Mounting Boyd's gas tank

[todd99]

I jacked my tank up in between the frame rails and I have about an inch of clearance from the differential, and that is with it pushed all the way back.

Is this safe/normal?

I'm wondering if my mine fits differently because it is a longhorn.

[todd99]

And I already had to relocate two brackets just to jack the tank up.

[70-Chevy]

Todd,
I put a Boyds tank in my truck. You can see the photos of it in my build thread on my signature.

I just went out and measured the distance from the tank to the rear end and I have exactly 5" of clearance. My truck is a 70 c-10 shortbed with a 5" drop in the rear.

[todd99]

Thanks for the quick feedback. Looks like I'll have to give Boyd a call tomorrow and return my tank. I'm sure glad I didn't drill a hole in my bed yet.

[70-Chevy]

I still need to do a hole in my bed floor also. How were you thinking of doing yours? I wanted to cut about a 6" hole with a hole saw and put the plug on a hinge. Havnt figured out the best way to do it yet though.

[todd99]

Your answer is here...

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=518046

I bought the cap mentioned here and I really like it.

[70-Chevy]

sweet! How do you plan to connect the cap to the tank? Im imagining a virtually impossible area to get a hand into to conect them between the tank and the bed floor, unless Im missing something....

Thanks for the link!

[todd99]

I will try to merge a 2-1/4" tube between them while I stuff it into place. And with a lot of patience and a very long screwdriver tighten down the clamps. I used to be an aircraft mechanic so I have built up a tolerance for working in impossible places.

... nobody mentioned how hard it would be to install this thing.

[70-Chevy]

Let me know how it goes please if you dont mind. I will be in the exact same boat as you before too long.

[todd99]

Alright I'm about to start day 3 of trying to install this tank and thought I'd give an update.

I think a lot of the problems I have been having with installing this tank stem from my truck being a Longhorn and not the standard long bed.

I had about 1" of clearance from the differential, so I had the corners of the frame cross-member notched out. This allowed me to push the tank back about another two inches. Which later turned out to be doubly important because the neck of the tank would have been dead in the center of one of the bed rails (wood bed), but it now just barely clears.

I drilled holes in the frame and had nuts welded in to make bolting up the tank possible.

The neck on the fuel cap and the tank over lap by about 1/4". I cut 3/8" off of the fuel cap.

The neck diameter of the cap is 2" and the diameter of the tank is 2-1/4". I cut a 3" piece of 2-1/4" rubber hose and a 1" piece of 2" hose. I inserted the 1" piece into the 2-1/4" and test fitted it. It is a really snug fit, which is good. Since it will be nearly impossible to tighten clamps on the neck, I am going to use SealAll on all of the rubber and a couple of long zip ties. I should be able to have the hose on the tank when I mount it and push the cap into the hose from above.

Since the cap is not vented, I installed an elbow and some fuel hose to one of the openings on the top of the tank. I inserted a fuel filter in the middle to prevent contamination and ran the hose over the frame rail.

If all goes well today, I am going to wire the fuel gauge, plumb the lines, and mount the tank.

[todd99]

I've had the tank in for a few days and it was very worthwhile. I'm really happy with the bed fill, I like being able to visually see straight into the tank. It was a fun project for a reasonable price.

[laynrockers]

Can you post pics? i am thinking about this tank in my 66 long bed. Problem is the measurements he sent me wont fit for drivers to passenger side 29.5" ??

Thanks