Got a question about....GAS!

[jwhitfield]

or more specifically, gas storage. I'm a recent subscriber to this message board and I'm sure this topic has been discussed before, but I couldn't find anything in the past postings.

What is the best option for retrofitting a different gas tank? I'd like to get the stock tank out of the cab. I have a 72 long bed 4x4. I've thought about an after market tank in the bed, side tanks, or the tank in the spare tire area? Which is the best option with respect to cost, ease of installation, looks? Of course safety first. Does someone market a kit, or will I have to custom fabricate?

[oldsub86]

Think Safety too!
The most common solution appears to be the Blazer tank in the spot at the back where the spare used to be. There must be good reasons why that is the usual solution.

[Randy70C-10]

Because it fits! That's why. I've thought about putting a polished fuel cell in the bed.

[yellowgmc]

that's what i'm doing. 20 gallon aluminum fuel cell between the wheel wells. it's safer than behind the seat. and i don't have to worry about dragging the tank on a speed bump (will have a 4 - 6 drop). and if i want to drag race a bit it'll have good traction whith the weight over the axle.

[minibike]

If using the rear tank setup, a receiver hitch that is below the bumper will guard the tank a little. There is no perfect solution, but I would rather have a gas fire under the bed than in the cab!

[Longhorn Man]

Even though i'll get bashed (yet again) for saying this, think about what kind of accident it would take to burst an in cab tank, and one under the truck.
I feel a good in cab tank is the safest place. (good as in not leaking)

[oldsub86]

I'm with Longhornmail on this one. I don't like the tank hanging down in the back like most of the conversions do. I have always wondered about the 80's Mustangs. If you follow one in traffic you see that tank hanging under the back end and wonder what will happen if you rear end'm good.
The newer trucks had some issues with the side mounted tanks as well with side impact collisions. I think I feel just as safe with it in the cab as with it anywhere else. The only thing of course is that there is not a lot of cab space and it would be nice to have more. Also sounds of sloshing gas can be irritating. Interesting though if you have some water in your gas and the weather turns cold - the ice sorts of bangs around in there. Also have had locking gas caps snapped off by fuel thieves and the part that falls in rattles around when you turn corners - makes you wonder if it could spark and cause a big boom is the fuel was really low - probably not as the piece is white metal.

[jwhitfield]

My thoughts have been similar with respect to putting the tank under the bed either on the sides or in the rear. Seems like a greater probability of fire and explosions in accidents. But I would think that a fuel cell in the bed, just behind the cab would be just as safe, if not safer than in the cab. Not that a roll over is a big worry of mine, but in a 4x4, it is a possibility and I for one would prefer to have the gas out side. Any thoughts????

[Blue68]

jwitfield,
A question comes to mind. Are you intending to off road? If so, then under the bed would do two things to you, decrease ground clearance and add weight. If you put it under the bed you have to put in some armor as well to protect it from rocks and if you use the poly tank, from logs. In a roll over, if you leak in the cab, you were already smelling gas before the roll over or sloshing it out of the cap on corners and should have fixed it. A fuel cell in the bed is a good option if you can live with loss of bed space. I also like my gas to be out of the direct sunlight.

What ever you do, try to make sure it is DOT approved. This includes custom tanks. There are standards on welding and material (a stainless steel keg might make the standard, but who knows).

[jwhitfield]

good call on the protection of the tanks under the bed. They'd definately need skid plates. I live on a few acres of hilly property, so I four wheel to some extent at home. I do a lot more four wheeling in my.....shhhhhhh....Ford F250. But if I get the chevy up and running better with the new engine swap, I'd certainly plan on taking it out more....

[Long Knight]

I used to drive a Pinto through most of college (back off!! That thing could lay a 10' stripe no problem!) and the exposed tank always concerned me. So, me and my buddies painted reverse flames on the PintHo, (from the back to the front). It was great!

I don't know about those bed tanks. The farm supply store I used to work at sold those, but they were only tested and rated for disel, not gas. Like someone else said, make sure they are DOT approved.

Just out of curiosity, where do Baja racers run their tanks?

[72CustomCamper]

oldsub86-

Just yesterday I pulled the tank out of my '72 to figure out what was rolling around in it. YOU SAID IT! An old lock core from a locking cap! It was very clean...

As for tank location?

How about the original 20 gallon in the cab, and one in front of each wheel . 54 gallons of go juice (thats about a range of 450 miles for me )

[busterwivell]

Well, I didn't like listening to the gas slosh around, I didn't like the gas smell that I would get everytime I filled up in the morning and let the truck sit behind the office all day (seems it expands), and I didn't like the idea of a fire in the cab (remember the 20/20 deal with the rigged gas tanks?). I called Wes, got the Blazer tank conversion, went to the Marine supply and bought a filler neck, called Bill Turner Ent and got the plate to cover the in cab filler neck, and I couldn't be happier. It doesn't hang low under my truck. To each his own, I guess.

[Stout72]

I've been wanting to relocate my in-cab gas tank to somewhere else. I'm not a fan of riding in the same compartment with all that gas, and I want to replace my seat with something more modern and put speaker boxes behind it, so I could use the room. however, I think there is some merit to Longhornmail's feeling that the cab is a safe place, what with the door pillars as protection.

I still want to go with dual saddle tanks. I believe there was a recall on this, but I think if a heavy duty tank was fabricated, making it a little narrower so there is a little more room between the tank and the bedside, and a little shorter so as not to decrease ground clearance, this arrangement would be acceptable. I dislike the look of the aftermarket rivet-on fuel door, so when I make this conversion I'll weld in fuel doors from a donor bed from a later model truck.

I'm not partial to in-the-bed tanks, since I haul stuff in mine and appreciate all of the bed space available.

The blazer tank install is probably the easiest, but for me I'd like to put a spare tire in that spot, when I get one.

There is a company that makes between-the-frame rails tanks, I can't recall the name of that company, but some time ago I checked their website and sent an inquiry. At this time, they do not make these tanks for our trucks. Maybe in the future. Dang, I wish I could remember the name of that company.