Fuel Tank
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Junior User
Joined: Jan 2004
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Fuel Tank
1985 F-150 4X4 5.8 Liter 4V H.O.
Shortbed Side Mount Tank 17 gallon
Has any one used a polyethelene fuel tank made by MTS from JC Whitney??
If so is it a better tank than steel??
Does any one else other than MTS make polyethelene fuel tanks??
Does anyone know where to find the rubber material in between the tank and the strap??
Which fuel tank is more preffered: steel or polyethelene???
Elder User
Joined: Apr 2003
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From: Maryland
All good questions Mopar. I'm looking forward to see what the board members have to say. I went with the steel replacement tanks for my Supercab. I figured that steel might fare better with today’s fuels, hoping for the best...
As far as the rubber isolator. I was planning on using some fire hose and rubberized undercoating to create my own.
Contact Mike at Mikes Truck Salvage (mike@mikestrucksalvage.com) for decent used OE straps (and possibly the isolators)
Good luck.
As far as the rubber isolator. I was planning on using some fire hose and rubberized undercoating to create my own.
Contact Mike at Mikes Truck Salvage (mike@mikestrucksalvage.com) for decent used OE straps (and possibly the isolators)
Good luck.
Last edited by Bern_F150_4x4; Sep 26, 2008 at 09:06 PM. Reason: cuz it needed it!
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From: Virginia
Here's some info. Steel vs. Plastics: The Competition for Light-Vehicle Fuel Tanks
Apparently the OEM's want to use plastic tanks, but they have problems with the chemicals permeating the plastic, so the are trying multi-layer tanks. For some reason I am thinking the JCWhitney tanks may not be multi-layer.
Apparently the OEM's want to use plastic tanks, but they have problems with the chemicals permeating the plastic, so the are trying multi-layer tanks. For some reason I am thinking the JCWhitney tanks may not be multi-layer.
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Gas Tank
I just put a steel 19gal in my 82. The worse part was getting the sending unit& pickup out of the old one. All that I used for material between the tank & straps was an old truck tire inertube cut in strips,should do the trick.
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I put two plastic tanks into my '84 F-150 a few months ago, got them from LMC or Bronco Graveyard, can't remember. I had to carve down the filler neck in order to get the stock filler hose to fit on it. I used strips cut from the rubber straps you see used on big flatbeds, but like the other posts, you should be able to find something that you could shove in there that will last. As for what's preferred, after looking at the condition of my old tanks, I just assumed that plastic is the way to go these days and they would of used plastic as original equipment if it was available.
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Joined: Jul 2007
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From: Germantown, MD
I put a steel tank in mine. It looked exactly like mine, but the sending unit would only go in the new tank 180 degrees turned for some unknown bizarre reason. I didn't think anything of it, but then I ran out of gas at a half tank. I had to pull the tank out and customize it to accept the sending unit in the right direction as it was in the old tank. Stupid mistake, easily avoidable.
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I put a steel tank in mine. It looked exactly like mine, but the sending unit would only go in the new tank 180 degrees turned for some unknown bizarre reason. I didn't think anything of it, but then I ran out of gas at a half tank. I had to pull the tank out and customize it to accept the sending unit in the right direction as it was in the old tank. Stupid mistake, easily avoidable.
You'll have to read my post about my tank swap...I bought a metal tank and the sending unit was the same, the tabs for the **** were cut 180 deg. off too. I had about 5 gallons of gas, it wouldn't start, BUT if I took the sending unit out and suck in in a bucket of gas, it fired right up..I spent about a week asking question on here, cussing...throwing tools at my truck, the fix was simple, I cut the **** off the sending unit and slid it back in place the way it should be....truck fired right up. God I was embarrassed ....my wife was just shaking her head Basically, the tanks angle where the unit sits, and the way the stem on the unit is angled...if it's in 180 deg out the pick up is sticking straight out instead of straight down.
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Thanks to everyone for ideas on fuel tanks! Just finished installing mine, I went with the plastic tank. Every thing installed well. One issue is inside the filler hose there was a plastic hose about 1/2 dia.. Vent hose??? I put 6 gal. of fuel in at the pump and it would splash out unless I filled slowly. New tank don't have provision in the filler neck for this hose. A retired Ford man said this would occur on the first 1 or 2 fill ups.?????? HELP!!!!!
Took about 12 min. to pump 6 gal.????
IDEAS, INPUT
Took about 12 min. to pump 6 gal.????
IDEAS, INPUT
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From: Virginia
You need to make sure the plastic hose is mounted inside the clip that is inside the large filler neck at the top. If the small plastic hose is flopping around inside the filler neck, then gas will splash on it, and keep cutting the station fuel nozzle off.
I am not sure if it's for air or fuel on a gas truck, but on a diesel, the diesel fuel goes down the small pipe, while air comes up around it in the big pipe. When I had my 80 gas truck, I could not get fuel into it either, and found by re-mounting the small pipe, the problem went almost completely away.
P.S. The type of fuel tank should not matter when it comes to the small pipe, since it mounts in the filler neck near the top, and just hangs inside the tank.
I am not sure if it's for air or fuel on a gas truck, but on a diesel, the diesel fuel goes down the small pipe, while air comes up around it in the big pipe. When I had my 80 gas truck, I could not get fuel into it either, and found by re-mounting the small pipe, the problem went almost completely away.
P.S. The type of fuel tank should not matter when it comes to the small pipe, since it mounts in the filler neck near the top, and just hangs inside the tank.
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 432
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From: Germantown, MD
Thanks to everyone for ideas on fuel tanks! Just finished installing mine, I went with the plastic tank. Every thing installed well. One issue is inside the filler hose there was a plastic hose about 1/2 dia.. Vent hose??? I put 6 gal. of fuel in at the pump and it would splash out unless I filled slowly. New tank don't have provision in the filler neck for this hose. A retired Ford man said this would occur on the first 1 or 2 fill ups.?????? HELP!!!!!
Took about 12 min. to pump 6 gal.????
IDEAS, INPUT
Took about 12 min. to pump 6 gal.????
IDEAS, INPUT
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