hey fellas. im about to really dig into my 59 apache build. should have a fresh cab very shortlyy...right now my gas tank is under the bed, and it seems the majority of people tend to do this relocation. is there any down fall to having the tank in the cab like original ? i think its pretty cool. the main reason id like to keep it in the cab is so i have more room to mount my compressor/ air tank very cleanly for the air ride setup. plus a brand new in cab tank is 159.99 which isnt bad, and i will need a new tank regardless as the one i have is a P.O.S..... opinions ?
What's cool about 20 gallons of gas sloshing around behind you? Just curious. It's noisey and you lose leg room.
I've been looking for a '55-'57 for a bit now, and the gas tank conversation has come up quite a bit. Being 6'6", I'm all for extra leg room, so the tank will either ride under the pass side, or under the back of the bed. It's a fairly simple conversion, and will make you happier in the end... unless you REALLY like the vapors
i dont think you would lose much leg room if any at all depending on the seat used. the tank sits back under a little ledge in the rear cab wall and tucks up tightt. i think the only issue would be the noise. i have a shit load of dynamat extreme left over. maybe wrap the tank for noise? and its just something you dont see anymore. keep the original flavor a little i guess. i know about the 69 mustang tank and all the other rear mount options. just kickin around an idea. plus im like 5'8" on a good day so leg room is fine either way. is the smell that bad ? i figure a new tank would hold the vapors pretty good. i could be wrong tho lol
I left mine in the cab. If it was good enough for gm to use from the 30s through the late 60s then I don't see much reason to change it. As far as safety goes it cant be any worse than having a 32 ford with a rear mounted tank....providing the tank is new and sealed properly. The noise really isn't an issue for me, the sloshing is barely noticeable....but I also put dynamat on the back panel in behind the tank so that might have helped to reduce noise?
After seeing my bro's tank get crushed in the cab after his C20 was hit hard (while parked) from behind, I started putting them under the bed. The last one I did was close to the cab and the filler neck was out the side of the bed. Bob
thats what i figure. it worked for so long why change it btw judging from your avatar, bitchin truck man
My 48 never had the tank in the cab (actually they started in 1949). I took the tank of the cab on the 71 and put a stainless tank in the front of the bed and still sm ell gas at times. The tanks in these trucks are vented at the cap so every time the truck sits in the sun it lets off gas fumes right next to the driver's window. Your choice, put 16 to 20 gallons of highly flammable liquid six inches from your ass just to run the faddish air bag system or figure a different place to put the pump and air tanks and put the tank back under the bed.
With the '49 I used to have, the only issue I had was when I filled the tank with cool gas fresh from an underground tank and didn't run enough out, it expanded when it got warm and dribbled down my cab corner. Maybe I overfilled it but I don't think so. Blue
My tank in the C20 is in the cab. I get fumes on occasion. Any where you put it could be compromised in a collision ,in cab, under bed in back or sides under bed.Your choice where it goes.
as i stated above i know theres a ton of rear setups that i could easily make work with a "faddish airride" setup, like the common 69 stang tank everyone uses. but im just asking around. and if i did relocate the tank i dont think id put it at the front of the bed where the 16 - 20 gallons of highly flammable liquid is only a foot from my ass instead of 6 inches. to each his own i guess. anybody else keep the stock tank ?
I have the tank in the cab on one of my trucks, and under the bed in the other. It's a tossup for safety, etc. I haven't had any safety issues with the tank in the cab in the past 35 years. It is kinda small compared to the one I put under the bed. But both trucks are long beds, you can't fit quite so much gas tank in the back of a short bed. Many years ago when I worked at the junkyard we got in a late 60s ford truck that had burned part way, I think it had a camper in the bed that cought fire, the tank in the cab still had some gas in it. Maybe they're not so bad after all. Either way, make sure it's as safe as you can make it. Fix all the leaks, and if you install it under the bed think about what would happen to it if you got rearended. Make sure there isn't anything sharp that would poke a hole in it, or tear off the filler neck, etc.
thanks squirrel. whatever option i do go with, it will be ALL new components and done right. thats pretty cool that the tank in the camper didnt catch
just because the factory had them in the back of the seat between the 30's to 60's does not mean it was safe, the factories did a lot of F'ed up things that killed a lot of people and having a gas tank in the cab was a pretty stupid idea, if it was safe why dont they do it anymore? I just spend a pretty penny getting that cancer fuming bomb out of the cab and under the bed where it belongs. In the end its your truck but you want to give yourself the best chance in an accident, imagine your truck upside down in a ditch, you unconscious and gas pouring all over your body, your cigarette is burning next to you or some other ignition source, they wont need to cremate you....just saying shit happens
I have a 68 GMC as a daily driver and I get the occasional gas fumes only when I top off. As for the slushing I kind of enjoy that sound in a wierd way. I have thought of doing the conversion under the bed but then I will lose my spare tire location.
Modern pickups have the tank half under the cab, half under the bed, and inside the frame. If you're gonna relocate it, that would be the place to put it. Might take some extra work.
X2, anytime I had over 3/4's of a tank the smell was bad,leave it underneath.Also by not having it in the cab you will have room for some speakers for the cruisin' tunes.
You guys over worry. Chevy never had a problem with the gas tank inside the cab. When they changed the design and started using the saddle tank, then it became a problem if the the truck was hit on the side. I grew up with the trucks that had the gas tank in the cab. I rode in cars with no seat belts. No cry babies. I am leaving the gas tank of my 51 AD in the cab where it belongs.
I agree the OP watches too many special affects movies that show the cars and planes exploding on impact. I always remember the big scare of the later model saddle tanks outside of the frame. The claim was that the broken headlight would ignite the fuel and burn up the truck. One of the TV programs did a special about it and it came out later that they had to use model rocket engines to ignite the fuel. It would not work the way that they wanted it to work so they fudged it. Moral of the story is don't get hit by a car with model rocket engine attached to the head light.
You probably had a leak at the sender or the filler tube. Fixing the leaks should get rid of the smell.
I am a smoker and I have run my tanks in the cabs of my GM trucks as long as I have been driving GM trucks. I have had some than leaked and could smell the fumes but I usually didn't notice until after I lit up. Make sure that it doesn't leak. I should mention that I do have a very healthy repect for gasoline and fire, I have never been blown up in a vehicle but I have been blown up.
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