Need info on fuel tank for 62 stepside c10.

[kc0kfg]

I just have to ask WHY? unless its leaking I have never seen a reason to move the gas tank.

[lakeroadster]

Originally Posted by kc0kfg

I just have to ask WHY? unless its leaking I have never seen a reason to move the gas tank.

Guess you can't say that anymore..... here are a couple of very good reasons:

Originally Posted by Kokomoooo

Putting mine under the bed. My Dad constantly moaned about my gas tank being in the cab, I found out a couple weeks ago after I told him that I'm reloacting it that he saw two people burn to death in a chevy truck like mine.

Originally Posted by lakeroadster

Here is first hand testimony from one of the members here in regards to in cab tank safety. It is from “junkyardjohn”, post #25 on this thread: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=117123

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 YEAH .... 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.
JOHN

Here is another thread on the topic of Should I leave the Fuel Tank in the Cab?

[kc0kfg]

We could sit here all day and post stories of trucks catching on fire, the cab mounted tank was and is just as safe as any out here.

Even the posting you put up the cab mounted tank was of no harm to the OP being T-boned and flipping the truck was the cause of the injuries.

I can see it for more cab room but if you are afraid of the gas tank in these its time to stop driving.

[lakeroadster]

Demeaning a member by telling them "its time to stop driving" is in no way constructive or applicable to the subject at hand.

For many of us what makes us who we are is seeing opportunity for improvement and then making those improvements a reality.

Bottom Line:

• If your not concerned about the in-cab tank that's great. You are good to go, fill'er up and head down the road.
  
• If you want to move the tank out of the cab there are those of us here who have done this and we are ready, willing and able to help you do so.

That's what is so great about this website vs. others. Here we try to help each other.

[GMC4wheels71]

Originally Posted by kc0kfg

We could sit here all day and post stories of trucks catching on fire, the cab mounted tank was and is just as safe as any out here.

Even the posting you put up the cab mounted tank was of no harm to the OP being T-boned and flipping the truck was the cause of the injuries.

I can see it for more cab room but if you are afraid of the gas tank in these its time to stop driving.

Agreed. In a t-bone flip situation a gas tank anywhere on the vehicle is a direct threat to the occupants unless it has a breakaway design AND you luck out and don't have it break away and chase your butt down the pavement.

The reality is that you're more likely to protect the passenger cabin in an accident, turning to avoid a direct-to-compartment collision. In which case you'll be protecting yourself and that all-important gas tank.

That's my take on it. I've had behind the seat tanks for many years and never had a problem, nor have I ever talked with anyone that actually did have a problem. All I've heard is the second hand stories about a friend of a friend's cousin twice removed who knew someone in another county that had one that blew up.
The auto companies in these stories always fly out black helicopters to ray gun the bodies and autos so no evidence is left behind. That's why you never see them on the news

Of course, it's your car. If you wanna move it, sic 'em!

[lakeroadster]

Originally Posted by GMC4wheels71

All I've heard is the second hand stories about a friend of a friend's cousin twice removed who knew someone in another county that had one that blew up.

That's confusing?

• Guess you didn't read post #6 above, the post that has 67-72 member junkyardjohn's story?
• Or post #7 by the OP, twotallswan, who stated "my dad had a friend that died back in the seventies due to an in cab tank during an accident"?

GM put the tank in the cab because it was the least expensive place for them to put it from a cost of installation on the assembly line perspective.

Long bed, short bed, step-side, fleetside, 2 wheel drive, 4 wheel drive it didn't matter, all the tanks were in the cab... it was easy and made them more money due to minimized labor to install.

There was very little concern for "safety" when designing cars before the mid 1960's, let alone trucks.

In 1967 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) introduced the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 301, “Fuel System Integrity” [NHTSA Part 571.301] to reduce deaths and injuries occurring from fires. Initially the standard only applied to passenger cars, however, in 1977 light trucks were also included. GM no doubt saw this standard lurking on the horizon and redesigned the fuel tanks outside the passenger compartment. As far as GM's Safety vs. profit record they actually did a study on this subject in 1973:

At the heart of GM's resistance to improving the safety of its fuel systems was a cost benefit analysis done by Edward Ivey which concluded that it was not cost effective for GM to spend more than $2.20 per vehicle to prevent a fire death.

While this was certainly done in response to the side mounted tanks that were used on the "new" 1973 models, it shows that safety wasn't job one at GM, profit was.