I have a 55 Cameo, and I want the tank out of the cab. I have been looking for a tank to go behind the rear axle. But, they sure want a lot of $$$! Can
someone tell me of a cheaper route, one that will work with my gas gauge.
Also I saw a picture of a 55 they had the 2 center boards on a hinge with lifting arm so the gas cap was also hidden. But, I couldn't tell what kind of
latch he used to keep the boards down. I hope I explained it OK. If someone could hook me up with some pictures of tank ideas that would be great.
you could run a fuel cell in the bed you just cut a hole in the bed between the frame rails. everything would sit flush with the bed except the gas cap and the breather nozzle. you can also buy a conversion gauge that would look just like the stock one, but work with the cell
I've seen some real creativity when it comes to doing this. In both cases it was a 67-72 Chevy fleetside trucks that had been converted to under-bed rear (Suburban) tanks.
One of them had one of these tucked into the rear corner of the box where the stake-pocket hole used to be. They had boxed in the corner with sheet metal and painted it the same vehicle color. I was impressed by the fact that it was readily accessible even if you had a load on.
The other truck had a concealed filler neck under a swing-away factory marker light. I'm not exactly sure what he had for a fuel cap, or how difficult it was to actually get fuel into it ... but I had to give him credit for maintaining a totally stock appearance.
My plan is to graft in an actual fuel filler door (a la 88 Chevy PU) behind the rear wheel, and build an enclosure that sits on top of the box-boards in the rear.
Hey Pyro! Do you happen to have photos of the Cameo interior behind the seat with the stock gas tank in place? I have searched the internet for three days straight now and can't find squat!
Having a 58 Cameo myself I can appreciate your situation but there are several alternatives but first you must make the choice of whether it is better to keep a rather rare truck as close to stock as possible or change it so significantly the value is adversely affected. If you Cameo is a rust bucket then you can do whatever you want and probably sleep just fine but if it is in good condition you should use caution when making a modification such as this.
The main concern is the spare tire carrier is in the same space a rear fuel tank would need to be located. Putting a fuel cell in the bed of a Cameo is just too wrong to even consider.
If you have or plan to remove the spare tire carrier then the solution is easier. If you retain it then you will need to consider a side saddle tank solution which is what I am planning.
Side tank or tanks will need to be custom formed by a sheetmetal shop. There is space between the outer bed side and the inner bed side to mount a tank or if you are concerned about side impact issues you can design one that can be mounted inside the frame rails. This will then likely require some rework of the exhaust system for clearance.
If you remove the spare tire carrier the cheapest and best tank option I have found is a 16 gallon steel unit from Tanks, Inc. The sending unit Ohm range may be an issue but you have not specified what you now have which if stock should be 0-90 ohm. Tanks, Inc should have a sender with that range if not you can find a universal sender to substitute.
If you are going fancy with the truck then there are some more expensive tanks from various suppliers such as Classic Parts, JPL, LMC, Brothers, etc.
Whatever you do I hope you do it right but that path always requires throwing some cash at the solution.
My apologies. I did not notice the initial thread was so old that any reply would be useless. It is cases like this it would be helpful to be able to delete your own posts.
Again, sorry to give this dead thread more life than it deserves.
No need to delete your posts because I just joined the forum recently and have gotten a lot of good info from your post even if the original guy disappeared. Thanks!
That's what I'm going to do on my bed but without the fancy electronics and the $575.00 price tag. My neighbor works on wood and is going to make a nice trap door with concealed hinges and the end result won't be as fancy and high tech but it'll do the same thing based on my limited budget.
I ran a 64 Nova tank in my truck right behind the rear axle between the rails. You can barely see it in this photo. I then made a filler door using a hinge from a 64 Impala as I remember.
Of course the wrecking yard isn't full of 64 Impalas and Novas so I am not saying you should do exactly this. But you get the idea. Your frame is wider so you could easily fit a lot of tanks in there that are at the wrecking yard. Personally I don't like the filler in the bed floor just because I used my truck, not to haul gravel but camping and stuff and I didn't want to have an access problem with the filler. The door in the fender worked perfect. And with a couple of pieces of exhaust tubing you can put the filler anywhere you want just about.
I was thinking about using the rubber tube the original gas tank uses but when you say exhaust tubing are you talking about the metal pipes used in the muffler system?
If so I'm sure I could take it down the road to the muffler shop to have them bend a couple of pieces for me.
You have me thinking now. My neighbor loves wood and I don't necessarily like it that much so he comes up with these wood working ideas. Since I already bought an aluminum tank at a swap meet and I got an extra remote filler cap with it, I might just install it on one of the sidewalls of the stakebed. I like clean lines and the less gadgets the easier it is to fix later if needed. Thanks, now I have yet another decision to make in this darn rebuild :smash: ... just kidding, thanks for the idea.
a short wheel base 55-59 panel or suburban tank would be the ideal solution
though i suspect they are rare as hens teeth and no one repops them
could be used with the stock filler location on the 55-59 cab
the panel tank mounts in the frame next to the drive shaft
I got the fuel cell in for mock up and it fits great. I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to strap it down?* I was thinking about making a cage of sorts under it. Here's what I'm talking about in the picture and put straps on the top.
Here's a pic of a mock up of sorts.
I had to call Summit Racing to tell them what inlet and outlet my fuel pump is so they can tell me what fittings I need to get to plum it. Which I'll be doing this week after the first.
I'm going to have the same issues when I install my aftermarket tank so I'm following this thread closely. Don't you worry the tank is exposed to potential damage so low?
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Hot Rod Forum
2.2M posts
175.6K members
Since 2001
A forum community dedicated to hot rod owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about restoration, builds, performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!