So. My gauge always reads full. . .

My plan is to get a new fuel tank from the junkyard. I have the shortbox so only 29 gallons or whatever it is. Im going to cut some of the spare tire frame out to make room for a longbed tank. Or going to try to anyways. Then I got a buddy who can help me get the tank cleaned out and lined. Then I want to fix my gauge issue. So from my reading, I need to get me a hutch mod kit? Then new filters for the tank and an inline filter? It will probably be a month or so before I can get to it, just want to make sure I will have everything I need.

How hard is it droppin the tank?

 

You don't need a kit, just a few parts. The tanks are plastic, so I'm not sure what u mean buy getting it lined.

 

Easy deal. Putting it in is the trickier part, especially if you're doing it alone.

I see you are considering putting in a long bed tank? I believe the additional size over a short bed tank is towards the front. It would hit the transmission/transfer case. And if you try moving it towards the back, then your fill hose would be out of alignment

 

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Ah. Good point. I will be sure to measure before cutting. I'm sure I can make it work. Hopefully. I hate constantly having to fill up.

I could probably get a friend to come help me.

 

If you are going to do all that you might want to see if your bed will come off easy and remove it if it does. I believe that us short bedders have six bolts but the long beds have eight. I know you're in the rust belt so it may or may not come off for you. If it does it's unscrew six #50 torx screws, unplug light plug(s) at the rear, disconnect your fuel fill and vent hoses and lift it off. With that out of the way you can have at your tank mods without filling your eyes with crud and banging your head on stuff. You can see most of the bolts but the fuel tank obstructs access to the left front one. Then you can assess the rust on them and guess whether or not they'll let go for you.

Edit: After crawling under my short bed to spray penetrating oil on the bolts (I am getting ready to take my bed off) I found two of what appear to be safety cables mid bed that wrap around one of the bed's crossmembers, one on each frame rail.

 

It's not that hard to do alone if you have a plan. I planned my fuel usage so it was less than 1/4 tank when I parked for the job (on a level surface). I siphoned the rest out (after I parked it) into fuel containers so only a little was left on the bottom. I built a pyramid of 2x4s under the front and rear of the tank until I was a few inches from the bottom of the tank. I undid each strap and set the tank on the wood. I kicked out one layer of wood alternating front and back until it was low enough to reach up and disconnect the fuel lines. Then I continued the process until the tank was low enough to pull out from under the truck. After the work was done I reversed the process to install the tank. It was a little time consuming but it worked great.

I considered lifting the bed but I knew I wouldn't get it lined back up to my satisfaction (which would have bothered me forever) so I opted to drop the tank.

One tip that served me well was to warm up the plastic retaining collar that holds the assembly in the tank. I made sure it was in the sun while I did the work before I put the collar back on. While it was still a challenge I'm sure that it was much easier with it warm and a little more pliable.

 

Yeah. . . I was just under there. Unless they are miracle bolts they arent going to come off without being cut. . .

what about the safety cables?

Yeah I figured Id run it close to empty before hand. Hadnt gotten as far as figuring out how to lower/raise it but the block idea sounds good. Anyone know how much it weighs empty?

Ill keep that tip handy thanks

 

The safety cables on mine look like grounding straps at first then following them they go over the frame, through the bed crossmembers and back down to the frame to the opposite end of the same bolt. If you look through the rear wheel well on either side they would be to the front of the axle and in the middle of the web. On the driver's side it is attached to the frame with the same bolt that holds the parking brake cable...if yours has them.

 

My Excursion tank is different than yours, but I use a board against the bottom of the tank and raised a floor jack up to it, loosened bolts and let it lower a little, then took the weight off the bolts and lowered a little more.

Until I could reach above the tank and disconnect wires, lines, etc.

I had a buddy working the jack while I was close enough to see but not get squished should it slip or fall.

FYI. If you pull the output (front) line off your fuel pump and attach a hose and run into a bucket, your fuel pump will get much of the fuel out for you.

 

You can also easily spray your bed bolts for a week with penetrant and it's easy to get a #50 torx and see if your bed bolts will let loose for you. After hearing other guys post about it and yanking one bed myself that's the way I would go if possible. Particularly if you're doing more than just the tank mods as you are.

 

Not that much. I have a short bed so it's not quite as big as the long bed's but it was easy to maneuver around empty.

 

I'll have to find a bigger tank and measure to see if it'll work out.

If I pull the bed I want to get a new one. I don't have the money for it right now after all the other stuff I just did. Maybe I'll wait and do the 2 projects at once cuz my gauge has been working for the past few days lol