The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk aftermarket fuel cell install

for many reasons i decided to remove the tank from the cab of my 52 3/4 ton 5 window and install an aftermarket fuel cell behind the rear axle(not a stock closed driveshaft but one from a chevy nova).

this is the tank i purchased from summit racing equipment for 170.
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=SUM%2D290108&N=700+115&autoview=sku

i temporarily mounted it to see how it would fit but im not happy with it as one of the 8an outlet nozzles is about 1 inch from the rear. the other one has enough clearance, even with the 90 degree fitting, but i dont feel safe having that close to the rear end.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w124/rockfan1815/PIC00024.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w124/rockfan1815/PIC00023.jpg

my plan is to move the rear crossmember back about 3 to 4 inches so is not so dangerously close to the rear.

purpose of this post is to ask for any suggestions, any how to's and what not to do's. whats the best way to remove the old rivits.
a tip i seen on one of those garage type shows on spike is that you grind slots into the top of the rivet like a phillips head screw and then use a air chisel to remove the head of the rivet and punch the rest out. sounds alot easier then grinding the entire rivet down.

what size bolts should be used to replace the rivets that hold the leaf spring mount and the newly relocated rear cross member.

thanks in advance for any help given

also would it be best to either turn the rear cross member around or box it so incase of a rear impact it would be less likely to puncture the tank.

I moved the rear crossmember to the back of the frame to get more clearance. A grinder or cold chisel will take care of those rivits with no problems.

drummin,
I've been thinking about a fuel cell for my project. How are you planning to fill your tank? You leaving it as is or engineering a neck?

im thinking of having a access door in the bed

the tank i got has a good fill cap, so a access door on the bed should do fine. not planning on running the truck in rainy weather and it will be stored so i need not worry about water getting in the tank.


today i moved the crossmember back about 3 inches, while also rotating it around so the flat side is pointed toward the tank. now i can rest easier, i just didnt feel safe with the outlet fitting being around a inch from the rear end.

luckily i didn't have to deal with removing the rivets as my father took care of it while i was running for some parts.

The only downside of moving the crossmember is you lose support for your rear spring hanger bracket unless you box the frame.

Hey Chris, you'll have to let me know how everything works out for you when you're done with the gas tank install. I was planning on doing the same exact thing, including an access door in the bed. I think you'll be done before I even get to that part, so would you mind sharing your outcome? Thanks.

Just out of curiosity, why did you go with the plastic tank I am running a aluminum tank from Summit and it cost less. using a chrome filler neck in the bed floor from air-ride. built a skid plate for the bottom cuz it hits the ground if I have the air bags empty. My truck is a 62 so maybe there is a different cross member.

i really don't have a main reason for going with this tank, i seen it, liked it and bought it. seemed like it would work for my application. ease of installation too i guess, accept for having to move the rear cross member, but that was more for safety and peace of mind as it was to close for comfort to the rear end cover. at first i was thinking of using a s10 blazer tank but just figured a tank like the one i got would be easier to install. i didnt really look around much either.

as far as the install it went fine. i only moved the cross member back about 3 in to give me the clearance i was looking for. I also rotated the cross member around before bolting it in so that the flat side was toward the tank. i used 8 grade bolts to hold the crossmember in and the leaf spring shackle hangers. when moving the cross member back you only take out 1 rivet for each hanger. i just need to get some felt stripping to put in between the brackets and the tank.

im also not lowering my truck any time soon, maybe not even ever so its far away from the ground. My rear end would hit the ground before the tank would.

i will get pics of it come the weekend. darn daylight savings time makes it dark when i get home at 5pm

I have been thinking about using that fuel cell on my '57, but I wondering if the mounting straps will miss my shock mounts. Can you tell me the width between the metal straps like outside to ouside and inside to inside? I'm also concenred that the fill neck would be right under a bed crossmember and I'll have to do something with that. Is the filler neck in the center of the tank or offset? How much offset from center? Thanks