Well, I know it's not as exciting as a new set of headers, but my leaky old gas tank is history...dropped it off at the junk yard. So anyway, here's my experience replacing the gas tank in my '78 F150 4x4.

I ordered a plastic 19 gal aft axle tank w/o emissions hole from Jeff's Bronco Graveyard. I also ordered a new float and filter for the sending unit, a 2 piece filler hose set (mine were dry-rotted), and a locking ring/gasket set. It turns out I did not need the locking ring and gasket since the new plastic tank came with it's own set. I wish the guy had of known. I've yet to settle this with JBG yet. They also included a catalog which showed the tank costing $10 less than what I paid...I hope they'll make good on that. I mentioned FTE but didn't get any discount.

So on with the install.

The hardest part was getting all the gas out of the tank. I bought this pump at Autozone for $11. It worked pretty well once I managed to get the curled end to stay in the gas. The top leaked a little around the plunger, but I had failed to read the sticker that said I should oil it. Oh well.



After getting the gas out, I cut the filler hoses off the metal filler tube, disconnected the rubber fuel line and snipped the pigtail wire. After dropping the tank straps, the gas tank came out pretty easy. I only had to tug a bit on the drivers side to get the filler tubes out that were wedged between the frame and the bed.



Gladly the sending unit came out pretty easy. The gasket was all cracked and rotted and so was the hose connected to the outlet. However, there were some wet seams and a repair that had gone bad.



I put the new float and filter on the sending unit and stuck it in my new tank. It DID NOT fit!! My father-in-law looked in the filler tube hole while I tried to hold it in and the filter was hitting the bottom. I had the filter pushed all the way on but it appears this unit was more shallow or something. So, I took the filter off, put the end in a vise and bent it a little at a time untile she finally cleared the bottom. Here it is installed:



The way this thing works is you put the gasket in first, then the sending unit, followed by the lock ring which simply ascts as a giant washer. It doesn't actually "lock" onto anything. Then you seat these arched hold-downs against the lock-ring. The guy at JBG warned me to follow the instructions on how NOT to torque the screws too tight or the plastic would strip out. The included instructions said to tighten them down just snug, then 1/2 turn more...no more than 1 ft-lb. After that was done, I installed the filler tubes, fuel line, and pigtail then torqued all the hose clamps tight.

Here it is ready to go in...




I was able to install the tank single handedly as it was very light and easy to maneuver. The first thing I did was lie on my creeper with the tank on my stomach and pointed my head to the drivers side. I angle the filler tubes up and over the frame and guided them to the metal tubes. Once in place, I installed the tank straps loose while holding the tank up with my bent knee.

Getting the filler tubes on to the metal tubes was a PITA! I had to take a few breaks then go back to wrestling with it. Finally got it on, tightened down the clamps and slid the metal shroud around it.



Finally, I snugged up the tank straps, spliced the sending unit wire, grounded the neg to the frame, and connected the fuel hose.



The tank strap grooves fit exactly where the old ones went and it really seemed to be an exact fit.



Eventually I'll paint the starps or get new ones.

I filled her up, took a long drive to the junkyard to drop off the old tank, checked for leaks....DRY AS A BONE!!

So I treated "Ol Rusty to 'nilla air fresh-na to help get rid of that ol gas smell.

 

Nice work man! Looks great!

Exactly how much did this whole process cost you? Hoses, clamps, tank, sending unit, the works...I'm probably going to have to do this soon too.

 

I already had the clamps and bolts lying around. I had bought 2 feet of fuel line from Pep Boys back when I first got the truck and had to replace that section due to squirrels chewing.

But, the tank, float, filter, filler hose set, and lock ring/gasket set cost me $241 including shipping from Bronco Graveyard. I'm hoping to return the lock ring/gasket since my plastic tank came with a new set. Plus I'm hoping they give me a $10 credit for the tank since the catalog they sent me shows the price as $129.

If I get the credits, then my total cost would be $224 plus a few bucks for the clamps and fuel hose.

One note, the filler tube set was ordered from JBG but the sticker on the package was from Dennis Carpenter, so I guess that's where JBG gets some of their stuff. That's a good thing in my book.

 

I did this to my my dent last February, but it was a metal mid ship tank, and the cost was about the same. My only problem was the straps were shot, and I really had to search for the correct ones. JBG had them but the description was not very clear.

I ran into this to where I bought things from different vendors and found they came from DC and when I looked at the DC web site, I found out it was made from original tooling!!

But anyhow, looks like a good job there DANNY, I see you was working outside and was wondering where you park you dent? Your location is not listed!

 

My straps are shot too. One is ok and I might paint it. The other one has a rust hole in it, so I might try a junk yarder if I can find one.

Yep...they've got the good stuff for sure. I'm dieing to get the anti-rattle kit from them.

Thanks...I'm in Winchester, va and am living w/my in-laws until we find a house/farm. I'm parking it on the street...in fact, I'm gonna post some pics of what the street looks like now that I've been working on my truck. HAHAHA...it's NOT pretty!

 

If people need the midship or saddle tank straps I have a tank and good straps sitting in my shop.

Now I've got a question about the sending unit in the rear tank you just did. It may be a little late as you already installed the thing but I'd love to see pics and dimensions of it. to see if it is close enough to make work in the rear tank for my highboy (before I get blasted saying these aren't out there - I grabbed a stock, plastic one out of a 73 F350 SCS).
The pickup/sending units aren't available anymore for the highboy tanks and mine is too rusty to make work so I am trying to find something else that will work.

Did JBG have decent pics of the sending units on their site? Looks like it may be time for me to do some snooping...

 

Soory ...I didn't take any pics of the sending unit. I got caught up in making it fit and by the time I got all the screws in I realized I forgot to take a pic.

 

Not a big deal - I figured as much. It looks like I may be calling some venders to see how cool they are about getting dimensions of one of these things for me.

 

I can't beleive the sending unit wasn't desgin/develop to fit that type of tank.
Additionally been told that Dennis Carpenter stuff we find from other vendor's is usually reject's according to DC level of quality; but good enough or even better than the stuff we get from tawain.
I've purchase from several vendor across the US to include JBG; recently got radiator support & cab mount bolts and washer set; those where from DC as well.

I defiently hate it when you order something and its comes with a item and your not told that and order another item to find out its part of the package. One would think the high quality staff would be on the ball and know if you need to purchase it or not seperate.

Thanks for the detail and update of issue and warning of problems.

Mitch

 

Danny,

This is not directed at you, but that sending unit mounting system is beyond pathetic.

My aft tank on my '78 leaks and needs to be replaced. Your thread has convinced me NOT to purchase a plastic tank.

To me when a retailer sells a product they are, in effect putting their stamp of approval on it. A reputable company will not sell crap. I have never bought anything from Bronco Graveyard, but if they consider this an acceptable level of product quality, and customer service, I never will.

 

Just for clarification, I used my original sending unit. With the new filter on it, it bottomed out on the tank which required me to bend the sending tube about 1/4" upwards so that the flat outer part on the sending unit fit flush against the gasket.

 

I think he was talking about how you had to attach it to the plastic tank = the metal pieces with screws in them.

 

I dunno...at first look I wasn't sure I liked it. But the the locking ring is noting but a thin stamped peice. In fact, I all but destroyed my original getting it off the old tank.

I kind of like the hold down clamps. The ONE thing I would change is that the screws would thread into the metal plate instead of the plastic tank. I will say this much, the tank is VERY thick and the screws seems to seat well. So far, there's no leaks, but we'll have to see what time, weather, and elements do to it.

I guess I opted for the plastic for 2 reasons. Almost all tanks now are plastic and my steel tank was leaking from the seams and from pinholes. I guess in the end, I didn't trust getting an overseas steel tank.

If it turns out I made a bad decision, at least I'm only out $120....it's not like I bought a crate engine from Autozone.

 

Really nice step-by-step and glad it turned out well. The first pic I saw was of the red 5 gallon gas can....my first thought was, "You're going to replace a tank with that??" I guess I'm dumber for thinking that

 

When I get around to doing this on mine, I may see what I can do to make the mounting system more substantial.

It occurs to me that it probably wouldn't be that hard to do something with spline shank blind nuts.

-Mark where the mounting screws will go

-Drill out the holes to the size of the shank end of the blind nut

-Put some ABS epoxy on the shank of the nut and insert in the hole from the inside of the tank

-take the right size bolt, stack some washers on it, and tighten it down until it pulls the blind nut all the way into the hole (making sure the teeth on the nut bite into the tank itself). Allow the epoxy to cure. The epoxy will lock the shank in, and the teeth and splines will prevent the bolt from turning.

Repeat as necessary.

Then when you go to assemble everything, simply put some teflon paste on the bolt threads and tighten them down securely. I'm sure that with this setup you could get more than a measly 1 ft lb of torque on it.

Just an idea, but it may be worth a shot. What do you think?