Tanks, if you are to connect the fuel lines together for both tanks, a common feed which behaves like a single tank, your tanks must be level with each other.
An example is you hook together a "behind the seat" tank and a "under the rear frame tank", your seat tank is much higher and gas will drain into the lower rear frame tank. This tank will overflow.
An easy cure is a "one way check valve". This is a small device which looks like an inline fuel filter. Only allows gas to flow in one direction. You insert this in your lower tank fuel line with an arrow pointing to your fuel pump. Gas will only flow to your fuel pump, no gas can flow into your lower tank from the higher tank.
With a splitter fuel valve, this is NOT a problem. The valve itself keeps the tanks separated. No sweat.
For your small block Chevy engine, you only need the mechanical fuel pump down there on the block. No other fuel pump is needed.
Beyond safety issues, like good quality steel line or braided fuel line, your only critical part is a sending unit which matches your fuel gauge, no exceptions on this.
Keep this in mind, if an electric fuel valve fails, you will be stuck with only one tank or your fuel is completely shut off. This one tank will probably be your empty tank. A mechanical fuel valve, nothing can go wrong other than you forgetting to switch tanks then running out of gas in a bad neighborhood whereupon you will be carjacked and the bad guy will be really mad because he cannot start your truck.
To close, Don, you need to decide if to go a mechanical fuel valve or an electric fuel valve. SPDT switch for a mechanical valve, DPDT switch for an electric valve. Carefully find a matching fuel gauge sending unit for your factory gauge, grab yourself some wire, fuel line and fittings and enjoy having grease and rust in your eyeballs during installation.
Oh yeah, wiring diagrams are usually included with your sending unit and your electric fuel valve. No problem there.
Billyray
Last edited by Billyray; 03/31/2010 3:58 AM.
