The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Triple Fuel Tank

I don't know what else to call it. I just got a fuel tank that originally was on a fuel delivery truck. It must have been a small truck. 3 compartments. The tank portion is 8 feet long. Tank width is 43 " Tank heigth is 32 " Box on the back with 2 doors is 16 in deep, 43 in wide, 32 tall. There is some old faded paint on the back. Something Vacuum Oil. I will have to read the rest tomorrow in the daylight. Does anyone know what model years these were used on? I think I have seen one similiar on a '35. Thinking about putting it on a '46 GMC. Thoughts? Suggestions? I have some pics if someone wants to see them

Hy 57cameoguy, the first word might be Saccony. [spleling?], sounds like a neat little tank.

Yes the first word is Socony later to be Mobile Oil Co. This could have been on a wagon pulled by horses.

Its probably a 3 compartment fuel delivery tank. It could have been on a horse drawn wagon, but it probably was on a bob tail truck. The box in back housed a meter to pump off and was used for carrying lubricants. Most of them have been destroyed and now most recyclers won't take them because they hauled leaded gasoline. If you post a picture, I can probably date it. My father went into the gasoline distributing business in the 30's and I'm still in it. Socony-Vacuum marketed under that name in the midwest in the 30's

Is there a way I can post a picture here?

Upload it to a photo sharing site such as www.photobucket.com and then post the link to it back here.

When this thing was used they didnt have pumps.There were pipes that came out the back with a valve on them that you opened to fill a special 5 gal bucket. I have one of the brass wrenches to operate the valves.There was a tally on one of the doors to keep track of how many buckets you drew out.They were this way up thru the 40s.

Hey Cren,any chance us bolters can get a break on gas pricing,seeing as how your in the buisness?

Roy

I will try to upload some pictures tonite. The writing on the back say - SOCONY VACUUM OIL CO
White Eagle Division
Nortonville, Kan, CL-9011
GASOLINE

Still looking for thoughts on how it would look on a '41 - '46 or later? Or just sell it.

Here are the pictures 57Cameroguy emailed me.

http://picasaweb.google.com/crenwel...LIUQlLrZiU1OBVXtzxZg#5468706605814811682

It is a Butler tank that was probably manufactured in the 20's or 30's. Butler was a very popular tank builder and built tanks as well as pneumatic trailers into the 70's or so. The piping was to the rear of the tank and each compartment and terminated into a valve that had a part A Ever Tight fitting. http://www.hindustanengineers.net/cam_coup.html
A hose with a cam lock fitting could either be a drop hose for an underground tank. The old visible hand pumps had underground storage. Pumps were used already in the 20's to pump off into overhead tanks. And of course heating oil could be bucketed off as retired wrench suggests. I remember rebuilding a Neptune flow meter in the 50's that had a build date of the late 20's. It is difficult to say just what equipment the tank had, but pumps were used before this tank was built.

After thinking it over for quite a while I have decided this is a project I am not going to build. I should spend my time on the burb's in the garage instead. So I will post the tank for sale soon. Thanks for all the info.