my tank had a crappy redkote job done sometime in the past. i didn't know it floated so good after coming off the tank bottom. i'm building a new tank.
I have built tanks for several vehicles and used 18g cold rolled which has to be coated to prevent rust. The factory tanks use what some call "leaded" steel; something I can't swear to. If you have a TIG machine I would consider aluminum or stainless. The 1/2 ton AD tanks are 13x13x23, don't know about a bigger truck.I have a step by step photo shoot of building one if you would be interested.
Yes please do, maybe catch a tip from your builds. I been tiging 18ga. stainless for 50 years and will be building 1 using it. I've mocked up the top of it with filler and suction fittings figured out. I got a bud with plate fab shop for shearing/forming. Mine will be 10" x 9" x 48" no drain plugs along with s/s straps. my welding webpage. http://www.cutwaters.com
I haven't looked, but seems like you could shorten or lengthen the float arm on what you have and or bend it as necessary to reach the bottom and top of your new tank using the full range of motion of the sender.
Weld or rivet a dip stick to the underside of the cap, ensure it has a straight line to get in the tank, the more vertical it is the easier to understand your results.
Excuse the long delay but I can't find the "stick" with my older pictures on it. I did do a thread on the Classic Parts 1947-1954 Forum on February 15, 2007. It is titled "Build your own under bed gas tank" by member "coilover" and is on page 280 of the forum search. I don't know how to move the pictures to this site but anyone is welcome to do so. The tank was built using tools found in most home shops out of 18g cold rolled steel sheet. The "brake is a strap on the edge of the table and the corners are formed using a soft rubber hammer. The last side overlaps the first side by an inch so one doesn't have to do edge to edge thin metal welding. The ends have a flange on all four sides to hold the sides in position and again for an easier weld. The pick up tube is 3/8 because truck has a big V8 and is spot brazed to the bottom. The baffle, not shown, is spot welded to the top and sides but has an inch gap at the bottom. There are some follow up pictures showing a factory tank, some measurements, and a few questions/answers. I have not found the pics and measurements for the frame to tank brackets but they are easy to fab and less complicated if one makes a boxing plate to give a flat mounting surface rather than extra bend to fit inside the "C" channel frame rail.
