The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Fuel tank intermediate line 51 3/4 ton

I bought a new tank and the intermediate line for my 51 3/4 ton. The '51 has the gas flowing out of the bottom of the tank not the top as there is no sending unit just the float mechanism. My problem is that the plug on the bottom of the tank is 10mm thread and the fuel line is 1/2 x 20. Shouldn't these match up or am i missing a part? Any help is appreciated! Thanks, Bob

Is the tank an Asian reproduction? I have heard that they come with metric threads instead of pipe thread. I'm not sure what people have done to make them work. I use nothing but Spectra Premium tanks that are made in Canada and they fit like original. A 51 model would draw out of the bottom. It wasn't until late 55 when top draw started.

You should have a brass fixture with a petcock between the tank and the line.

Thanks...that coffee can with the "forgotten" parts from 2 years ago when I took the truck apart had the brass fitting in it. It is about 4" long with the petcock in it and it screws into the tank perfectly!...which creates another question. The exit part of the brass fitting does not have a threaded end on it; just a ribbed piece that would accept a rubber gas line and a small clamp. Is there another transitional piece that I am missing or do I just run a rubber line instead of stainless steel?
Thanks, Bob

Did someone possibly screw a barbed fitting into the petcock. Originally there was a piece of flex between the petcock and the fuel line, but it was not a barbed fitting.

Bob, not sure if this is the same as a ’51 but this is a 1950 that I just finished wrestling with. The first tank was from Classic Parts of America and it was an “Off Shore” misfit SOB that didn’t line up, had a straight metric thread in the outlet and did not have the flanges formed for the strap saddle.
On Ken’s advice we bought a Spectra Premium Ind. Fuel tank thru Tanks-to-Pans and it was made, lined up and fit just like the original tank. Here are a few pictures of the project. There are also two pictures of the original fuel shut off as it would have been on the 1950 model AD.
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/larrys_1950_3100

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny,
how do you provide a seal on the moving shaft?

Fred

There is packing under the nut by the wing nut. As you tighten the nut, it compresses the packing.

Yep, that's it.
Denny G

The top line was actually started with the 54 models.

Brad is correct on the top line, first year was 54!

There's another thread going very similar to this discussion. There is no doubt that the later top siphon pickups are better then the original bottom feeders because they're off the bottom of the tank where the sediment lays. Sooooo, a lot of guys opt for the later post '53 gauge/pickups. I certainly can see their reasoning.

By the time you bounce down to the end of the driveway, any sediment in the tank has been stirred up into solution and it's gonna get sucked up no matter where your pickup is located. However, that siphon tube has a pre-filter sock on it and it's a lot easier to pull the gauge and clean the sock than to drain the tank, clear the valve, the 1/8" pipe nipple, flex hose and if you were wise enough to have installed an inline filter, change it.

DG

Thanks for the help. I tried putting the tank in yesterday and it doesn't fit...too tight because of the lack of space for the straps. This really ticks me off because i didn't test it out first. I just assumed it would fit. Even worse, I painted it with POR 15 so my chances of returning it are slim. Another $200 down the drain! I just ordered a Spectra tank from tanks to pans...thanks for the info.
Bob