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back-up gas tank?

04satinlanche

Full Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2011
Messages
38
Location
SC
since I removed my spare tire I have been tring to think of something todo with the spare room underneath the bed. Is there anyway to rig a second smaller gas tank? I was thinking the more fuel I can hold the better. has anyone used that area for anything or know if its even possible for me to attach a aftermarket fuel cell?
 
I installed one there on mine: BLT Offroad Avalanche

Two gas caps:
filler2.JPG


Fuel gauge and transfer switch. Fuel gauge reads in gallons.
fuelgauge.JPG


Nice to have another 18 gallons on board.
tank9.JPG
 
that is a pretty sweet set up you have there henryJ. What type of gas tank did you use for the rear?
 
I looked at the 2500 upper tank, but it only adds 8 gallons. I can still fit a stock size spare underneath, but I do lose some ground clearance. I opted to carry my sand/bridging ladders under there instead:

Ladders.JPG
 
HenryJ said:
I installed one there on mine: BLT Offroad Avalanche

Two gas caps:
filler2.JPG


Fuel gauge and transfer switch. Fuel gauge reads in gallons.
fuelgauge.JPG


Nice to have another 18 gallons on board.
tank9.JPG

So a few questions, how did you do that for the two fill necks. where did you get the fuel gauge and transfer switches. Instead of that, I was considering making a custom skid plate covering that and going back up to the rear bumper
 
I like the idea of extra gas tank but would be concerned with a tank so close to the rear bumper, if you got rear ended it would probably rupture and you could catch on fire.......Maybe a safety cage could be built?
 
2500's have a 10 gal tank there, it has frame rails on two sides and a bumper and a hitch on most in the rear. It's a protected area..
 
Yeah I would find one that I could make fit between the frame rails. I would make a mount for it so that it say high enough up and then I would run the skid from as far forward as I could and bend it up at an angle in the front then run it all the way back to the bumper and just haw that plate bolted in so I can remove it if I need to.
 
Vaeagleav said:
I like the idea of extra gas tank but would be concerned with a tank so close to the rear bumper, if you got rear ended it would probably rupture and you could catch on fire.......Maybe a safety cage could be built?
The rear receiver hitch wraps around the back of it completely. No worries here.
Fuel tanks are very durable. It takes a BIG squish to compromise them today. Not like those of yesteryear :) Mine rides up very high. I have room to stow my spare tire under there:
hook2.JPG

I carry the spare in the rack up top now and my bridging ladders are stowed underneath:

Ladders.JPG


Those can act as a shield I guess. No need really. It is out of harms way.
 
09chevyavy said:
What about your gauge for the tanks and the transfer switch? and How did you put both filler necks in there?
BLT Offroad Avalanche

fuelgauge.JPG

The gauge is Dakota Digital. It can be calibrated for almost any fuel level sender. I have it reading in Gallons.
Below the gauge is the momentary switch. This illuminates the LED beside it as a visual indicator that the relay supplying power to the fuel transfer pump is active. I use a momentary switch since it does not take long to transfer a couple gallons of fuel at a time. Safer in that I do not "forget" and over fill the main tank. That floods the evap system and is not too fun.
filler2.JPG

Using the stock plastic filler neck cup as a template, I created a cardstock prototype. Trimmed to fit I copied it to some light gauge aluminum diamond plate salvaged from an old bedside tool box. Pretty easy to form fit. Spend a little time and play with the filler necks to get them lined up using the template.
 
What about emissions? Do you have all the vent solenoids and all that good junk on the second tank?  I was thinking of doing something similar.  Since I have side-pipe exhaust, I have room for another full size tank on the passenger side.  I thought of getting another stock tank and turning it around and having a filler door on the passenger side as well.  My other option would be to connect the two tanks and fill from just the stock side, and it would flow into the second tank, essentially just doubling the capacity and acting as one tank.  This would help to balance the truck better instead of having 31 gallons of fuel on one side and nothing on the other.  Even with the extra weight of the additional 31 gallons of fuel, i think the truck would handle better being balanced. But it would cost $186 to fill up at $3/gallon  :E:

If I treated them as two separate tanks, I could use one for racing fuel  >:D
 
ms38w said:
What about emissions? Do you have all the vent solenoids and all that good junk on the second tank?  I was thinking of doing something similar.  Since I have side-pipe exhaust, I have room for another full size tank on the passenger side.  I thought of getting another stock tank and turning it around and having a filler door on the passenger side as well.  My other option would be to connect the two tanks and fill from just the stock side, and it would flow into the second tank, essentially just doubling the capacity and acting as one tank.  This would help to balance the truck better instead of having 31 gallons of fuel on one side and nothing on the other.  Even with the extra weight of the additional 31 gallons of fuel, i think the truck would handle better being balanced. But it would cost $186 to fill up at $3/gallon  :E:

If I treated them as two separate tanks, I could use one for racing fuel  >:D

And how much would THAT cost? hahaha
 
09chevyavy said:
And how much would THAT cost? hahaha

How much would WHAT cost?  Fuel at market price. Stock tank at junk yard price or aftermarket price.  I'd imagine a few hundred bucks by the time I put it all together.  Combining the tanks into one would use all the emissions junk from the stock tank, nothing else needed. Run a line between the bottoms of the tanks to keep them at the same fill level.  No additional pumps or fuel lines needed either.
 
ms38w said:
What about emissions? Do you have all the vent solenoids and all that good junk on the second tank?
My research shows that the stock system is capable of maintaining a system up to 100 gallons. The two tanks are tied together and use the stock system. This will not change the longevity as that is determined by time and mileage. That does not change.
 
If 09chevyavy wants to have a separate tank for race fuel then it will have to be totally separate system with it's own fuel pump, solenoids and relays to switch it back and forth when needed.

If it's just an auxiliary tank then it can be tied into the main tank simular to the 2500's.


Randy
 
What have you done to "need" , "race gas"?

Here's my $.02...
You don't need any more octane than is required to perform without detonation.
Different driving habits and climate can affect this. On the older cars adding an octane booster, or using higher octane fuel was the only way to prevent or cure detonation. Newer vehicles now have a sensor that detects the knock and adjusts the timing to correct the condition.
Best performance is achieved running as much advance as possible without detonation. The trick is to find where you get the best performance/mileage.
It is very possible that a higher octane fuel could see an increase in both mileage and performance. If you are pinging on 87 octane and the PCM is retarding the timing to compensate, then a higher octane could improve the condition.
Remember higher octane does not mean more power. It is a resistance to burning. This is necessary when a performance engine creates an atmosphere conducive to preignition. Engines designed to develop more power and having a higher final compression ratio may require higher octane fuel to avoid preignition. Engines not built this way will see no benefits beyond their own requirements. Best performance is developed with a complete burn. Lower octane burns easier. Higher octane is harder to burn.

I have a car that does require high octane fuel. I like the 115 Cam2 Purple racing fuel when I can get it. This engine develops in excess of 15:1 compression.
Having an engine that runs well on two different octane fuels is difficult at best. Usually that means being able to change the final compression ratio. The easiest way to do something like that on the fly, is adjusting boost. In my case I swap pulleys and run the blower under driven. Obviously that is not done on the fly. Mine will run on pump premium with a double dose of octane booster. Doesn't run great though.
Another option would be NO2. That would probably be the best application. However it still requires the fuel change to be close to the injection point and being very sure the engine is ingesting the higher octane fuel when the shot hits. A lean out backfire and or preignition is no fun at all under boost conditions. Risky. Better to have it all set up and ready to go before boosting. I do not have a turbo'd rig with adjustable waste gate, so I am not going to speculate on the needs there.
For all of those reasons and a few more, a dual fuel system really doesn't make much sense. Get it running perfect on one fuel.
(Not saying it can not be done. Just not as easy as having two different tanks of fuel) :D
 
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