Calling everybody that has switched out a gas tank on a 73-87

[frog210]

im a try and take as many pictures or record as much of it as possible
patently waiting till sunday

[frog210]

the 2 scissor jacks i used to lower the tanks




This one with my finger is the direction you hit the oring to take it off, counter clockwise, clockwise to put it on



this was the reason i was getting dirt and rust in my filters this thing was barely holding on



just primered my tank on bottom black and etched the date on there, for future refrence or workers


jb welder my homeade strap extension, jb welded the nut onto the old thread and just used a new bolt



okay well i got my tank switched out saturday
everythings went good, except a bunch of little things
it was a pain to do my tanks bymyself
after i took my tank off
i was like im just gonna use my original sender
only to see that my filter was barely hanging on, so decided to get a new one
wanted to get it done today so i went to the local autozone only to find out they didnt have one and they could get it here tomorrow, they had one at a store 40 miles away so guess where i went, i needed to get this done so i just went and got it
primered the bottom of the gas tank black and ethced the date for refrence, so just incase i sell the truck or something happens where i have to part it out or whatever(knock on wood) the future owner would know
i guess my new tank was wider well the straps didnt fit
so i went to homedepo and got some 10mm bolts and nuts
jb welded them on they would have to do for now
its easier to install the tank with nothing in their lol
installed one new fuel line, didnt do the other one cus i cut the wrong one lol, but the other line looked good

im curious aout one thing i thought now that i installed my tank my gauge would work and it still dosent????

[Palf70Step]

Originally Posted by frog210

im curious aout one thing i thought now that i installed my tank my gauge would work and it still dosent????

Did you hook up the sending unit ground and the sending unit wire?

I forgot my ground the first time, then while hooking up the ground I bumped loose the lead wire so it wasn't connected (it just slips over the peg on the sending unit).

[dougt]

Where in the world can I buy the straps for 87 3/4 ton, factory dual tanks? Please help!

[Palf70Step]

LMC truck has them. Far as I know the straps are the same for either the 16 gal or the 21 gal

[sweetk30]

local parts stores .online places . lots of options .

they are riveted in place tho . so be prepared for a little work .

[hatzie]

The bed bolts aren't that big a deal. If they're seized don't bother with horsing on em... cut em off and replace them.

One to three buddies and the bed comes off and sits on sawhorses in less than a minute. Costs some beer and maybe some hamburgers and potato salad.

I don't see the short ground wire that goes from the sender ring on the tank to the frame. The gauge won't work without it.

Your straps fit the old tanks so it's something about the new tanks or how they're installed on the hangers.
Look at the pinch welds on the old tanks. They're probably slightly bent on both sides at the hanger area to accommodate the straps.
The other thing that'll make the straps too short is using something that's too thick for anti squeak padding. I use a strip of 15# roofing felt under each strap and between the tank and the hangers. It's tacky and just thick enough to keep the tank from rubbing but thin enough that it doesn't interfere with the straps.

[kipps]

Originally Posted by hatzie

The bed bolts aren't that big a deal. If they're seized don't bother with horsing on em... cut em off and replace them.

The exception is that the square holes in the bed tend to round out. If the bed has been swapped out in the past, and a bolt is tight now, there's a good chance that one or more of the bolt heads will spin free. On an 80's Ford, I used an angle grinder to flatten the sides of the bolt heads, and had someone grab them with a vice-grip. With my Chevy, I tack welded the bolts to the bed.

[hatzie]

If you're worried about it weld a nut to the top of the bolt and use a box wrench in a section of pipe or a buddy on a breaker bar to hold em still.
I usually don't bother even putting a wrench on em... cut em off and re-install new bolts with Never Sieze... with hand tools. The T800 & T400 service manuals specifically say DO NOT USE POWER TOOLS on the body mount bolts and the bed mounting bolts. The same applies to the Squares. You round out the carriage bolt holes in the bed or round out the square sheet metal cage the body nuts sit in.

The flat belting or mud flap material or tire or whatever he used for insulator is why the straps are not fitting. I'd bet breakfast on it.

[fordguy40]

Dropped the tanks on our C30 by myself and will throw in another vote for sliding the bed back on some 4x4 blocks, loosening the wiring and hoses from up top, then bringing them down with a jack while hopefully they're empty. Like others have said, replace at least the sending unit sock while you're in there since they don't seem to do too well especially if the tank they're coming out of doesn't get used too much. Initially tried dropping and reinstalling without moving the bed, but leaving the fuel lines long enough to attach to the sending unit before putting the tank back up resulted in those lines being kinked and folded over themselves with the tanks in place. With the hoses the proper length (about 6" long), they're too short to allow the tank down far enough to secure them.