And when the gas heats up, and the cap is not vented, and the vent is under liquid, where does the gas go?

Ford built these gas tanks with a space at the top for a reason. I can understand pushing the limit, but not too far...

 

Well I typed up a long winded "oh well" reply but it got lost when my token had expired or somesuch.

But basically there doesn't seem to be a lot of prior art with a more DIY approach using a less expensive tank and a common external fuel pump to do this with gas. I find a couple "I did this and that" comments in product reviews/comments but nothing written up anywhere.

Even with the convenience of buying a complete solution from transfer flow, its a big bill to swallow given the price of standalone tanks, pump, hose, switches. A few hundred bucks is a few hundred bucks. My trip I just finished, 9 days and 1600+ miles of towing, then some running around, our family of 6, campsites, couple museums, cost about $1200, same as a replacement tank.

I'm not sure I want to go on this journey without some solid prior art to lean on. I'm really surprised this isn't something with a good set of DIY examples given the small tank and thirsty v10. Just must not be enough around.

 

Ok, so my long winded reply was lost somehow also... So here is my short answer:

Flo n' Go Duramax 14 gal roller. Strap two to the front of your bed and you'll still have lots of room. You can also move them from truck to truck and remove when needed. They are way less than a permanent tank.

Flo N' Go - DuraMax

Good Luck!

 

I've seen aux tanks for the spare tire area, I'm not sure if they do gas. You might consider a couple of those 14-gallon cart/tanks with the nozzle on it - the ones they make for jeeping and jet skis. *edit* I don't know how I missed the post just before mine, but we're on the same page. If you try to go big on a tank in the bed, you'd definitely want baffles to deal with the weight shift from sloshing.

I am curious why diesel is out of the question when the fuel bill would be a little more than half of what you have now. If you only drive it once in a while, the diesel is an expensive investment. I've had the 460 in a previous life and I know your pain. I put 20K miles each year on my truck, so diesel really pays in my situation. I knew bupkiss when I bought mine and FTE saved my ****. I had no idea what a demon a diesel could be - these buggers can really put to fire to the tires. Now I want to trade in my Toyota Corolla and get a Volkswagon TDI.

 

JFYI the VW TDI makes about the same mpg the Mercedes E320 cdi does, while Mercedes is 3 classes above and delivers double HP.
You put more money up front and you have better ride for the same cost on the road.

 

Here's what my friend came up with:
Go get a semi truck aluminum fuel tank from the salvage yard ~$130
Get yourself some screw in eyelets mounted to the floor of your bed (screw in so they can be removed when not needed) and some quality tow straps ~$50
Get you a hand crank pump from harbor freight ~ $55

There you go, an extra 40 gallons on tap when you travel, no lost bed space or crap hanging lower than the frame, and best of all its under $250 with hardware.

 

I think there are differences between gas and diesel fuel tanks. More safety equipment is needed for gas. Might want to look into that before you put a diesel tank in your truck.

 

Thats a good point, we're both running diesel. I can't think of anything that would stop you from doing what we did but maybe someone else can. Its just an aluminum tank with a vented lid so I assume it should work.

 

How hard would it be to take a long bed fuel tank and put it in? I understand the cab sits lower than bed floor, but is it that much of a difference? I know that a 35 gallon tank wouldn't make a huge diffrence, but they are plentiful at junkyards and could be had very cheap. Swap your fuel pump/sender and away you go.

FWIW, I've put 32 gallons in mine as soon as the light came on, 34 when I ran as low as I felt comfortable.

 

The upkeep and repair on the diesel is more than i could handle, and the initial higher cost too. I did a lot of research and as long as i had gotten a 7.3 that never needed anything but oil changes i'd only have maybe $5k more in up front at least. The the miles to come out even with the mpg savings is a fair amount. The v10 was just what worked, its my daily driver and is pretty nice besides the thirst and 3.73 gears.

I have some money, just need to be wise with it. This truck doesnt earn me money like lots of guys here.

Trust me, i would love to have a diesel of some sort. Frustrating seeing all the diesel outside the US we cant have here.

Ive seen those 14gal or so cart tank things, see very mixed reviews on quality and seems like it may take quite a while to refuel. But its an option for sure, expensive gas cans though it seems.

 

Ive gone through this phase myself,a vw that drives by my house with the diesel rattle daily, also a diesel excursion, taunting me from both ends of the spectrum. Would be fun.

 

The diesels of last decade don't rattle. To hear Mercedes cdi engine inside the car, I had to open window on quiet street. The Ford cdi engine French rented me 12 years ago was quiet as well.

 

I kinda like the rattle.

 

From Toyota Corolla to Mercedes... that's a bit of a jump.

I don't blame you. You have to really need it to justify the up-front expense. I chew up vehicles too fast (20K miles truck and 20K miles Toyota per year), I live in snow country, I'm looking to upsize my boat, I tow in excruciating conditions (steep grades, high heat), and I'm constantly bombarded with suicidal deer. The decision was based on power, economy, durability, reliability, longevity, and safety - I just couldn't avoid that up-front money thing unless I gave up one or two of the other items on my list. I could say I bought my used truck for a good price, but that would be omitting the repairs, upgrades, and mods. I get 14 MPG towing in the mountains, no less than 17.5 MPG city/hwy when empty (summer fuel), and I'm knocking on that 20 MPG barrier on the long cruise control hauls at 65 MPH. That's a lot of fuel savings at over $4 per gallon (so far). To be conservative, I estimate $0.26 per mile over the course of the whole year - just for fuel. Oil jumps on the back of that number at about $.02 per mile. It's hard to really nail down the cost of diesel repairs vs. gas repairs above that - but I'll go between 500K and 800K miles if I maintain it properly, likely a lot more (no sea air or salt on roads here). I know I'd have to buy at least three gas trucks in that time. I'm in this for keeps.

 

OK, so I live in NE ohio by Cleveland. Vehicles are limited to 6 years or 200K miles (whichever comes last) before they rot out. I'm starting to think diesels are not a great idea in my area because they rot out before return on investment occurs.

Honestly, I never gave the v10 a fair shake till I owned one. Sure, I get 10.5mpg with my oversize tires and lift, but the repairs have been piddly. And strictly speaking, what can the diesel do that the V10 can't? The 7.3 fuel economy is a wash when repairs and maintenance are factored in, and my 7.3 can tow better, but more? maybe a little but surely not a huge difference in max

edit - unless you get a v10 that blows spark plugs, but that seems to be the exeption rather than the rule