Rear Fuel Tank swap
 

I will be ordering a rear ruel tank/cell setup for my '67 SWB 2wd truck very soon.

I've been looking at the tank offered by Fuelcellguy as well as the kit through ECE (seems a bit pricey to me).

Another option is a stock GM repro blazer tank.

I'm looking for real world replies. What do you guys honestly recommend and why? What would you do if you had to do yours over again?

Consider I am going with a 6" drop or bags in the rear end.

Thanks :cool:

Pick the one with the largest fill neck size. Otherwise, you spend a lot of time trying to fill up the tank. The 1 1/4 ID necks are too small. Next time I will cut the old one out and weld in a larger size. Kinda hard to weld once you put fuel in it. Even so, I would do the conversion again. I got a tank from Kenny's Truck in Tulsa OK. About $225 for the complete kit. I installed the marker light fuel filler and love it too. Good luck with the conversion.

I like my Blazer tank but it hangs pretty low.

i just used a poly fuel cell (you can get htem from summit for pretty cheap)

Thanks for the replies, good points.

Nate68 - any chance I could get a pic or two of your install? Did you have to fab your own fill neck? Do you fill in the bed floor or elsewhere?

here's an old pic from before the bed was on.

Anybody else have info to share?

I have not done this yet, but I know that the Truck Shop has the complete setup for $166 and it includes all of the straps, sening unit, nuts and bolts....This is the best price that i have seen so far....I am just waiting for the pennies before upgrade....

In my catalog it says that the straps and sending unit are sold separate. So that would be another $75 on top of the $165.

I have a FCG tank. I just fired my TPI up tonight, and so far the tank works great. It installed easy, and mine has an in-tank pump. It also has a 2" filler.

71swb4x4 i think you can take the working on TPI off of your signature now :)

Has anyone put a later style blazer tank in there 67-72 truck... Will it fit, it looks like it will fit in the frame... what are the dimensions of the 69-72 blazer tank, anyone know. Thanks

I used one from FCG. It was awesome. He included the mounting straps and builds it to your specs: location of filler etc.... I will use his tanks on any future projects. My ex-brother in law once used a plastic fuel cell from Summit. It was really flimsy and really didn't fit all that well. I just didn't like the idea of that flimsy plastic cell under my bed. That was the major reason I went with FCG.

Yeah, so far the FCG setup looks like just what I want.
I appreciate the feedback guys :cool:

i was really thinking about a fuel cell. but i didn't want a gas tank under the bed. so at the risk of being completely origional, i'm installing a diamond plate combo tool box/tank. it is pretty normal for people with 5th wheels to have an aux tank like this. but i really like having the combination and having a 50 gallon capacity. looks attractive, holds alot, strong as hell, easy to get to (no fabbing fuel doors) check out www.transferflow.com just for kicks.
just my $.02

Cool.
I have been thinking about the tank swap since I first read about the blazer tank swap a year or so ago here. I like having the tank under the bed, primarily to get it out of the way. I was never happy driving around with a 'bomb' behind my seat :D

transfer flow is based out of chico. i should see how much they would want to build me tank

"I was never happy driving around with a 'bomb' behind my seat "

I was just wondering why people say this? I have not heard or seen of any of the old trucks (of which most of them have tanks in cab) blow up or catch fire because of the in-cab tank....

Not trying to be an a$$, just wondering why those that do this swap are really doing it for? (I would expect most do it just because)

Im wanting it for some weight transfer and bucket seats. Otherwise i wouldnt bother.

It was just a joke...

Personally, I'm doing it to clean up the side of the cab and remove the filler top and gain even a little seating room inside the cab. The room under the bed is wasted space, so I might as well take advantage of it :bowtie: :cool:

for me: a nominal gain in traction and so i can put stuff behind the seat. i have no other place to store things (and dont say the bed because that isn't functional

I have the ECC FI version.. not cheap but its a very nice product.

http://iroc-ss.com/c10/framerebuild/...0rear_done.jpg

Nate68, Where from around Chico are you?
 

I lived in Colusa for awhile...Where you from?

My only problem with installing a fuel cell between the frame rails is... Where the heck do we store the spare tire so it's not in the way and messing up a otherwise neat an clean looking truck?

JOHN FABRIS-- IN 1977 I WAS HIT BROADSIDE AT AN INTERSECTION BY A DRUNK DRIVER (I WAS DOING 55 OR 60) CAUSING ME TO ROLL END OVER END IN MY 72 3/4 TON FORD. AFTER ROLLING ABOUT 80 YARDS, I STOPPED WITH THE TRUCK UPSIDE DOWN WITH MY HEAD PINNED TO THE GROUND. IT STOPPED IN A LITTLE DEPRESSION IN THE GROUND, & EVERYTHING WAS FROZEN(IT WAS DEC. 23rd IN MICHIGAN). THE BEHIND THE SEAT TANK WAS JUST FILLED. IT SPLIT, & ALL OF THE GAS DUMPED OUT OVER ME, & ALMOST DROWED ME IN GASOLINE, AS MY HEAD WAS PINNED TO THE GROUND. I WAS PINNED IN THE WRECKAGE FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES, I HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO PONDER THE PLACEMENT OF SUCH A FUEL TANK. THE ONLY REASON IT DIDN'T CATCH FIRE WAS MY BATTERY WAS THROWN OUT DURING ONE OF THE ROLLS. LUCKY ME-- I GOT OUT OF IT WITH A BROKEN BACK, 14 BROKEN RIBS, A BROKEN COLLAR BONE & ABOUT 300 STITCHES ON MY MELLON. SO YA .... IT IS KINDA A SAFETY THING. I CONSIDER THESE TANKS A BIG BOMB BEHIND THE SEAT ALSO. THE REASON YOU DON'T HERE ABOUT ALOT OF THE PROBLEMS WITH THEM IS THAT MOST OF THE PEOPLE WHO EXPERIANCED PROBLEMS WITH THEM ARE DEAD. :D :D :D JOHN

wow!!! that is amazing that you lived through that, and thanks for sharing about why they are not safe.

My 69 has a chrysler cordoba tank in it. I didnt install it,but I was told thats what it was...corn

Amazing story John!! Glad you survived that wreck.

Glad you made it JY.

here's what I did for a gas tank. One thing I alway noted about the old trucks was that the cabs always smell like gasoline.

MackL - any contact information for this Kenny's Truck place? Google comes up empty.

Dallas71 - Are you referring to www.thetruckshop.com? I sent them an email today I was just checking to see if it was the same place you were referring to.

Thanks.

The Truck shop in Cali is where I got the tank and all for the writeup in the FAQ. They do not have the best customer service (I found out later) but they are cheap if that is what you are looking for. The setup for 166 was complete at the time, including sender, etc. If you want a really great setup, go with FCG, he makes a great product. If you want to do a blazer style tank you have a few options available to you. I always try and support local vendors, but am not a hater of the truck shop. I just know they have poor customer service, but I've never had a problem with their product quality (My oinion only though, others have). With a 6 inch drop I would probably lean towards FCG. I don't fel the blazer tank hangs to low, (about 3-4 inches lower than back bumper), but I wouldn't risk it on a 6 inch drop personally. Hope it helps a little.
Shawn

Here is the info for Kenny's trucks. I found them at a swap meet and they had the best value. They also have great customer service. As good as Kenny's is, I would buy my next one from the fuel cell guy or weld a larger filler neck on the one from kenny's.
http://KENNYSTRUCKS.COM
918-827-2600
Good luck...Kelly

Thanks guys, I'll check it out. I'm not necessarily looking for the cheapest, but the best value :cool:

What does one from FCG cost,(ballpark)?

I think it runs about $375 + shipping with sending unit. Here is a thread :D

375 is what he estamated me too

We don't want the tank in the cab because they can make the cab smell like gasoline. That would be because the fuel lines are old, and/or the fuel fill hose is old/leaking. When the trucks were new, they didn't smell like gas.

As for relocating them to the rear of the chassis, it frees up space behind the seat, and/or allows for different seating.

Simply relocating the tank to the rear of the chassis doesn't negate the possibility of damaging the tank in a rear-end collision. Fuel Cells, as I understand them from a racing concept, are supposed to retain the fuel, even if damaged. A tank, if damaged, will leak. Whether it leaks, or not, will be determined by the construction of the tank, versus the force of the impact.

In my first vehicle, I carried a one-gallon gas can. It was placed in the back left corner of the trunk, directly beneath the tail light. I had a '54 Ford 2-dr. I got rear-ended by a then-new '65 Impala. Ford was nose-down, in braking to keep from hitting a car that had stopped just over the rise of a hill. When I hit my brakes, the Impala driver hit his. His front end was nose-down. When he got hit by a fourth vehicle, it drove the front of the Impala into the rear of my Ford, and knocked me into a '64 Chevelle. The rear of my Ford was crushed to conform to the front of the Impala.

That can of gas?? It, too, was crushed to conform to the damage in the trunk of the Ford. It didn't leak. I have never kept a can of gas in a vehicle, since then.

Having once owned a '71 Pinto, which Ford recalled to install a thick plastic shield between the rear axle and the gas tank, I have to consider the location of the gas tank as very important. I think I'm just gonna replace the rubber and leave my tank in the cab.

Personally I'd rather have an explosion at the back of my truck rather than underneith my butt...

I knew there was some reason I didn't like those DAMN Fords! But then again that Ford may have saved your life.