By the time Chevrolet’s much loved C10 pickup truck hit the 1970s and into the ’80s a lot of safety updates had been made to the third generation C10 truck. Standard disc brakes, three-point seatbelts, radial tires, and more were the norm. That said, there is always room for improvement, and one such upgrade for these square body C10s is to relocate the driver’s side frame rail mounted fuel tank.
While previous generation C10s and even earlier model Chevy trucks featured a fuel tank in the passenger compartment behind the bench seat, the square body’s fuel tank location could certainly be seen as an improvement. However, it has been noted over the years that it’s mid-chassis placement on the outside of the driver’s side frame rail often means the factory tank can be ruptured during a traditional “T-bone” style collision. Moving the fuel tank to under the bed of the truck and behind the rear axle provides for a safer mounting location (rear impacts are often far less severe than a T-bone collision) between the rear frame rails.
Moving the fuel tank to the rear of your pickup under the truck’s pickup box/bed floor provides several benefits. The most obvious of course is removing the liquid fuel storage from just under the driver’s side of the passenger compartment where a ruptured tank, separated fuel line or filler hose in an accident can quickly engulf the cab area with flames. Moving the fuel tank to the rear not only provides a higher level of safety but places a good bit of weight at the rear of the pickup, which aids in traction. On average you’re looking at roughly 100 pounds of weight with a full truck bed fuel tank. Relocating the fuel tank also provides room under the driver’s side cab area for running boards, rock sliders, custom exhaust, or to run your fuel and brake lines.
We have designed our under bed aluminum fuel tanks to mount between the frame rails for a perfect fit behind the rear axle assembly. This is not a universal fuel tank requiring modification to fit your truck. The 27-inch wide truck bed gas tank is built from .090-inch thick aluminum sheet and TIG welded for a strong, yet light assembly. An internal full height baffle reduces fuel slosh and keeps the pickup tube immersed in fuel. We provide generous 3-inch wide and 5-inch long mounting flanges made from 1/8-inch aluminum on each end (for a total width of 33 inches) of our aluminum fuel tank that fit within your truck’s frame rails. Final placement is directed via the factory rear frame rail angle and all you must do is drill your own mounting holes and bolt the tank in (hardware not supplied).
As you improve your classic pickup with things like replacement gauges and even fuel injection, a truck bed gas tank such as our under bed aluminum fuel tank will certainly help with these upgrades as well. Using a standard 5-bolt fuel level sender mounting hole with 10-24 threads, you can install any compatible fuel level sender for your new instruments. Or, if you wish to keep the original fuel level gauge you can order our 5-Bolt Fuel Level Sending Unit and our Fuel Gauge/Sender Interface Module so that your stock gauge will work properly.
Our carbureted truck bed fuel tank features an AN6 pickup fitting with a 1/4-inch NPT female port for your tank vent. The vent fitting may also be used for a fuel return line for carbureted applications using an electric fuel pump and regulator, or for a frame rail mounted EFI pump, but a vented fuel filler cap will be required. The 1-1/2-inch diameter filler neck uses standard filler neck hose and allows you to install your choice of fuel filler cap/door in the floor of your truck’s bed. A complete 73-87 Chevy Truck Under Bed Carbureted Fuel Tank Kit is available as well, which includes fuel filler assembly, filler neck hose, sending unit, and more.
For fuel injection retrofits we offer an 73=87 Chevy Truck EFI-Ready Under Bed Fuel Tank designed to work with our 255 lph submersible In-Tank EFI Retrofit Fuel Pump. So, whether you’re running a carb or the latest EFI system in your classic 73-87 Chevy truck, we have the Chevy truck gas tank retrofit for you to keep you safe and moving down the road.