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1980 - 1986 Bullnose F100, F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks Discuss the Early Eighties Bullnose Ford Truck

Adding gas tank

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Old Mar 1, 2015 | 08:32 PM
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Adding gas tank

I have a 1983 f150 and i am looking at adding a second gas tank. I know that other trucks this year came with a duel tank setup. How hard would it be to add the second tank that goes where the spare tire is? And would it be possible to somehow make it so that both tanks could be filled from the same fuel door?
 
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Old Mar 2, 2015 | 07:14 PM
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What your asking would be difficult to do. You could round up the parts to add the second tank in the rear, but the filler would be a problem. You could cut the filler assembly out of a donor truck (with some sheetmetal left around it) and weld it in place, but then you would have to do body work and paint. There may be some other places you could put the filler, inside the bed floor comes to mind.

You would then need the switching valve and the switch to change the sending units for the gauge.
 
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Old Mar 9, 2015 | 12:35 AM
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Rear tank Add

Im interested in doing this as well. Already have the dual filler bed. Just wondering if I get the wiring,switch,lines, and valve off a donor, is the sub harness for the change over switch incorporated in the original wiring of my cab? Or would I have to rob ALL of the wiring from a donor truck and add it?

I addition, are there plastic tanks from other years that would work for bullnoses?
 
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Old Mar 9, 2015 | 12:32 PM
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Instead of all that wiring and switching the sending units, I think I would get me a cheap electric fuel pump, hook it to the new added tank, and use it to transfer fuel from the new tank to the original tank. I would take the filler neck off the original tank and weld/braze/jb weld a small hose fitting to the neck where the new transfer pump could pump the fuel into the original filler neck.

Then you would need only the sender you have in the original tank. When transferring fuel, just watch the fuel gauge, when it got to full just switch the transfer pump off.
 
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Old Mar 9, 2015 | 09:58 PM
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this was posted in another thread 1986 Ford F-150 Pickup Bed Assembly (Used Styleside 8' box dual fuel tanks) For Sale - Buy Ford OEM Parts
 
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Old Mar 9, 2015 | 11:04 PM
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Franklin has some excellent advice. The only thing I can add is this, I have an '85 F250 with dual tanks on it. The electric tank switching valve kept going out, I went through 3 in about 11 months. I removed the electric valve, re-routed the fuel lines and installed an old manual selector valve (new valve) used in the old international scouts. I wired the fuel tank selector switch so when I manually change tanks I can then flip the switch and have an accurate fuel level for the tank I am pulling fuel from. Just my .02 worth.
 
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Old Mar 10, 2015 | 10:54 AM
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Thought this might be easier. Apparently it is not. I have another donor truck with all the electrics, valves, lines and tanks. Just don't know how involved the wiring part of this would be. I wanted to do an install like Ford originally did.
 
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Old Mar 10, 2015 | 01:35 PM
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Originally Posted by thorswhisper
Thought this might be easier. Apparently it is not. I have another donor truck with all the electrics, valves, lines and tanks. Just don't know how involved the wiring part of this would be. I wanted to do an install like Ford originally did.
I figured the wiring for the dual tanks was in with and part of the main harness going to the rear. But since you have both trucks there you can take a look and find out for us. I really don't know, I always had dual tank trucks.
 
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