Gas Tank Relocation-Thoughts?

[Hack71]

Well said BigMike, I moved my tank reluctantly when I found that the original tank had been patched and now the patch was starting to lift, my thought was ill have a lot of money and time into the interior to risk a leak. I bought a Classic Industries tank relocate kit. (Blazer Style Tank) for about the same money as the factory tank. I was disappointed at first with the lack of instructions and no internal baffle and if I did it again I would invest in a better quality fuel tank or fuel cell. Cost of Tank and new fuel lines and filler neck was around $ 400.00.
Good Luck!

[BigMike]

Even though I agree with Special-K with the superior engineering in which these trucks were built, if better technology is available why not take advantage of it? I mean, a horse and buggy were a great mode of transportation over walking, why upgrade to an automobile...lol (just messin' with ya Tim) But in the event of "restoring" it to it's original beauty I'll have to agree with going back to an original tank. The meaning of restoring is just that, replacing or fixing a part that follows the original design. I missed that part in my first response.

Honestly, it took a few decades for the tank to leak, the chance of a new one leaking again while you're still able to chew solid foods are pretty low.

[kray59]

i thought about the tank in place of spare tire carrier but don't care much for the in the bed spare rack and have had to many needs for a spare to go without one . just another $ 0.02 worth . either way i would rather drive my 71 than a new truck as lots of us here would

[el_fantasma]

Do you need to remove the bed to install the new tank, can you keep the existing fuel pump?

[Metaldoc]

I put a chevy van tank in and configured an original filling tube to make it look factory while filling. The added rear weight of the tank and fuel make the truck ride smoother. Then remounted the spare.

[clay68c10]

Man, that is slick. What a great way to get the spare out of the way.

[Snake Eyes USA]

Ive this thread and was surprised of not seeing a comment about how piercing the gas is with cab tanks.
How bad is the gas smell? My entire garage smells heavily of gas and can almost taste it in the air. How normal is that? We cruise around and when done the smell is on our clothes. This is the only reason I'm considering replacing the tank or relocating it.

[Hack71]

My tank relocation has served me well, I've enjoyed the extra room in the cab for storage. Never had a problem with gas smell from the tank. Considering I had to replace my tank anyways it was a good decision for me, if everything was in good working order I wouldn't to do it.

[custom10nut]

The right answer to this question depends on the person.
I will be moving my gas tank because I want to, and it's my truck.
All the yeh and news could also be applied to keep stock engine/or LS swap or:
Keep stock height or lower it, or bag it
Shorten a long bed or keep it
Stock wheels or mag wheels
15/16 inch wheels or 20s
I could go on.

[deereboy8r]

Originally Posted by Hack71

Well said BigMike, I moved my tank reluctantly when I found that the original tank had been patched and now the patch was starting to lift, my thought was ill have a lot of money and time into the interior to risk a leak. I bought a Classic Industries tank relocate kit. (Blazer Style Tank) for about the same money as the factory tank. I was disappointed at first with the lack of instructions and no internal baffle and if I did it again I would invest in a better quality fuel tank or fuel cell. Cost of Tank and new fuel lines and filler neck was around $ 400.00.
Good Luck!

Hack71 Not sure if you'll see this but I am considering doing a blazer tank swap as well and wanted to know how crucial the baffling would be? My truck is a K10 and will be lifted so not trying to break any speed barriers lol. Also I've found one that is a plastic tank which always interest me for rust prevention. Any thoughts on this would be much appreciated.

[Richard]

Sure, no one plans for it. The first time you wake up after being knocked out cold, laying in the cab of one of these trucks after a bad accident and fuel is leaking in the cab you may change your mind that there is nothing wrong with a fuel tank in the cab. I have been in that situation and it is the #1 reason for relocation of my tank.

[Accelo]

If it wasn't for having to have a method to fill the darn tank moving the tank to the rear would be a no brainier. I painted my truck and thought "I will deal with it later." That was the biggest mistake I made in building my truck.
The cheap China tanks give no credence to filler location. Right in the middle of the floor, a foot froward from the tail gate, was jut fine according to them. The tank I purchased even installed the attachment brackets welded on square to the tank, even thought its mounted on a tapered section of the frame. So the tank hit the bottom of the bed cross-member.
Relocating the tank is a major engineering headache. Don't think you can just throw it in the back and it's going to look and function great. If you don't have the time and money, to do it right, I would keep the tank in the stock location and spend my funds elsewhere.

[Ironhorse]

I moved my in-cab tank many years ago during the rebuild. Glad I did it but the main driver was extra weight near rear wheels and storage behind the seat. Granted the engineering for a decent fuel fill is a consideration and also tank positioning reference to ground clearance. Since my truck is a K10 ground clearance and being able to see tank was not a problem. I went with a poly tank from GMCPaul and have been very pleased with it. Did have to remove the bed but that was done at the time also for back of cab repairs so a no brainer win-win at the time. Notched one of the bed members and welded it closed for rust prevention. Put the fuel fill in the driver side wheel well hump. Fills great with no "burp" during a full flow fill. Do get some strange looks when it seems I am dumping gas into the bed of the truck. Many options for the filling and all have their merits and drawbacks but this works for me.

[Accelo]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

Put the fuel fill in the driver side wheel well hump. Fills great with no "burp" during a full flow fill. Do get some strange looks when it seems I am dumping gas into the bed of the truck. Many options for the filling and all have their merits and drawbacks but this works for me.

Do you remember what the fill was re-purposed from? I liked the 90 deg fitting on the inside.
Rick

[Already Gone]

I bought an Early Classics Enterprises stainless steel rear mount tank in 2003 as I had gas smell in cab after filling and wife really didn't want to go in the truck when it smelled but she did over the years and one of the many reasons she is still my wife. I was pretty naive about the trucks and didn't realize what was involved to install the rear mount tank. Anyone I could find to do it wanted more money than I was willing to pay to have it installed. I sold that truck in 2014 and still hadn't installed the tank but kept it. I bought another truck in 2014 which I still have and during last Winter talking with a friend he had a friend that was capable of installing my tank and wanted to do the job and quoted me a very reasonable price to do it. So in May that just past I had the tank installed and am real happy. First thing I noticed is that the cab is quieter without the tank in it and I find the truck rides better, smoother, and handles better but that is probably from the rear Hellwig Sway bar that was added at the same time. As has been said going to rear tank is a personal choice as is many other upgrades and changes that are made to our trucks.

[tim_mc]

My dad talked me into relocating the tank during the rebuild, and I'm glad he did. I chose to do mine as an N18 auxiliary tank option from 1970 with the filler through the bedside for convenience. I used a GM hose cover inside the bed, and mounted the spare near the cab.

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by Accelo

Do you remember what the fill was re-purposed from? I liked the 90 deg fitting on the inside.
Rick

Probably relocated the tank in 2003-03 so has been some time ago. Pretty sure I got the tank fill tube from a early 90's Chevrolet Lumina mini-van. Just was first thing I found at the salvage yard and figured I could make it work. Did have to use a couple copper plumbing elbows to make the quick 90 degree turn but after having them soldered in position everything worked great. Bought a section of fuel rated hose which is not cheap but make sure it is fuel rated. Used some stainless steel clamps to mount it in place. Since the poly tank had provisions for a vent and charcoal canister I used two sintered brass vents on fuel vent line hose and ran them up and over the inside wheel well using Adel clamps and the inner wheel well mounting bolts. Had to re-drill the Adel clamps to allow the vent line clamps to mount to the wheel well structure. Have never had a problem with filling or any leaks and have been very satisfied with the tank re-location project. Really like having the storage room behind the seat and extra weight near the rear axle. Hope that helps.

[72GreenMonster]

It is a huge amount of time and effort but not always wasted depends on each individuals preference and need. Mine was rusted and so i swapped to a behind the axle 17 gal with 402 and carb, later LS swapped and switched to a 30 gallon blazer tank with internal baffle and fuel pump. Safety wise the sloshing sound never felt safe for me and so it all started but for me I'm still fabbing the fuel filler neck and relocation and other mods that are like a can of worms opened once you go that route. Nip and tuck for all the right reasons if you have to.

Good Luck