Long Range Tank Questions (3 Viewers)

[MANUCHAO]

Traveldud
No make in particular.
I went with a local builder for a custom size tank.
I think you would be better served going local, and probably cheaper as well.
My LRT was half the price from what the local vendor was going for.

 

[atomicshawn]

You better not! Those words were facetious!..

Dude! you've got to consider that some of you're audience isn't that sharp! You need to be more obvious with your humor.
...Get me all upset
...I'm all referencing Frost
...You know I got my panties in an uproar if I'm referencing Frost!

 

[traveldud]

Manuchao,

It doesn't seem have any outfits left like that around here any more. I believe we're down to a few tank repair shops because of the rules in VA. May still have some luck in nearby states. The tank they made for you, was it specific to your vehicle, a one time thing, or do they make them often enough I don't need my vehicle there to have it put in? I guess I'm getting at is it worth having one sent from SurCal? I'll keep looking...

 

[doug720]

An old adage...

"You can only have too much fuel if you're on fire!"

We visit the Sierra often and stay for a couple of weeks in an area about an hour's drive from a fuel station. With fishing and exploring, having an 800 mile range is a very good thing!

 

[traveldud]

Anyone have lead on an old fj60 tank that it going to disposed of? I'd like to have one to disassemble and use for possibly mocking up (hole placement) making my own. Thx

 

[cruiserpilot]

Anyone have lead on an old fj60 tank that it going to disposed of? I'd like to have one to disassemble and use for possibly mocking up (hole placement) making my own. Thx

I have beaten you to it. I received a FJ60 tank yesterday that is in very good condition. I will be using it as a template to build my own
long range tank. I can't believe how small the original tank seems even though it holds quite a bit of fuel. I've converted to diesel so
I'm going to see which of the many extra ports I can abandon. I plan on 180 litre capacity for mine, effectively doubling size of original.

Any ideas on how to secure it to truck? Should I go with side flanges and bolts to frame, or I'm thinking of a kind of wrap around
skid plate which supports the tank, giving a bit of extra protection on the bottom?

 

[Output Shaft]

Any ideas on how to secure it to truck?

Here is a quick (crappy) rendering I made of the discontinued 185L ARB tank. It is not exact, but you can get the idea.
Top flange has bolt holes in it (I did not make holes in flange in model) to match up with existing tank bolt holes
Tank has all the vapor nozzles that the original tank had (just a few doo dads were placed in model for reference. Location is wrong)

Side view. Not exact.
The bottom does angle up a little, but not quite as much as shown in the model. Maybe 1/2 the angle.
There is a small drain bowl on the bottom right that protrudes down with a drain bolt in a reinforced bushing.
The front of the tank does angle back, similar to the rendering.

The 185L ARB LRT designed for 60 has a full width flange (lip) on each upper end of the tank. The tank is supported forward and back from those top flanges only. There are no supports on the sides. There is no strap running under the tank. There is no skid plate. Just those two flanges on each end support the entire weight of the tank and it has proven to be plenty strong after 26 years... But then again it was built by ARB.

The top rear end of the tank has a separate steel metal L bracket plate that runs the width of the tank to reinforce and support the aluminum welded flange. It was pre-drilled and bolted directly to the existing bolt holes that the old tank used.. I think the top front flange on the tank uses a similar steel reinforcing L bar as well. If you are interested, I could take some pictures.

The front top of the tank bolted to the original tank bolt holes (with a reinforcing steel L bracket) and angles downward and back to the front bottom in order to clear the differential. The tank is not square. The bottom front edge is rounded, not a sharp weld. In fact, the tank front, bottom and rear is one continuous piece of aluminum that is bent (not welded) at the bottom corners. The sides and top are welded to it.
The clearance between the tank and the differential has to take into consideration the parking brake brackets that stick out, and the fact that the axle housing ram rods in and out a few inches when the suspension is working hard. Take into consideration where the tank and differential will be when the car bottoms out hard.

fred

 

[atomicshawn]

Some evidence here that I'm not the only anal retentive owner out there; If my options are either to do it quick and simple but not perfect, or complicated, time consuming, over-engineered but exactly what I want, I will almost always choose the latter. Those who prefer a simpler route might consider using a salvaged tank. I recall guys on the 80 forum talking about how old 4Runner tanks fit in place of the spare. Im thinking this option would apply to the 60 as well. I suspect other makes/models would work too. Lots of room with the spare out of the way. Securing it with straps and pluming it would likely be easy. Fuel neck splitter would be the crux, but I suppose there are ways to simplify that issue as well...

 

[Output Shaft]

If my options are either to do it quick and simple but not perfect, or complicated, time consuming, over-engineered but exactly what I want, I will almost always choose the latter>

As should everyone, who is considering making their own gas tank. Otherwise change the word "tank" to "bomb".

 

[niffa]

Ebay australia site, theres a factory aux tank that sits inside frame rail on my aussie passenger side so drivers for all u yanks. Thatll extend ur range. Personally i have the 4wd systems lrt 190 litre gets me 1500 to 1600 odd ks.

 

[cruiserpilot]

fred
Thanks for the drawings and information. How far inside the frame rails does your tank mount? The wider it is, the shallower it is.
I've got a capacity I'm aiming for, so the volume will be easy to calculate from that. Any idea metal thickness? Did you get a weight
when you installed it?
J

Ebay australia site, theres a factory aux tank that sits inside frame rail on my aussie passenger side so drivers for all u yanks. Thatll extend ur range. Personally i have the 4wd systems lrt 190 litre gets me 1500 to 1600 odd ks.

That tank is $1800 dollars delivered to my house. That is just a bit too much for now. I personally have almost bought that tank
twice now. I know I could get 1600 kms with my rig with that tank. I think I can design and fabricate one very similar to that size and
shape. I wanted a template for fitment dimensions, so I can do the R and R in a timely manner, not have my truck disabled while I do the whole design and fab bit.

 

[SWCruiser]

I have a sub tank in my lab 50th and my Chinook conversion. Having the extra 14 gallons in AZ goes goes a longway. It's probably the best mod I have looking back. I think others opt for other things first because they are more visual. The sub tank you can't see and doesn't add external cool factor. They also aren't the easiest to install.

 

[Output Shaft]

How far inside the frame rails does your tank mount? ...

Aluminum.
Not too heavy as I recall.
No idea about it's thickness, but my impression was that it seemed sturdy... But it is essentially a welded box, so it is hard to say. There is no way for me to measure it's thickness right now.
It has baffling inside the tank, but it's not a catacomb of a zillion baffles.
Used the original sender and just increased the float arm's length.
It has an inspection port on the top like the original.

The ARB gas tank for the 60 is:

31"W X 28"D at the bottom.
Rear is 10" tall (straight up and down) but it has a little bump in it half way up.
Front is 12-1/2" (straight up and down)

Both ends use original tank mounting bolt holes with a steel supporting bracket underneath. No other method is used to secure tank.

Some of my vent hoses need to be replaced. They look kinked but actually still breathe ok (last time I checked).

 

[MANUCHAO]

Manuchao,
The tank they made for you, was it specific to your vehicle, a one time thing, or do they make them often enough I don't need my vehicle there to have it put in? I guess I'm getting at is it worth having one sent from SurCal? I'll keep looking...

The company I used is called http://www.aerotanks.com/
I know they have been in the biss of doing tanks for a while, but mainly for diesel rigs...
When I did contact them they were very cool to deal with, and took time to school me on what it takes to build a fuel tank....
Yes, the tank was made specific to my rig, as the 60 ome, or LRT from MAN-A-FRE would not fit.
There are other two threads floating around here with blue prints specific for FJ60 rigs.. I would try to look them up, and perhaps contacting the company listed above...

Yes, a LRT is probably one of the best upgrades for this old rigs........
The only time I know is there is when I fuel up..... .... or when in DV on a 5 day trip...

 

[traveldud]

Fred,

Thanks for taking the time to share all those details. How many of those breather tubes are on there? It appears two fuel lines of 3 on rear (third a breather?), another breather in front and is there something on the opposite side as well?

Cruiserpilot,

Are you going to disassemble that tank? It's insides (baffles, tubing, etc.) Can you share the hole locations on top with some pics? I, as well, don't want to take mine down until I have something ready as well. It also is a diesel.

Thanks again guys!

 

[traveldud]

Thanks Manuchao for the link!

 

[rusty_tlc]

but a LRT becomes "priceless" in barren places

BTW: Your "battle born cruisers" link in your signature fails

That was what I was saying. Say you get in the middle of the Great Basin and find your proposed route impassable, or you want to take a detour to look at some feature you found on the topo map. (Both things have happened to me.) An extra couple of hundred miles of range comes in handy. My solution was to add a bumper, with armor to protect my girls rather big back end, and two swing outs.One holds the spare tire and the other hold three 5 gallon(20L) cans of what ever combination of fuel and H2O I deem necessary.

The link is fixed now, must have been the last upgrade woody did that broke the link.

 

[Output Shaft]

How many of those breather tubes are on there? It appears two fuel lines of 3 on rear (third a breather?), another breather in front and is there something on the opposite side as well?

I remember clearly (26 yrs ago) that the number of breather tubes on the ARB matched up with the no. of breather tubes on the Toyota tank.

As I look at the pictures:
2 on the drivers side. One on each end.
It looks like 3 on the front passenger's side. Not sure exactly where they go....
One on the rear passenger side
Then the big filler hose, and the maybe the mid sized aluminum tube is fuel overflow or something.

It was plug and play. If you match your tank to the Toyota you will be good to go on venting.

Definitely need a breather on each corner.. when the tank is tilted in any direction, it needs a way to vent.

 

[traveldud]

Awesome...thanks Fred!

 

[norsk]

The company I used is called http://www.aerotanks.com/
I know they have been in the biss of doing tanks for a while, but mainly for diesel rigs...
When I did contact them they were very cool to deal with, and took time to school me on what it takes to build a fuel tank....
Yes, the tank was made specific to my rig, as the 60 ome, or LRT from MAN-A-FRE would not fit.
There are other two threads floating around here with blue prints specific for FJ60 rigs.. I would try to look them up, and perhaps contacting the company listed above...

Yes, a LRT is probably one of the best upgrades for this old rigs........
The only time I know is there is when I fuel up..... .... or when in DV on a 5 day trip...

So are they open to doing a FJ-60 main tank replacement?

dougbert