Hi all,
I'm not sure I need it yet but I may have to replace the gas tank on my 1969 e100. Any advice on vendors? The ads online are pretty confusing it's hard to tell fitment and all that and the price range is pretty crazy too.
Just want to start exploring the possibility in case I need it.
Scott

 

There are none, you will have to buy one from a later model van and make it fit, take it to a radiator shop and get the filler and vent moved to the corner where the factory tank is in the van and cap where it was, thats what everyone else has done, I've tried to help others with it, yet the one on this website was an *** and acted as if it was a secret on having one made, don't expect much help on here for that van in fact. You can find sheet metal, just no fuel tank, keep eye on your frame where the steering box is mounted, thats a rust spot.

 

Bummer, I'd plan on inspecting it and welding it back up with new metal where necessary
It's about time someone started making fuel tanks for the old beasts
We used to weld tanks all the time back in the 70s and 80's when new ones were big money
Figure out a way to inspect the inside of your tank
Buy a borescope? let it run dry and inspect it with a light in the vent hole?
You might need to clean it first
Remove the tank, fill it with 2000 BB's and you and an assistant shake the crap out of it
Radiator shop might want some serious dough to clean and weld it back up

 

He would be better off to get a plastic 90s Jeep Cherokee tank, no rust in the future, to get more fuel in them one has to look up the mod on YouTube for adding a hose to the vent in the tank to raise it, not sure why crysler put it so low to keep the tank from filling all the way. Radiator shop is the only place to get a steel tank modded like moving the fill and vent, seen it done once, guy said it wasn't too horrible. The 68 to 74 is the ******* child it seems, was best suited for my needs until it's demise, I did learn a lot from customizing it, get an f100 front end for converting to disk brakes, beams and all.

 

Maybe put a Crown Vic front end under your van (I helped a buddy do that to his 55 F100)
Maybe tilt the plastic Cherokee gas tank in the frame slightly to solve the vent placement issue?
I am a welder from hell and would just fix the old tank with new metal
I realize that would cost thousands if you had to pay to get it done
I'd cut the whole bottom out of his existing tank and weld another bunch of bent up metal in

 

The 68-74 are unibody so crown vic front is a big no, the jack leg power steering setup of the day was a box with different gears and a hydraulic ram to assist it, requires a lot of hardware which is becoming unobtanium, there had been some who have installed a Toyota electric steering assist setup, cut the steering column to weld it together, not an easy modification but the only choice in this situation, the 4x4 conversion used a power steering box, swings ahead the front axle, the stock I-beam is steering behind the axles, therefor this changes steering geometry to a later Econoline, these are things I know well, I skirted the law for years as I require power steering on my license yet the van wasn't, but I finally did add power brakes, SOB never did want to stop because every manual master cylinder sold lacked pressure to engage the rear, stupid dash warning light was on till the day I pressed the power setup, it reset the warning plunger in the block under the van, never again did I need to replace a master cylinder, had gone through 5, China evidently don't have the proper diagram on them. BTW for power brakes, you'll need a hood from a later year due to the hood latch being moved over to miss the master cylinder, not many in 68 had it, came about in 71. I got a door gasket for passenger or driver door left, if you need it, you'll have to pay shipping tho, got the chrome trim for driver or passenger side wheel well inside for holding down the floor mat too.
I seen a 73 E200 near me, god I wish I had the money, but my days of working on this stuff is over, never did get my medical device thats implanted fixed from me pulling the coil spring on the money pit fixed, tho its been through 3 surgeries, wait till next year when I get a new one due to battery life, ah surgery #19, I'm in worse shape than the junk I drive, neither one of us will die.

 

3G alternator upgrade
I can tell you while this is easy, once you get the beast past the lower radiator hose, it does not like the V-belt, will eat it up no matter how tight you make it, I had to swap pulleys to get 2 belts on it, that crank pulley will cost you $100 offered only in milled aluminum, waterpump will be a cheap chrome one, thank ford for making the balancer the way it was in 68-74 its nothing like late models.