I need to replace my gas tank. Leakage at the weld.

My question is this. Jeff's Bronco Graveyard advertises both plastic($120) and steel($130) replacement tanks. The prices are comparable. Any thoughts on what the advantages and disadvantages are?

I have a steel skid pan, so abrasion is not a problem. And obviously the plastic won't rust. It seems like the plastic is the way to go. Am I missing anything?

 

I'd probably go with the plastic too, as long as it's protected from your typical off-road bumps and scrapes. I had a JC Whitney catalog lying around a while ago that had a 45 gallon replacement tank for full size Broncos...might be worth checking out - extra capacity can come in handy sometimes (although not when paying to fill it!)

 

I'm thinking of going plastic too,when I do a major overhaul next spring.Another good thing I've heard about the plastic-
no condensation!

 

How would you ground a plastic gas tank? Isn't that a safety issue?

John

 

rbrewrr - I checked out those extra capacity tanks on JC Whitney, but they're steel and they're over $500. A little pricey for me. The 33 gallons that the stock tank holds has always been plenty for me, especially at the these gas prices. the 45 gallon tank would be an $80 fillup around here.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

The small plastic tanks are very suseptible to static charge and thats why you should not fill a 5 or so gallon tank while its on your truck. I think that with a 30+ gallon tank might have some sparky issues. Or maybe not, I could be wrong. Good luck

 

Hmmm. Good point. That's something I didn't think about.

 

I think that for the plastic to make a spark then the static electricity must be able to conduct itself to the point of contact (ground) where the spark occurs. For that reason it seems like you would be able to ground the tank to the truck. Does that seem right?

 

Actually alot of new cars now have plastic gas tanks, our Saturn does and so did our 1988 VW Jetta. You might ask a garage how they ground them.

 

A plastic tank is always grounded through the tank mounting parts (skid plate and straps.) If static was an issue, they wouldn't be for sale.

Plastic is better all around than steel for these tanks. They don't dent, they don't rub through, they don't rust. The only issue I'd be concerned about is poking a hole in it from the side,and that can be fixed with a little sheet metal.

I've put three steel tanks in my Bronco in five years. It won't see another one.