Additional Chevy saddle tanks on Suburban?
- Thread starter Woofwagon
- Start date
HenryJ
Expedition Leader
I used a pair of spare tire winches off of the late nineties Dodge trucks. The quick key is enough to raise and lower them. A simple angle iron bracket bolts them to the frame. I ran the same winches below my side bars on my last truck. Probably a dozen years all together now. Works pretty well. Spreads the load when lifting the rear with the exhaust jack too
Sentinelist
Adventurer
I've got the towing kit- does that mean I'm SOL on a rear Burb tank?
Great idea on the sand rails- I was wondering where to put a set. They're next on my list.
Great idea on the sand rails- I was wondering where to put a set. They're next on my list.
I know more on fords than general motors but I did some searching and reading on this a while back.
As I recall the van chassis won't be close to letting the tank from that be a bolt in.
The body on the burban may be an issue with the side saddle tanks. If you have a body lift then you have extra room. On the crew cab pickups the tanks were partway under the back of the crew cab and the other part stuck out under the pickup bed. I owned a one ton cab chassis crew cab so the frame was the taller version and it really taught me to compare stuff like that.
I am not sure how much the burban body is similar to the pickups. I would measure body to frame rail distances I guess.
One fella ran both fill hoses to one filler door so he could fill from one fuel pump without moving the truck. He ran the fill line over the frame but due to the long flat run he could not fill at the fastest speed. Filling at a lower speed was fine. I think I would prefer that to having to move the truck to fill both side saddle tanks.
Something I learned on the ford that I guess won't matter on a burban but might matter on the pickup trucks was that to put a bronco fuel tank in a pickup truck you might be moving the cross members in the back and of course needed the bronco fuel pump and tank straps for holding it in place.
I came close to putting a bronco tank in my f150 but decided I will find a better truck to modify. It needed a new tank and got a new 19 gallon rear tank to replace the stock one. Has a 19 gallon front tank as well.
On the full size blazer with the same fuel tank as the burban some of the guys over at coloradok5 may have added side saddle tanks. They seem to modify everything eventually.
As I recall the van chassis won't be close to letting the tank from that be a bolt in.
The body on the burban may be an issue with the side saddle tanks. If you have a body lift then you have extra room. On the crew cab pickups the tanks were partway under the back of the crew cab and the other part stuck out under the pickup bed. I owned a one ton cab chassis crew cab so the frame was the taller version and it really taught me to compare stuff like that.
I am not sure how much the burban body is similar to the pickups. I would measure body to frame rail distances I guess.
One fella ran both fill hoses to one filler door so he could fill from one fuel pump without moving the truck. He ran the fill line over the frame but due to the long flat run he could not fill at the fastest speed. Filling at a lower speed was fine. I think I would prefer that to having to move the truck to fill both side saddle tanks.
Something I learned on the ford that I guess won't matter on a burban but might matter on the pickup trucks was that to put a bronco fuel tank in a pickup truck you might be moving the cross members in the back and of course needed the bronco fuel pump and tank straps for holding it in place.
I came close to putting a bronco tank in my f150 but decided I will find a better truck to modify. It needed a new tank and got a new 19 gallon rear tank to replace the stock one. Has a 19 gallon front tank as well.
On the full size blazer with the same fuel tank as the burban some of the guys over at coloradok5 may have added side saddle tanks. They seem to modify everything eventually.
Czechsix
Watching you from a ridge
I'm pretty sure it would work. I've got a mid '80's Chevy dually sitting in the back 40 boneyard with the saddles, and eyeballing the 'burb, it always looked like it would work. I'll be boatsiding the burb anyway, so I can probably figure on tucking them up a little tighter.
Skinny
Active member
Any luck getting saddle tanks on a square body Suburban?
I have a CUCV K30 and installed a passenger side saddle. Brackets are interchangeable, you just have to weld a few nuts on since left and right sides have different bolt patterns but all the needed holes are already stamped out. Look for CUCV parts, they came factory with skid plates which hang down maybe no more than an inch below the rocker panel. I've toyed with the idea of adding a 3rd tank in the back but the only thing stopping me is I'd rather build another truck for harder wheeling than beating up my mint M1031 generator truck.
I have a CUCV K30 and installed a passenger side saddle. Brackets are interchangeable, you just have to weld a few nuts on since left and right sides have different bolt patterns but all the needed holes are already stamped out. Look for CUCV parts, they came factory with skid plates which hang down maybe no more than an inch below the rocker panel. I've toyed with the idea of adding a 3rd tank in the back but the only thing stopping me is I'd rather build another truck for harder wheeling than beating up my mint M1031 generator truck.
rayra
Expedition Leader
The likely reason few mess with the idea is that the stock tanks are good for about a 400mi range.
I'm more tempted to rig a potable water tank under there somewhere. But as it has been pointed out, there's so much room I could add another fuel / transfer tank AND a potable water tank. Sure would beat waving around 20L MFCs and MWCs. I like the 'stealth' idea of it.
The exhaust pipe routing is the biggest issue.
I was about to post this link, but the gent has already posted here himself
http://z71tahoe-suburban.com/iboard/lofiversion/index.php?t30390.html
justcuz
Explorer
I have one of each setting 3 feet from the other. I am out of town, but if you can wait until the middle of next week I can take pictures and measure a bit for you. I think the filler necks could be mounted cleanly inside the front of the rear fender wells, especially on a 4wd Suburban. There was a square body filler that filled both tanks from one side as I recall.
rayra
Expedition Leader
The saddle tanks on my '85 C-10 (16gal ea. but I never got more than 15gal in them) each had their own filler door on their own side. A junked bed or factory replacement part would make an easy install on a square body Sub.
The rear AC on the Subs complicates such an idea, it fills most of the right side of the cargo area, between the system and its ducts. The filler in the front of the fender well would be about the only placement on a passenger side tank. Or do as henryJ did and route the filler all the way to the stock location. (which I think was a great idea, cool that there's room)
The rear AC on the Subs complicates such an idea, it fills most of the right side of the cargo area, between the system and its ducts. The filler in the front of the fender well would be about the only placement on a passenger side tank. Or do as henryJ did and route the filler all the way to the stock location. (which I think was a great idea, cool that there's room)
Woofwagon
Adventurer
The main thing I'm noodling over is how to I would connect the tanks together. My initial though is to use gravity or some sort of siphon with one way check valves for the auxiliary tanks to feed to the stock tank. Fill all two or three up and when the main tank starts to drain then the gas gauge starts to drop. I have a gravity feed system for my 100 gallon tank on my Powerstroke and it works great because there is a float/check valve that keeps the main tank below it topped up until the 100 gallon tank drains. I'd like to remove the requirement of using transfer pumps if I have to.
DaveNay
Adventurer
As long as you have both a fuel transfer line and a vent line connecting both tanks, then they should simply act as a single tank without pumping (provided they are at the same level)
If they end up at different elevations, then pumping would be required.
The fuel connecting line (at the lowest point of both tanks) would have to be a fairly large diameter to accommodate the higher flow rate of refueling.
Woofwagon
Adventurer
That was exactly my take on it too, fluids will seek their own level. There would have to be one way check valves to keep fuel from flowing back out of the main tank say when I have the truck pointed down hill. A simple check ball system could do the job.
rayra
Expedition Leader
Rethink it. If you plumb 2 or 3 tanks together to act as one tank, they'll drain out as one tank too. I'd WANT to have a transfer pump or like my pickup, a selection switch for which tank I'm drawing from. That way if one tank is punctured - either by accident or theft - I've still got fuel sequestered in the other tank(s).