I need to repair a crack to my frame right next to my midship fuel tank on the '95, and might have to run the truck for a week or two with the tank dropped before the welder can get a chance to do the job. I'm 99% sure I don't have the crossfilling issue, so what's the best way to seal everything off while the tank is removed? I figure it'll be a good chance to clean out the tank and maybe paint it up while it's off. I have a flatbed, so it's fairly easy to get to everything, compared to a stock box.

Also, it hasn't hit anyone I know yet, but someone around here has set fire to four older trucks in the past couple weeks in store parking lots. Fortunately, the one I saw pictures of was a Chevy in the Wal-Mart parking lot, and I neither drive a Chevy, nor go to Wal-Mart, so my F-truck should be safe.

 

Get a couple studs or bolts and fabricate plugs for the fuel lines. You need 2 different sizes studs and they will have to be ground a little so that the retainer clips can hold them in the line. The lines have O-rings inside the bores so sealing isn't a problem just have to make sure they stay in there. I ran my truck for a year with the rear tank removed using plugs like this, no leaks and no problems.

Fuel Line Plug03 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

I'm guessing the smaller one is the return line?

 

Yes.. and surprisingly I had no problem finding the right size bolts.. just dug through a box of old engine fasterers I have so the sizes are common.

 

With the farm, I have a lot of odds and ends of hardware around. But the welder down the road sells bolts, too. It's a couple miles away, so I usually run there for sixty cents worth of hardware and use a couple bucks worth of gas.