hello all, After roaming this and other forums i am still left with some open questions, so hope you can help me (or forgive me if it has allready been asked...) The thing is i live in europe, so there is little comparisson and most parts require expensive shipping across the ocean, so i rather get this right the first time. My truck is a 1952 chevy pick up which is undergoing a full restoration (and upgrades) at the moment i am looking at moving the tank outside under the bed. However all tanks i can find online are for the more common 1/2 ton truck (where the frame gets wider in the back, with the 3/4 ton the frame remains paralell, so much narrower in the back) I found a place where they can make me a tank, but it will get rather small if it needs to be within the frame and between the rear crossmember and the diff. I there any bolt in tank that will be reasonably large enough? and if not, is there any issue for me to move the rear crossmember 30 cm or so to the rear in order to get enough/more space? the crossmember at the moment is at the point where the rear part of the spring is mounted on the frame as well.. Another question is: how far do i need to keep the exhaust away from the tank? (with or without heatshield) thaks for your help, Rob
Rob, You may want to look into a Chevrolet S10 pickup truck tank. It is narrow, fits between the driveshaft (propeller shaft for you?) and the frame rail behind the cab. If your truck is undergoing "upgrades" this tank may possibly fit. I don't have access to my frame right now (3+ feet of snow) to measure. The S10 pickups (also GMC Sonoma, and Isuzu Hombre) are quite ubiquitous, and you should be able to source a used one (or purchase new online perhaps). Just a thought. Good luck.
I think Mike gave you a good tip on something that should be easy to find. I have seen AD trucks on S10 frames that retained the S10 tank. I also like the filler being on the drivers side. A couple of pictures showing the S10 tank and the factory under bed tank. I have a 3/4T with the factory under bed tank but it would only be good for using as a pattern as it is rusted badly.
thanks for the replies, i might go that way, but for the moment i am trying to find if its possible to make one in the back between the rails (looks like an easier option as it will be suppoted on both sides by the frame). So if someone knows any answesr to my questions it will be greatly appreciated. If its not possible i'll dig into the option you mentioned.
Here is an S10 Blazer (NOT pickup) tank in a 1/2 ton 52. Has about 6" (15 cm) clearance on each side so would probably clear a 3/4T frame. This one holds 21 gallons but they also made a 13 gallon one that is even smaller.
If interested here is how we do the filler neck with the S10 Blazer tank. The filler bung is for a motorcycle.
I used an aftermarket tank for a c10 in my 3600. Pic is in my album on this site. It fit perfectly between the frame rails.
thanks for the replies, great ride mobileortho! I am in the process of having a tank made now, it will be aluminium. As i make the template myself the size will be great, just wondering what do i need as minimum clearance between the tank and the exhaust? Should you also keep minimum distance from diff?
Fuel Tank / Exhaust Clearance I don't know what the specific space is required to be but you can easily add a simple sheet metal heat shield . Hot fuel is always a problem on many different levels so you're very wise to thin of this .
So; is there anyone that has an educated guess on the amount of space required?? (with or without a shield)
So after some deliberation i chose to have an aluminum tank between the framerails, which i mocked up with cardboard and was built out of 3mm aluminum by my measurements. It has brackets on the side and rear, but i thought it might be a bit on the heavy side so i made staps under the tank for extra support. I havent made a heatshield, but plan on making one when the exhaust is installed in its final position. Here's some pics of the installed tank:
Looks great. Good move on the straps. They allow the twisting and bending the frame sees to not be directly transferred into the tank brackets.
That is a NICE tank. The 45 degree break at the front should strengthen the whole structure and if it has a baffle or two along with being an 1/8" thick it should last a long time. Inspect once a year or so with a bore scope to see if any "frosting" (aluminum oxidation) is developing which happens mainly when a tank is partially filled and left set for a long time. If no moisture gets in then there is no problem. Good job.
