47-55.1 Bed side fuel door

[edgeleycanuck]

Wondering if anyone has an example of a home built fuel door for the side of their truck?
I may just put the fuel filler through the bed side with a rubber grommet and exposed cap but would be interested in examples of what may be out there. It's a flat surface of course so that makes one aspect easier.

[dsraven]

hey edgely, what kinda surface you talking about, vertical/horizontal/angled somehow? style of truck? location of preferred mounting?

I have a task force truck and ran my filler hose out under the box near the rear behind the wheel, then up and through the step side fender behind the wheel. I wanted a horizontal surface rather than a vertical surface and also wanted something higher up on the truck so there would be no issues with filling slow and burping back when filling.
I used the fill spout with valve (shortened) and the filler door (and surround, reshaped to fit contour) from an envoy I scrapped. just be sure to check how it opens to ensure the door clears the box rail if doing something like this.

[edgeleycanuck]

Hey thanks for the quick response as well as the photos!
It's a 1951 on a Dakota frame. The fuel tank is an s10 so the fill tube will be slightly behind the front stake pocket, so a flat vertical surface. I should have also mentioned suggestions as to a good donor door assembly, of course a round flat one is what would work well. I would think I would install and weld in just as you show. Yours is well done I might add.

[dsraven]

thanks.
I used the envoy one because I had it and I also wanted a round door to sorta go with the rounded look of the old style truck plus round is easier to bend into the shape I needed for the fender without causing weak spots on the corners that would want to "oil can". a wrecker or a kijiji check would probably turn up a cheap door. easy to get the surround as well and the envoy also has an inner "tray" if you want some extra rigidity and have the space. take a hammer and a chisel or a cordless recip saw or, fab up a homemade chisel from a thick putty knife with a cutting edge on the side, that way you can hold the handle of the knife while you use the hammer on the side opposite the cutting edge. take a file with you to keep the edge sharp (sorta looks like a hook knife when youre done sharpening the putty knife but the hook actually keeps the tool in the right place when cutting). it worked for me several times when the air chisel wasn't available, like at the wrecker. also works pretty good for cutting spot welds after a quick drill through to weaken them. buy a good quality putty knife so it will be tempered spring steel.
I used cleco fasteners to mock up the door but self drilling sheet metal screws (tech screws) work great too. you gotta weld the holes after but you also gotta weld the cleco holes so that part is a wash. a cordless drill with a hex head sheet metal screw is pretty fast if you use a magnetic tip to drive the screws.I also have a magnetic parts tray to hold the screws, it's handy because it can be placed on an angle and the screws still stay in the tray for easy grabbing.

[dsraven]

pics of the proposed filler area? truck build at present?

[edgeleycanuck]

The filler door would be about where the piece of duct tape is. I seem to recall it may have been said that it's difficult to use a door and recessed cap due to the lack of space between the tank and bedside on an s10. This dakota frame is a little narrower I believe so that may help if it may be an issue. I've included some other photos as requested. I'm pretty happy with the cab floor, the bed, and Trans crossmember. I'm getting closer to hopefully "bolting"things together and being done with fabricating/making things fit together etc.
Thanks for the interest.

[mr48chev]

That is just about where the stock filler neck is on a 47/48 on the opposite side.

Maybe this link will work to show where the stock 47/48 filler is.
https://www.barrett-jackson.com/Even...0-PICKUP-81691
it

Even with that curved neck 47/48 guys myself included will tell you that it is a challenge to fill the stock tank and trying to shoot gas straight in a pipe behind a door isn't going to work at all.

[dsraven]

How about using the stake pocket tube/channel. Somebody else on here did that. Cant remember who.
End of the day you wanna have a bit of height on the first bit of tube run after the filler spout to help eliminate blow back. Otherwise it's a slow fill and you stink like gas after.

[dsraven]

nice work so far.
how about following the box lower edge rearward and bringing the filler up inside the rear fender with a filler on the forward side of the fender, higher up so less chance of blow back and probably would fill faster as well as be more at a height that is easier to work with. if using the running board or filler piece on the box the fill tube would be hidden likely. you could get a muffler shop to bend up a piece of aluminized pipe and use some fuel rated hose to connect the dots. flare the pipe hose end with a home made tool some guys make out of vice grips or side cutters.look up intercooler pipe bead roller tools

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAXSwmsvqUQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVDUM2ZxoW0&t=264s

[edgeleycanuck]

Thanks for the response/help guys. Your replies are appreciated but I also learnt something else about this site....."SEARCH" the forum, I'm embarrassed I asked this question, today I did a search of filler tube and got dozens of examples, do's and don'ts. When I started my truck I said I don't want to get bogged down in detail, refinement can come later! So I'm going to have an exposed filler, why not they were manufactured that way!

[dsraven]

Not sure how the frame and body fit but if it were me I would try the exhaust pipe filler tube hidden behind the filler panel and coming up inside the fender. Fuel door on the fender would look great. Also not sure what you have for room between tire and possible filler tube back there if doing that. Like you said, an exposed fill tube is also not the end of the world.

[edgeleycanuck]

There would probably be just enough room to run pipe as you suggest Raven. One of my concerns is my fenders are in really good shape with not bad paint, but my biggest concern is my skill at installing a door on the slightly curved surface of the fender, I think the exposed tube might look better than the job I would be capable of doing welding in a door assembly, the flat bed side didn't scare me so much about making a nice job, but I can't get a very long /angled run behind a door.

[dsraven]

gotcha. exposed it is then. maybe a longer exposed pipe to start with and if you don't like the look you can always shorten it. that way the fill will be higher, so no bending over to fill, plus less chance of wet shoes when it burps back. a slight curve of the pipe near the top end would allow the filler to go in easy and look good as well. possibly a simple flat bar strap around the pipe to secure it would look like it was made like that from factory.

[dsraven]

actually you could use a muffler clamp to hold the vertical fill tube as long as you don't mind the fasteners protruding into the bed. you could cut the u bolt part off at the right place to allow a long nut, like they us for threaded rod, to be installed on the clamp instead of the regular nutys that come with it and then the whole thing could be mounted to the box side with bolts from the inside of the box into the other end of the long nut. cut the nut off a bit so the affair isn't spaced off the box too far.
just an idea.

[mr48chev]

Height would be what ever you feel comfortable with and material could be either stainless or painted mild steel tubing or even chromed tubing if you wanted to make it and have it chromed. The bend on the bottom would have a smoother radius than my drawing though.

I've been thinking of doing something similar at the back on mine rather than going though the fender.

[_Ogre]

as truk has the fuel door lower on the fender, still higher than you indicated, i'd strongly recommend placing the fuel door on top of the fender.

2 reasons:
1) truk is slow fill
2) truk is low, pain in the back, exasperated by slow filling

[51 3600]

Look up build thread "LIL ERV the 50" by Crossfire84 posts 61-69. Thru the fender using original filler cap and grommet. Didn't damage the fender at all. Very neatly done and looks vintage if that is your goal.

[dsraven]

You beat me to it. You could run steel tube like suggested earlier and a simple hole in the fender with the original grommet from the cab would make it all look original. Grab an extra filler and cap and use one set up as a dummy to fill the cab filler hole. No welding that way. Put a lockable cap on the dummy cab filler so nobody puts fuel in there by accident.

[edgeleycanuck]

Thanks very much everyone! I really value and appreciate the efforts people make to help myself and others out. This was even more than the response I was hoping for which is great!
Not sure which way I'll go on this filler topic yet but I now have some great feedback to help me decide.

[mr48chev]

Originally Posted by 51 3600

Look up build thread "LIL ERV the 50" by Crossfire84 posts 61-69. Thru the fender using original filler cap and grommet. Didn't damage the fender at all. Very neatly done and looks vintage if that is your goal.

That one looked like it was built that way from the get go.

The other thought would take giving up some space inside the bed and having the filler tube run though the bed side and floor and use something like a modified old cooler that was fastened in place to cover the tube inside the bed. It would ruin the cooler for anyone else to use and would have to be fastened down by removing a couple of the bolts that hold the bed runners and boards down drilling matching holes in the cooler bottom and putting longer bolts in but it's an idea.

[mobileortho]

Jag fuel filler on mine.

[mr48chev]

That is slick, you never find those models of Jags in wrecking yards around here or even at haul the whole thing away prices on Craigslist or FB marketplace. I've been looking for an XJ6 for a suspension donor and even the hulks with blown up engines are expensive around here.