>The reasons for relocating the gas tank are several:
>A) Smell of gas fumes due to leaking filler neck or sending unit gasket
>B) Need room for speakers, subwoofer, amplifier etc.
>C) Cosmetic. Most rodders have installed bucket seats which exposes more of
>the area behind the seats.
And D) In case your truck turns over on the driver's side and slides,
it'll take the gas cap off, gas will pour out, the sparks from sliding metal
on concrete will ignite it, and you will be come an instant HB ( Human
Bar-B-Que ) I remember watching a safety show. although it's been awhile ago
( when they were arguing over the '73-87 chevy gas tanks and safety ), and
they used an old rusty TF Chevy truck, ran it up a right-side ramp at 25mph
so it fell over onto the driver's side, the truck slid on the road, the cap
broke off, gas spewed out onto the pavement, and the truck was in flames in
seconds. While "most" trucks will never be in this type of accident, usually
just upright hits, there's always the remote possibility, and you WILL cook!
I don't recommend going THAT way! Even up to the '67-72 Chevy trucks, the gas
tank outlet was on the cab. The problem with the trucks, as with all of them,
is WHERE to relocate the tank. I don't think there's been more than 40
recorded incinerations over the 50+ year history of the trucks, so the odds
are good that keeping it behind the seat won't kill you. But...knowing that
fact won't make it any less horrific if it DOES happen to you. I was
thinking, why not make a gas tank that surrounds the gas tank, with a hole in
the middle...it'll act as a driveshaft loop, be in the exact middle between
the frame rails, and probably won't be any more dangerous than any other
configuration thats out there right now. I don't see how the '73-87's were
considered dangerous, they were inside the frame rails, and again, there were
only about 10-15 recorded incinerations out of how many millions of trucks
and millions of miles and thousands of accidents? Sorry, that's just
sensationalism, in normal usage, the truck was fine, and in most accidents,
they won't burn. You can't make everything 100% safe, or the costs go
astronomically high, for what return? Luckily, I have a TF Suburban, with the
tank located much like the '73-87 chevy p/u's, I'd rather it be there than
behind the seat ( hmm, would you like a light, my dear? BOOM! ), but again,
those behind the seat tanks gave many years and miles of service with no
problems, and still can, with proper maintenance and precautions. I don't
know if it's possible, and still be asthetically pleasing, to build a shield
of some kind over the cab-mounted gas cap opening, but that could be an
option. or French it. :) Anyway, good luck to whoever is wanting to relocate
their tank. This question won't be solved today, that's for sure! AMC ya....
Jerry Casper
'55 TF Suburban
'78 AMC Gremlin
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