My '61 has an under bed tank in it right now. The fill cap gasket was bad when I got the truck and the tank had water and rust in it. I got the water out, but the rust seems to be something that, once starts, never ends. I'm ready to replace the tank. I've heard this discussed several times, but never heard a difinitive answer for a '61... Does anyone know what tank I should purchse to install under the bed in a '61?
I'm having the same trouble with rust in my tank. I saw some guys install this tank on an episode of "Trucks" on Spike TV. [URL="http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-290108/[/URL] It's made of plastic so no more rust.
If the tank is not leaking because of the rust, it can be cleaned and coated with a sealer. Eastwood carries a product to do both. Probably less expensive than replacing the tank.. Also, I'm hot a big fan of Polyurathane tanks.. Often they are too large and hang down too low in the rear exposing them to road hazards and puncture.. dv
I don't think that a plastic tank in a place that could prove vulnerable in the event of a rear end collision is a good idea even if they did do it on TV. I'm using stainless steel.
Good points I didn't think about the plastic getting damaged back there. Steel would probably be the best way to go.
Hell, I think almost all of the new vehicles are using plastic tanks now. The truck will be a local weekend driver anyway, I'll probably go with the Summit Racing tank. The dimensions work well at least.
True. However those tanks are protected by placing them near the center of the vehicle and well inside crush zones. dv
both my brothers have the blazer gas tanks in their '65 and '72 pickups and niether one of them like the fact that the tank hangs too low to the ground..i ended up putting a late 70's chevy van tank in my '60 Apache and its damn near perfect, not as low as the blazer tank at all, about 21 gallons i think..sending unit worked with my aftermarket Dolphin gauges. a new steel tank was around $150 plus straps..I'll try to post a couple of pics or email if you wanna see..just a thought..hope it helps. verdell '60 Apache short fleet 383/700r4, ps, power disc brakes, ect., yadda, yadda
The late 70's Chevy van tank sounds like exactly what I was looking for, best of all worlds it sounds like. Price is not bad either. If it fit a '60 frame, it'll fit my '61 frame. I'll have to look in to that. You don't remember the year do you. Hopefully, like the trucks, they spanned many years with the same parts and I'll be able to find one easily.
check out gastanks.com, part # GM-8A, 1978-1982 G-Series van tank, $123.00..I'm sure 1960,61,62 truck frames are identical so if you're interested, it'll work well. I did a lot of research with this..i mean hours at salvage yards and i'm pleased with it..BTW you'll need to consider what you wanna do about a fill tube..if you get me your email, i can take a couple of pics...good luck, man..luv dat '61 of yours!!
