1. Here, you can see just...
1. Here, you can see just how the plastic tank hangs lower than the frame of the truck. Notice how much damage there is, even though we never laid the truck out while driving.
2. Once the truck was on the...
2. Once the truck was on the lift at Devious, the bed was taken off to allow us to swap these tanks. Now that we had space, the filler neck and the fuel sender/pump assembly were disconnected. Then, the two straps holding the tank in place were removed, and the frame bracket that holds the front of the tank up was unbolted. Afterward, Donovan and Moses simply lowered the tank down.
3. We were then able to get...
3. We were then able to get this close-up of the hairline crack that was dripping precious fuel. You can see that the outer black layer of the tank was gone, and all that was left was this inner layer that was worn so thin that it was transparent. At that point, anything could've caused a rupture.
4. Here, we have the shiny...
4. Here, we have the shiny new Devious-built fuel tank and its new crossmember that allows it to be higher than the stock version. It is shaped to fit the factory location without having any part of it under the frame. The tank is a bit smaller with a fuel capacity of 14-1/4 gallons, opposed to the 19 gallons the stock version holds. It's a sacrifice, but it's better than burning down your truck.
5. In order for the new tank...
5. In order for the new tank to fit, the old crossmember needed to be replaced. You can see here that the factory version was fitted with a mounting bracket for the KP Components triangulated six-link suspension system. The links were unbolted, as the muffler and fuel evaporation canister were disconnected. Then, the crossmember was removed by grinding off its mounting rivets to the frame.
6. Through the magic of photography,...
6. Through the magic of photography, the new crossmember was swapped in. It was bolted down to the holes left behind from the old mounting rivets.
7. The new fuel tank was readied...
7. The new fuel tank was readied with the old sending unit/pump assembly in place. The pump was attached with a new mounting ring. Then, the ring was secured down with four bolts laced in Loctite. Once the electronics are hooked up, the new tank was then put in place, and the under bracket was attached on the frame for support.
8. With the bracket bolted...
8. With the bracket bolted down, the factory strap was connected to it and secured to the frame. The strap was bent carefully, so it would fit very snugly around the tank. Then, the provided new rear strap was wrapped around the back end of the tank. Both ends of the strap were bolted to the new crossmember.
9. Our S-10 has a KP Components...
9. Our S-10 has a KP Components link kit that needed to be mounted to the new crossmember. The pinion angle of the rearend was set at zero to line up the triangulated links correctly. Moses quickly cut out some brackets to match the spacing of the link ends. After they were cut to the correct size, they were bolted to the ends and then welded on. The muffler and evaporation canister were then welded to the crossmember. After that, the filler neck, fuel lines, and wiring harness were attached. Once all the welds cooled down, the fuel lines to the canister were strapped down.
10. With everything installed,...
10. With everything installed, we had the crew raise the truck on the lift to show how the new tank sits just a bit higher than the framerails. It now has enough space to keep us from worrying about it hitting the pavement.
The Final Word
When the truck was laid out on the ground, it sat lower than it had ever gone before. Thanks to Devious Customs' install, the frame is completely on the ground and the fuel tank is tucked nicely inside. There was that issue of working with our KP Components link kit, but we figured out the way to work both on the truck. After a day's worth of work, we were mobile again and fully able to drag down the street.
SPORT TRUCK TECH TIPTHE QUICK FIX
This truck was our sole means of transportation, and we knew our supervisor would be furious to hear that we could not make it in to work due to our problems that came from the modifications done to it. We needed a way to drive the truck and not worry about all the gas leaking out and leaving us stranded. Plus, we were not too excited about driving around with a flammable substance dripping from our ride.
We made a few calls to see what to do for a temporary fix. We heard a trick of using a bar of soap to plug the hole. The problem with the soap trick is that it works just long enough for you to drive to a shop quickly before the soap is eroded away by the gasoline. Then, we discovered that Napa Auto Parts carried a kit that could permanently repair the tank. We caught a ride to Napa and purchased the $14 kit. We popped open the box to find a small piece of soap, sand paper, small brush, package of epoxy, and a strip of fiberglass. This quick fix worked for a few days before the gasoline ate through the hardened epoxy. The kit may have been a temporary fix, but it was long enough to get us by till our appointment for the new tank install.