other steel tanks that fit in the dimensions don't have enough capacity.

I really like Lakeroadsters setup, also, check out his bed, the bed widening is very neat. John, did you move back the rearmost crossmember to fit this tank when you chopped for rollpan?

I want 18-20 gallon capacity, and not too low hanging, so the dimensions will have to be increased in length. To do that, I have been thinking about removing the rearmost crossmember, using a class III trailer hitch plus additional bracing to maintain the rear frame integrity, and finding a steel or poly tank that fits. I may have to pay the $$ to have one custom built.

I removed the rear crossmember completely and replaced it with a piece of 4" structural channel with the lower leg removed. I had planned to use a hitch also but the rollpan I used has the license plate recess in the center and there wasn't room for the hitch.

So if I was starting from scratch I would use a roll pan that doesn't have a license plate, use the hitch as the rear crossmember, and make the license plate as a removable piece that slides into the hitch receiver.

It would be a tight fit and would likely require the roll pan to be installed after the bed is on the truck, but I think it is possible, especially if you get a custom made tank.

I would also recommend buying a Mar-K roll pan. I bought mine from LMC, it is Taiwanese crap. I had to rework it to get it to fit flush with the fenders and I ended up modifying the rear fenders to get everything flush and smooth.

And a final note: Tanks Inc. redesigned their 49-52 Chevy tanks to be 1" deeper. They are now 18 gallons, the tank I installed in my '65 is 16 gallons.

[1Bad62Pro/Street]

Originally Posted by 60apache

my truck is a 1960 and there are really no rear tank kits available that I can find so I ended up ordering the lmc kit for the 63-66 I set it in today and it just hangs way too low for my truck with the 5" drop considering I plan to bag it later. so I am back to the drawing board. so I need some suggestions on a rear frame mounted tank on a 60 that wont hang too low or some ideas for a bed mounted tank. please post ideas and pics. I thought about taking that tank and putting it in the bed hidden in a tool box or something to that effect.

Here you go:





http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=321173
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...368988&page=20

[Heater63]

Thanks lakeroadster. After I posted I revisited your build and saw that you had fabbed a new rear cross piece. That is how I will proceed, put in a new rear plate, remove the factory crossmember, then find a tank that fits or have one built. Later in the build I will decide about roll pan vs bumper vs hitch with hidden reciever, etc
Mar-K is a 2 hour drive, I can actually go get pieces from them if needed, glad to hear they are good quality. I have been pleased with some Tri-Pro patch panels also.
I appreciate all your posts, you have great ideas, nice to observe an engineer at play as we can all learn something from you.

[60apache]

anybody got a bed mounted tank or ideas on one?

[markeb01]

Here are some earlier threads on the topic for additional ideas:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...highlight=tank
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...highlight=tank
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...highlight=tank

[Captainfab]

There is a board vendor, Boyd's Welding that sells custom aluminum fuel tanks. I believe he has one for the '60-'62's. You can find him in the Vendors Marketplace.

[62much]

Thanks, I'll have to take a look. You think with all the 60-62 trucks being restored, they'd make a Aftermarket Fuel Tank. We stock RCI Race fuel cells where I work, will have to measure and see if I can make one of them fit.

[nachodog2]

you can always try an early mustang gas tank. you just need to fab up some mounts at the rear to where your happy with the ground clearance.

[lotus]

A few years back you used to be able to find new old stock military blazer gas tanks for REALLY cheap on the web.

[DirtyDrew]

ok everybody stop what you are doing! boyd welding makes a tank for our truck! the 60-72 truck basicly have the same chassis with only some crossmember differences ,but boyd has modified his product to fit all of the trucks now. i just bought one 2 months ago and it fits perfect in my 66, even though his product still says 67-72.

http://www.boydwelding.com/TruckTanks.html

[62much]

Needs to update his web page to 60-66, could probably sell more tanks

[lakeroadster]

Originally Posted by DirtyDrew

...boyd welding makes a tank for our truck! ... I just bought one 2 months ago and it fits perfect in my 66, even though his product still says 67-72.

Got any photos of your truck with the tank installed? Does it hang down low enough to be visible from the back and the side of the truck? I hear a lot of good things about Boyd's tanks but have yet to see a picture of one in a 60-66 truck.

Originally Posted by Daveboyd

I now offer an aluminum Rear mounted tank for the 67-72 truck

67-72 Chevy Truck -$349.00
Mounts Behind Rear Axle
Tank Dimensions: 26.5 x 19 x 10 deepest
Tank Material: .125 aluminum

(1) Twist Cap 3" tall
(1) .375 FTP vent
(1) .375 FPT (Fuel) opposite corner bottom
(1) sending unit flange
(4) 3 x 3 aluminum mounting tabs
Picture Shown Is Actual Tank
HERES A VIDEO YouTube - 67 72 truck @ boydwelding.com

other options and modifications availible Please call me.

Check out my other products www.boydwelding.com

If you look at the above video link Boyd's tank is beautiful and appears to be a very high quality piece. Even the price of $350 is reasonable for a custom made tank.

The other options being discussed in this thread however, with tanks that are at $200 or less, provide a much more cost effective solution for those of us doing budget builds that don't mind doing some fabrication / modifications to the frame.

[fleetsidelarry]

my '60 service manual and my '63 service manual says the frame width is different at the rear, I can go measure my '61 and '66 tomorrow.

[Captainfab]

Yes the '60-'62 2wd frames are wider than the '63-'72 frames. I don't remember exactly how much but it's around 4 inches I believe. I know Boyd had some issues a while back with clearance issues on the shortbed trucks. And yes he did remedy that issue. The frames are basically the same from '63-'72, so yes a tank designatedfor a '67-'72 will fit in a '63-'66 frame. However I don't know if those tanks will fit the '60-'62 frames or not. There was a member here a while back that bought a custom made tank for his '60-'62. IIRC he got it from 'The Fuel Cell Guy' who is also a vendor here.

Originally Posted by DirtyDrew

ok everybody stop what you are doing! boyd welding makes a tank for our truck! the 60-72 truck basicly have the same chassis with only some crossmember differences ,but boyd has modified his product to fit all of the trucks now. i just bought one 2 months ago and it fits perfect in my 66, even though his product still says 67-72.

http://www.boydwelding.com/TruckTanks.html

Originally Posted by fleetsidelarry

my '60 service manual and my '63 service manual says the frame width is different at the rear, I can go measure my '61 and '66 tomorrow.

[6863m]

I had Boyd make a tank for my 62 and it was a perfect fit. I believe it is 23 gallons and it could have been more if I had wanted to add to the length. But the install was easy with a little drilling of a couple holes to match. I have not hooked up up electrically yet but have run the tubing and hooked it up to the fuel pump.

He was a pleasure to work with and I did it all over the phone and he also had the right sending units and floats.

[Heater63]

Fuel Cell Guy has a group buy going on now, Dave Boyd has a group buy starting next week. Both have very high praise on this board. Both are listed under the boards Classifieds, Vendors Marketplace

[Scot_Douglas]

Another option is a 71-80 International Scout II fuel tank - I picked one up at a 4x4 swap meet for $70. It is 19 gallons and is a good "mock" fit behind the axle in my 66.

I have no photos to share - I'm moving the filler neck to the back of the tank so I can hide it behind my license plate (or so I think I am - until proven wrong )

[Captainfab]

If that is a used tank with any indication of gas fumes inside, do not get any ignition source (flame or spark) near it. There are a few ways to weld or solder on used gas tanks. Regardless it can be extremely dangerous.

Originally Posted by Scot_Douglas

Another option is a 71-80 International Scout II fuel tank - I picked one up at a 4x4 swap meet for $70. It is 19 gallons and is a good "mock" fit behind the axle in my 66.

I have no photos to share - I'm moving the filler neck to the back of the tank so I can hide it behind my license plate (or so I think I am - until proven wrong )

[Scot_Douglas]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

If that is a used tank with any indication of gas fumes inside, do not get any ignition source (flame or spark) near it. There are a few ways to weld or solder on used gas tanks. Regardless it can be extremely dangerous.

Tank will be purged with CO2 when I'm cutting / welding, plus, it has been sitting so long the fuel turned into varnish (about one gallon).

[Captainfab]

OK, I just wanted to be sure you were aware of the dangers of welding or soldering on used gas tanks. Sounds like you have a good plan......carry on

[Scot_Douglas]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

OK, I just wanted to be sure you were aware of the dangers of welding or soldering on used gas tanks. Sounds like you have a good plan......carry on

I certainly appreciate the concern and looking out for my well-being. Knowing what fuel vapors are capable of, I hadn't though about not taking precautions - and you certainly didn't know I wasn't going to grab a tank, dump the fresh fuel in the driveway and have a go at it.

Thanks!