Rear Gas Tank Replacement on 1988 F250

[RPC]

I'd venture to say this doesn't relate to many, since most are probably towing with a newer vehicle ...

Anyway, my 1988 F250, aka "Old Faithful" is still up to the task,
But,
She sprung a leak in the rear tank recently;
So,
I used that as an opportunity to replace the stock 19 gallon tank with an aftermarket 38 gallon gas tank;
Which,
when combined with the front left-side 19 gallon tank, brings the on-board total fuel capacity to 57 gallons !!!

The stock fuel tank pick-up & float assembly had to be modified to "reach down" to the bottom of the deeper tank, but the new tank included the necessary parts & instructions.

I also replaced the in-tank fuel pump and strainer, "just because", since I was already in there...

Still have to fabricate extensions for the spare tire mount, if I decide to keep it under the truck - there's plenty of ground clearance for it to remain there, and I like the idea of keeping the bed space free for other gear, but for now, the spare is residing in the bed...

I have no idea yet on the added "range" the extra-capacity tank provides, as I've not had the opportunity to tow our "New-to-us" Solaris T-279 for any distance yet, as we're still "sorting it out", but I'm hoping next Spring will change that...

[Sunline Fan]

Looks good! At least you're able to get a tank for it. I dealt with a leaky fuel tank earlier this summer on something that a new one isn't available for. You just can't beat new parts.

I'm sure you'll really like the added range when towing too. I know some people like to make stops every 100-200 miles, but I'm all for going the distance without stops if I can. Probably why I don't like driving long distances haha.

[mainah]

Takes fuel to carry fuel! Friend of mine told me that years ago he had an old 1 ton IH dump truck and never put more than a few gallons of gas in it. One day he filled it. The wiring caught fire right in front of my shop I blamed it on an overloaded fuel gauge.

[JohnB]

Hi Bob,

Nice upgrade. The fuel pump, it looks like you added longer suction tubes? They look like copper tubes in the pic.

Oh, and your lack of frame rust under that truck is amazing... WOW. I wish mine looked that good. I need to pull the bed and get after it this year. Living in the rust belt... it only had a few winters driving but it did it's toll. That and figure out the start of a slight wobble in the front end. It only does it at certain speeds. I hope it is not the start of the "death wobble"

Thanks for sharing. Cool to see these tow vehicle fixes too.

John

[RPC]

Thanks Guys,

The main reason I opted for the larger tank is for more flexibility on when / where to stop for gas with the trailer in tow - as in easy in, easy out gas stations.
Plus, there may be a trip to Sun City, Arizona sometime in the future to visit family members retired there.
I rode my 2005 Honda Gold Wing out in September, 2014; and found gas stations were sometimes few and far between, across New Mexico & Arizona.

I would've left well enough alone, had the original tank not developed pinhole leak, but since it did, I thought - Why not?

The copper tubes were included with the new tank, as well as directions on how to modify the pickup suction & return lines. The original lines were cut, and the copper tubing then soldered to the tubes, after some test-fitting in the tank.

Btw, There's a lot of truth in the saying "it takes fuel to carry fuel"

Here's a pic of the stock tank unit:

[JohnB]

Thanks Bob,

H'mm, I see now you had to modify the float shaft too. OK, got it.

Thanks

John