Here is the install I promised. Stay tuned for the pics and install of Tennman's Sidemarker Fuel Fill.

Parts list for tank install:

1 - Tank kit from The Truck Shop(PN 69-107092)-166.00
25' - 16 gauge wire from Kragen-2.99
2 - 4 pack Range 5/16"-7/8" hose clamps from Kragen-4.00 each
1 - 1 1/2" to 1 1/2" Exhaust Adapter from Autozone(PN 17519)-1.49 (optional)
3' - 1 1/2" Fuel filler hose from Kragen(PN 80803)-16.99 (optional)
3' - 5/8 fuel hose from Kragen-3.00
7' - 1/4" fuel filler hose from Kragen-7.00
25' - 3/8" fuel hose from Kragen(cheaper than 16'@1.00 per ft)-13.99
2 - 4" bolts
2 - Nuts for bolts

Also needed is a cutter wheel or sawzall and someone who can weld.

With that out of the way, here we go.....


The Tank from The Truck Shop

Feel free to paint it whatever color you like. I chose to use rubberized undercoating to help avoid rust.

I removed the spare tire bar by grinding off the rivets holding it on (sorry no pics from before).

The hanger bolts fit in the Holes that have tabs in them on the Tank. I had to widen the holes slightly for the Hanger Bolts to fit.

Hanger Bolt inserted

Several things here:

I unbolted my exhaust hanger and moved the hanger to the side to get the tank up against the frame. I then ran the Hanger Bolts through the frame, tank, then rubber bushing, then exhaust hanger.

I bolted drivers side straps in place, Then pulled the straps across the tank, and slid (with much force) the other sides on the Hanger Bolts. Tighten all bolts until the tank is secured in place.

I used extra Hanger Bolts instead of bolts, either will work.

In order to get the tank in, I had to trim the heat shield (big flat shiny metal piece) a little on one side.

Another Pic

Next install the sending unit. I had to trim about 1/16" off the lock ring to get it to seat. Nothing major at all!!

Several things here...

I pulled the sending unit wire out of the truck and it almost reached (about 4' short) the new sending unit. I added more wire and ran the wire in through te fire wall and to the fuse box.

I hooked all hoses up..
7' of 3/8" hose from the sending unit to metal line under cab.
7' of 1/4" hose from return line to metal line under cab.
9' of 3/8" hose from vent tube to metal line inder cab (to charcoal canister)

I also connected the ground wire to the chassis.

Nice job! :cool: Hey, can you get a pic of what it looks like from the rear? I'm just curious on how much of the tank is visible below the rear bumper.

Thais next part is optional, but I suggest you consider your options

The filler neck on these tanks is 1 3/8"
There are very few if any filler necks that small (unless using original filler neck)
You can try and reduce the filler neck you use down to 1 3/8", but I found it IMPOSSIBLE to find Fuel Filler hose that would fit this size neck.
The solution was to increase te size of the tank neck to the more common 1 1/2" Filler hose size. I used the exhaust adapter(PN 17519). I cut it in half at the indention, then had it welded at the indention (closest to tank neck size) to the tank inlet(Yellow Circle) Please don't think that you can just stretch this hose over the end, it doesn't work!!!!!! After fighting with it for an hour, I finally had the shop use a pipe expander on the hose to get it to slip over the tank neck. After that I just clamped it on using a 1 13/16" - 2 7/8" hose clamp.

The cross member hit the neck, fortunately I can remove this piece off of my wood bed. You can trim it to fit if you choose. Yes that's me holding it before it falls on my face as I remove the last bolt.

Thanks for the pics more people should do that to help out the rookies like me.

That is pretty much it. It was not that hard, and pretty cheap for around 225.00 total. You don't have to take the bed off, but 8 bolts and it's gone. It sure makes it alot easier to do the work. I used some nylon hose clamps (29cents each at hardware store) to secure them to the frame. By the way this was on my stepside in case anyone is curious. I also did te sidemarker fuel fill conversion and will post that in a few days. I will try and get some outside pics tomorrow (in the daylight) to show how far down it hangs. My spare tire hung farther down than this tank does. It is about 4" below the bottom of the back bumper, if that much. I hope this helps some of you do your installs. I will monitor this post if you have any questions. Good Luck!!!!!
Shawn

Good deal! We need to get this moved to FAQ section.

So much for the easy parts---can't wait to see the step by step on the fuel filler work. Tennman's porcess is nice but seems to leave out too much detail so perhaps your's will either show the way to side market filler or scare us to in bed filler!:D :D :D
I've got two tanks to install and have been putting it off till I'm comfortable with where and how to do the filler. Also hate the idea of cutting the floor support on a metal floor~~~~

I think this deserves at least 1 TTT :)

TTT,,, I agree, this would be great in the FAQ section, when I convert my tank!

What capacity is that tank? i wanna do the swap, but would really enjoy a bit larger tank.
thanx
dale

Nice job...now what are you going to do with all that free space behind the seat, lol :)

Thanks for all the information and time you take to post. I'm about to start this same installation and this is very useful.

nice job...
could you tell me how you vented the tank???
im in the process of converting my swb 4x4 over to blazer tank,i got the tennman filler done,and the tank installed to the frame just have to run lines ...
good luck and thanks for posting
jamie

I thought this was a modified Blazer tank to fit these trucks? Or is this company making Blazer tanks only?
It seems that there were several items that need to be addressed. I mean if the builder is just down the street from the Truck Shop, maybe you could do some R&D for them and tell them to increase the filler neck during the build. Also increase the hole size/angle so the mounting bolts fit correctly. How does the filler neck line up with the side marker? Maybe they could adjust the angle there also if needed.
I would like to do this swap but do not want to work hours to cram and fit it.
It would be great to have the details worked out and built right from the start.
Like buying headers and then massaging (hammer) the pipes to clear things.
Let us know.

Huck,
The sidemarker install was a little bit of a pain in the a$$, but it wasn't really that hard, just takes a little thinking. I will post it as soon as I get all my info rechecked. I hope to be able to give you specific details on the install, like dimensions, bolt sizes, etc. I did this on a stepside, so you might have to check a few things with other fleetside members.

orange72350,
THe tank is a 21 gallon tank

yellow72custom,
Hopefully put some speakers back there!!!

jamie72,
I vented the tank to the fuel filler neck, it had a vent tube for it attached. I also vented the other line to the carbon cannister. Hope this answers your question. I have heard of people using a vent breather (you can get from parts store)

nu2-72,
These are plain blazer tanks. They call it a conversion because it comes with the straps, sending unit, tank and necessary bolts to mount all in 1 kit for a low price.
As for the neck filler size, they are using the factory size. I know that it is not a convenient size, but if they change it to 1 1/2" neck, then what about the 2" filler necks? Both are common. I will agree that the hole size on the mounting flange could be bigger, but it only took me about 2 min. to wallow those out a little. They were only a little bit too small. Again that is a detail and I do agree with you.
As for lining up the neck with the sidemarker, it is not that far off. I don't think it would be fair to ask them to modify the tank for just sidemarker conversions. What about those that do bed floor fills?
If they did these changes, they will probably have to charge more for the retooling.
Please remember, putting the tank itself in only took about 2 hours. I spent the rest of the time working on the filler neck conversion. You can easily get this done in a day if you had a complete parts list before you start. That's what I hope to provide to the members here. It really wasn't that hard, I promise.

Any more questions??

Hope all this helps y'all!!

Great job on the pictures, wish I had that when I did mine. Your right on the time with the bed off took about 2 hours of actual putting it in after we figure out what we were doing.

I was just thinking that if they make them, they might consider a filler neck in different configurations. As you say, side-marker, bed fill or original Blazer. Options are nice and all that is involved is the soldering of the different necks. I am lazy and would like to order a custom fit. All done and ready to install.
Keep up the good work.

I really appreciate the effort you went through to post the pics and the description. I want to do exactly the same thing on my '68 and put the filler behind the marker light.

Out of curiosity, what are you doing with the old filler cap? I'd like to keep mine where it is for original appearance.

I'm actually going to leave it there for now also. I will smooth it someday when I get the truck repainted, but the paint looks good right now. I'm going to put a sign under the cap that says ' NOT HERE IDIOT':)

do you think it would be possible on this type of tank to run a filler tube into the fender on a stepside? I am torn between the clean look of a filler in the bed floor, and the sure knowledge that at some point I will have the back filled with sheets of plywood and need to get some gas

OCB

I was wondering if u had it done yet,I finally got most of the parts and ended up getting some parts for my tailgate allso .I am still trying to figure out the side marker, but am waiting on a tank.Thanks alot for the pic's and info.I would like to see the pic's of the fiiler light.:metal:

Good Job on the Step by Step

Nice job and thank's for the very detailed photo's and direction's.

Great job.

jorgensensc

As one of the FNGs on this board I want to thank you for the outstanding job you've done. I'm sure there are many who will benefit from your guidance. As for me, I copied the entire post and saved it as Word document so it'll be there when I'm ready to do the job.

Thanks again.

Mike

This couldn't have been posted at a better time for me. I plan on tackling this job next and will be looking forward to the side-fill pictures / instructions.

I am running bags at the rear...do you think this tank drops too far below the frame? I'm not laying frame and have no intention of ever doing so (I'm at about a 4.5" / 6.5" front/rear drop).

Thanks again for the education. This message board is great!

~gbkwork

is the tank galv. or plain steel, do you need to use a gas tank sealer on the in side of the tank to prevent rust?
why use the steel tank if the ABS tank will work?
did you use rubber strips between all mating surfaces?

Tim

I'm getting ready to do this next week and I was worried about how low the tank was going to hang down. I'm running a 4" drop in the rear. When I was holding the tank up to the frame I was trying to see if I it would go in the frame instead of under the frame. I thought about removing the cross member in the rear of the frame and sliding the tank in that way. My truck is completely torn apart so I don't have my bed on it. I was wondering how much I could raise the tank before hitting the bed???? Do you have any idea?

GOOD JOB.........TTT


:flag:

ttt

Haven't replied to this thread in awhile, I apologize, I didn't realize members were asking questions.
Thanks Zoomy for the TTT!!!
Here goes..
71HUGGER396,
There really isn't ANY room between the filler neck and the bottom of the bed. I barely got the filler hose on. It doesn't put any stress on the neck, but it is about 1/8" close.

RED71CHEVY,
The tank is galvanized and no I didn't use any type of sealant on the inside, maybe in hindsight I should have, but I don't think there will be a problem. I coated everything with rubberized undercoating, so there shouldn't be any problems with the mating surfaces. I've heard (not personal experience) That ABS tanks can Sag when full. I've also heard they do that when the heat sets in in the summer. Once again, just what I've heard.

kaycee,
I will get the filler install posted soon, I promise!!

oldcarbuff,
Watch for my side marker light install. Yes you can use a filler tube to the fender. My truck is a stepside too.

gbkwork,
I don't think it will be too low, I will get you a pic soon though.

Thanks to everyone who said great job!! I get soo much from this board and I just want to give a little back!!!!

Look for Tennman's Side Marker Fuel Fill (revised for a stepside) install soon!!!!
Shawn

For those of you that wanted pictures of how low it hangs:

heres another:
It is about even with my exhaust. It doesn't really hang that low in my opinion.

Last one for now.

looks good, thanks for the pics.

Also here is alink to the Sidemarker Fuel Fill door:
Sidemarker Fuel Fill door on a stepside (http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=77104)
Enjoy!!

I've been looking for this since last summer. Thanks for all
the pics and detailed instructions. Might just give it a try.

Where are the pictures???

Yea,Where are the pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The pics are back! I have them on my hard drive now! Will not lose them again.

Wow, this as well as the filler neck page are nicely done. Good Job!

Tell me, is there any reason I couldn't/shouldn't use USED tank, straps, etc from a salvage yard to do this conversion?

hey that is a job ,thanx for sharing makes it easy for everyone else .

TTT,

It took me about 30 minutes to find but here it is again

ttt

what year blazer tank did you use

its a 67-72

I don't know if anyone else has tried to do this using the suppliers that were listed in the first post, but I had a little trouble getting in touch with the Truck Shop. Turns out, there are several companies that have very similar names.

Here is the one that he used....(and now, me too for that matter)

The Truck Shop (http://www.truckandcarshop.com/)

And their phone number is 1-800-Chevy47 (1-800-243-8947).

I sopke to a real cutie who was extremely helpful. She even went and verified that the tank was metal and not poly for me. Tank has gone up in price to from $165 to $173, but you still get straps, sending unit, lock ring, o-ring seal, etc...and including shipping, it is still cheaper than the tank alone @ any other shop I could find.

i got a blazer tank from bryan and the straps are like too long. would it hurt anything if i drilled holes in the straps and bolted them to the frame directly?

As long as it is supporting the tank correctly, I can't imagine what it would hurt.

Good job on pictures and info. Also other feedback good. I will tackle this project this winter,good time to be in garage here in West Virginia. RJ100

Can the filler be put in the wheel well behind the tire?

Can the filler be put in the wheel well behind the tire?
that was design #1 for me, but i didn't even take pics because it was such a bad idea. design #2 was a bedside from a 77. it had the door to open and reveal the filler, and i was going to weld it to the inside of my bed but had a clearance issue (1/8") from the sidemarker. i coulda shaved the sidemarker and left the flipping door/bedside idea... but i scrapped it. eventually i did shave the sidemarkers but oh well. redesign #3 was a box coming out of the bedside... ugly, so redesign #4 is what i have now in the pics.

ok design #2 was cool, ohhh well (not pictured with the door)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/matthufham/forum/100_0110Small.jpg
from the back below
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/matthufham/forum/100_0115Small.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/matthufham/forum/100_0116Small.jpg

redesign #3, ugly and in the rough stages, but i cut it out and welded up the hole.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/matthufham/my%20truck/100_0136Small.jpg

redesign #4 and final, will be sprayed with bedliner eventually, not the part where you stick the nozzle in though.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/matthufham/my%20truck/100_1008Small.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/matthufham/my%20truck/100_1005Small.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/matthufham/my%20truck/100_1007Small.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/matthufham/my%20truck/100_1006Small.jpg

Better. Much better!