That's not where the tank is on the suburbans....this is a 57 suburban chassis, with the stock tank (and a Camaro front clip) maybe you could make something else fit?
Honda (sorry non hamb friendly) has been mounting the fuel tanks in some of their new car models right between the front bucket seats inside the tiny frame rails such as they are. But it's outside (below) the floorboards. It must work with all the safety stuff they have to pass now a days.
I wonder - I'm not really familiar with old trucks - if one could build a recess in the back (or underside) of the cab, so that the tank is in roughly the stock position, but outside the cab? That way, the tank vents to the atmosphere outside the cab, and if it's going to leak it'll leak outside the cab. A thought.
No where near ready, but thinking through my AD truck build I plan to hang the original tank similar to what Squirrel has posted above. Yes I have to mod it some but that's the fun, isn't it?
I think that inside is alot safer than driving round with a grenade behind my spreader bar (32). Down here if its inside, has to vent to outside the car and fill outside the car.
I know you can do that with diesel...you can literally throw a lit cigarette into a bucket of full of diesel fuel and the cigarette will just go out. Gasoline, never tried it, don't think I will.
this site is commited to safety as well as building a safe vehicle. i hate it when people come on here and talk about stupid stunts like throwing lit objects into a fuel source. go visit a burn center and promote this foolish practice...
First thing that came to mind, was that the local demolition-derby required that the gas-tank be inside the car, secured to the rear floor-area, where the back seat would've been.
Saddle bag tanks are a death trap. Right outside the frame rails, if you get T-boned their going to rupture. In-board mounted saddle bag tanks are safer, but then you can't run duals inside your frame. But, I'm willing to compromise for safety.
to me..getting the fuel tank outside of any passenger compartment, no matter the bulk heads or steps for safety.. it just makes better sense to me to give yourself the time you may need to GTFO of the vehicle if in a bad wreck..it could be the time you need to survive. another reason why i put a deuce tank on my A..and if someone decks me from behind, chances are the fuel will spill out from under their car, or come completely off of mine as im pushed forward.. giving me that time to get out. On the ground is better than on the floor
I know you don't care ( most hot rodders don't) but as a muffler man for the past 33 years I hate tanks inside the frame rails ( like beside the drive shaft) . The exhaust pipe on that side looks goofy and so does the tail pipe. Safety is more important than looks, but when you try and make the part you do ( in my case the exhaust system) look as nice as the rest of the car that damn tank just gets in the way.
I agree with most of the guys on here, the tank itself would be more protected in the cab, but if it is in fact ruptured in a crash and you are stuck in the car, you are burning. If it is space constraints that are making you think about this, I put the fuel tank in my model A IMMEDIATLY behind my seats, because that is the only place I could fit it, but the tank is steel and there is a 16gauge bulkhead seperating the interior from the tank. From a profile the tank is completely in the car, but technically the tank is outside. It is protected inside the frame rails and in front of the axle, but if I'm in a bad enough wreck (and don't die) and the tank is ruptured, fuel is more than likely not to enter the cabin. Just my .02
No..different.. the pinto's tank was up under the car..and it wasnt very well protected, mine isnt up under.. besides, i'd rather take my chances with it there, than inside with me, and my family. like i said , rather have it spill out onto the ground, than onto the floor, you are very limited in placement on such a small car..i feel i took the path of lest threat. there were also other design flaws in the pinto, and reasons for why they had these issues. and after reading all the threads on this subject..it has come to my conclusion...there is NO place to put one..so you either dont build because of this, or you try your best to minimise the risk..life is all about managing risks. maybe when they make a car that runs on water..we will all be safer..but until than..all cars are potential rolling fire bombs, do your home work, and manage your risks, end all be all....drive defenseably, leave yourself a way out..and use your mirrors 30 some years of rolling on 2 wheels have taught me alot of respect and ways not to get yourself trapped in potential bad situations.
I've owned trucks built from 1941 to 1972 where the gas tanks was in the cab. I NEVER had a problem with a tank located there, ever! As long as the tank is structurally intact and not rotten, the tank is just fine there. Check your sending unit gasket and the line(s) coming off it, and there should not be a problem at all. The majority of trucks that have had a tank relocated to the rear or the side have several problems: 1) Filling it. Having a gas tank lid IN the bed floor is goofy, no matter how you look at it. Hauling something? Good luck filling that truck tank! It's either there, or you can stick the filler out the side, and make it look good (good luck there). 2) Accessibility. You can have a late Sixties or Seventies-style filler at the license plate area, in the center. You have zero protection in a rear-end collision. 3) Safety. Pintos made great bombs in the day, that was proven true. But, that was an issue of ZERO protection by the rear bumper, and bumper mounting bolts that punctured the tank in a rear-end collision. The side-mount "issues" that GM had with the '73-'88 trucks were a contrived safety hazard. The NBC "investigative" show DateLine got sued, successfully, by GM for their alleged expose on the safety of the GM tanks. NBC actually put an explosive devise next to the tank, which guaranteed a tank fire upon impact! So, a properly-mounted side, or saddle, tank is NOT an issue. If it were, nearly every single '73-'88 GM truck, '72-'93 Dodge, or '73-'92 Ford truck in the junkyard that suffered a side-impact collision would be a guaranteed burn-out! And, exactly how many of these burnouts have you all encountered in the junkyards over the past 40 years??? Not too damn many, I'll bet. Add to that, many later trucks have tanks mounted outside the frame rails, still. I'm guessing it's for a reason. BTW, an EMPTY or nearly empty fuel tank is much more explosive than a full one, no matter where it is located. Fumes are what make shit go "BOOM!" Leave the tank in the cab. It's not hurting a damn thing there. If it did, back in the day when there were FAR MORE smokers that drove, you'd have seen a BUNCH of burned-out cabs in junkyards. Funny, I've seen maybe one.
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