I did spend all the money, just not on upgrading. I spend all the money all the time so I have no money.
CK5
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'89 R3500 Crew Cab 2wd to 4wd conversion & beyond
- Thread starter mrk5
- Start date
Started out with 2wd TBI350 with SM465 to current 4wd with 454, 700r4, NP241
Did a thing today.
The time has finally come; I'm ditching the saddle tanks in favor of a 40gal burb tank. I have some questions for those that have mounted tanks in pickups. I wondering if it would be better to put rigid crossmembers below the tank and strap it down over the top? Or should I try to hang it like a factory tank would be? It order to hang it like a factory tank it would need some sort of frame over the top to pull it tight against, correct?
Here's where I'm putting it:
The back part of the frame is getting lopped off just past the rear hanger and that's why it's not going behind the axle. I'm going to fabricate a bed that I want to be separate from the tank so that it could be removed without disturbing the fuel tank.
The time has finally come; I'm ditching the saddle tanks in favor of a 40gal burb tank. I have some questions for those that have mounted tanks in pickups. I wondering if it would be better to put rigid crossmembers below the tank and strap it down over the top? Or should I try to hang it like a factory tank would be? It order to hang it like a factory tank it would need some sort of frame over the top to pull it tight against, correct?
Here's where I'm putting it:
The back part of the frame is getting lopped off just past the rear hanger and that's why it's not going behind the axle. I'm going to fabricate a bed that I want to be separate from the tank so that it could be removed without disturbing the fuel tank.
Are you going to build the bed to be able to access the tank from above? If so I'd do the crossmembers below it and make it removable from the top side.
If I'm going to hang the tank with the straps under it, the crossmembers the straps bolt to would be just under the top flange of the frame based on the length of the straps. But I would need some sort of bridge over the tank to tighten the straps against I think.
At the very least there will be an access panel of some kind for the sending unit.
Are you not going to shorten the wheelbase as you’re going through this whole process?
Yes. Getting tank setup first to get the saddle tanks out of the way.
Why not run a transfer tank in the bed?
Martin
Martin
I guess I hadn't really thought about it.
some states its illegal to use in bed tanks for transfer to the main tank driving .
plug the way he is running this truck i would ditch the side tanks also for less chance of damage . and 1 filler port over 2 .
plug the way he is running this truck i would ditch the side tanks also for less chance of damage . and 1 filler port over 2 .
I meant to replace the saddle tanks with a transfer tank in the bed. An L shaped one designed to be used with a tool box. If you are altering the wheelbase or frame, why leave the long overhang behind the axle?
Martin
Martin
I had a square once that I ditched the saddle tanks and ran a 35 gallon single tank from a medium duty truck mounted in the bed.
Do you plan on using the stock filler location?
Past the shackle flip brackets there will only be enough overhang for rear bumper brackets.
I spent most of yesterday figuring out where things are going to land. You can see some of my hen scratching on the frame. Added blue marks for more direct translation.
This will shorten the wheel base 25" which will put it about 9" longer than a long bed regular cab pickup or suburban. Then cut nearly 30" off the end of the frame which will end up making the overall length of the truck about 4" shorter than the bumper to bumper on my C10 longbed.
Kinda depends on how the bed lays out with storage compartments. Basically I'll run the filler hose over from the tank to the bed side, but it might have to zig zag around something. At least that's the plan for now. I can see it changing as things progress.
The only thing I'm not liking about this plan is the receiver hitch is going to be at least 2-1/4" higher than it is now unless I make some hellacious drop bumper which I'm not thrilled about. I'm already running a 12" drop for the camper.
I'll be paying attention, I have wondered if this would be a good spot for a tank.
Wow. Major changes. Should be a new learning curve driving off road.
Only suggestion I could add is to reinforce the frame behind the cab where your front spring hanger is going to land. That's exactly where Larry's frame cracked last year. Between the wheeling and towing that area is going to be stressed to the max. (It is on any truck for that matter) On a spaghetti frame squarebody it's best to beef it up now while you move stuff around so you can incorporate the added structure into your mounts.
Only suggestion I could add is to reinforce the frame behind the cab where your front spring hanger is going to land. That's exactly where Larry's frame cracked last year. Between the wheeling and towing that area is going to be stressed to the max. (It is on any truck for that matter) On a spaghetti frame squarebody it's best to beef it up now while you move stuff around so you can incorporate the added structure into your mounts.
I've been wanting to build a bed for quite a while now. Originally I was going to keep the wheel base the same so I had more bed space, but now that I have the C10 I don't need the bed in the crew cab as much. The saddle tanks have gotten so beat up I have no idea how much fuel I have in them except for right after I fill them. After the Steel Bender exit last year, I can only use about 13 gallons of the driver side tank. Plus after bending up the slider on the driver side, I've really been wanting to be able to brace those up better but the saddle tanks are in the way.
I am concerned about the bracing you mentioned; good to hear confirmation I need to follow thru with my concerns. One of the things I was looking at yesterday is using the factory cross brace that runs between the front hangers. You can actually see it sitting on top of the frame in front of the tank in my picture with the notes. I wanted to make sure it didn't force the fuel tank back too far. The only catch is the frame is actually 1/2" taller where I'm moving the front hangers to. If you look closely where the hanger is now, you can see the frame bumps up ahead of the hanger. In order to use the factory brace, I will need to add a 1/2" spacer either at the bottom or the top. So I might have to fab something. I'm also planning to use that brace to help with the fuel tank mounting straps.
The problem with putting it there with the factory setup is the brace I was mentioning above. There wouldn't be enough room between it and the front of the bed. You could cut the bed floor and underbracing out and drop the tank in about 3", but the rest of it would be above the bed floor. You might be able to get a smaller tank in there, like the ones LMC sells to convert pickups to under bed tanks. Those are only 20 or 25 gallon tanks and they don't look to be as long as the 31gal K5 tanks.
I have about 1-1/2" clearance to my driveshaft. If you have a 1 piece driveshaft, you'd probably have a little more room. But you definitely can't drop the bottom of the tank much below the frame if at all. You will end up with about 8" of tank and filler neck above the frame which would equate to about 5" above the bed floor.
The other problem is (at least on my truck) the tank is going to be right where the muffler lives. So you have to contend with that too.
