Anyone fitted a rear gas tank?

[Jembow]

There was a horrific accident here last year when 2 men burnt to death in a 1930 coupe - the gas tank ruptured in a head-on collision. I have always worried about 10 galls of gas above my knees, and I'm thinking of fitting a tank under the bed of my RPU. Will a B or later V8 tank fit

[5851a]

Tanks Inc makes saddle tanks for Model A's that fit behind the running boards. Not sure what models they fit. I see speedway sells them along with others.

[1931 flamingo]

I've read where the saddle tanks are slow to fill. Not much room under the bed, but anything can be made to fit. The problem becomes with the under bed mounting of a rear-end collision..........ala Pinto.
I'd go with a tank mounted in the front of the bed in a period correct trunk. JMO
Paul in CT

[LeonardS]

I assume these alternate tank locations would require an electric fuel pump? Would it also require a carburetor change, or will a gravity flow carburetor work?

[Bob Bidonde]

Being in this hobby since 1962, this is the first incident I have come across where there were deaths associated with the cowl gas tank.

[Licensed to kill]

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unfortunately, if it's safety you seek, leave the Model A at home and drive something newer. You may be able to mitigate SOME of the hazards associated with an accident in a Model A but only in a very minor way. While the example you shared is tragic, there is a good chance that they did NOT burn to death but rather were killed by the impact. It's unlikely that a header hard enough to cause the tank to rupture would kill the occupants without the fire. This cars are just a glorified golf cart and things like moving the gas tank and adding seat belts is more feel good window dressing than adding much in the way of safety. I'm not saying that those measures have zero benefit, just that when sharing the road with todays traffic and todays cars/trucks, the occupants stand little chance in an accident regardless of what mods one chooses to make. However, with regards to the saddle tanks previous mentioned, I have them in my 31 pickup hotrod and they fill as fast as any tank BUT, I have the fillers in the floor of the box, not through the splash apron like they are on cars. I also have a '32 style tank on my '28 sedan hot rod and like that a lot. It was mentioned about the "pinto" when the rear tank was suggested but you could make a similar claim regarding the saddle tanks and the square body chevy trucks that had the tanks outside the frame and supposedly would light up in a T-bone situation. The only way to be safe in a model A is to just sit in it in the driveway and DON'T drive it.

[Ranchero50]

I'm doing a behind the seat tank on my speedster. One thing I don't like is that the fuel fill doesn't have a spring loaded flap like modern cars. Fear being that if it goes over that the cap will come off and dump the contents in once blaze of glory... Mine will have one and the plumbing will be armored as much as possible.

[Jembow]

I'm not trying to make my A safe, just not quite so hazardous. The belly tanks don't work with original brakes. A rear tank just behind the axle like in my V8 wouldn't spill gas in my lap. I'm running a B motor so have provision for a fuel pump. I'll look at the possibility and report back if I find a workable solution.

[Bob C]

Originally Posted by Bob Bidonde

Being in this hobby since 1962, this is the first incident I have come across where there were deaths associated with the cowl gas tank.

Remember this one.
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showt...ple+City%2C+CA

[Bill G]

A friend of min has a 29 RPU with a very roached out tank. He fabricated a tank for the bed that looks like it belongs there. He uses a fuel pump. Obviously it takes up some useable space in the bed.

[700rpm]

Originally Posted by Bob C

Remember this one.
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showt...ple+City%2C+CA

I remember this. But I don’t remember any followup on the cause of loss of control of the car. There was some discussion about a possibly faulty pitman arm. Does anyone know if this was ever resolved?

[ronn]

I agree with Flamingo, but of course a pickup is easy. I guess a coupe or roadster wouldnt be too difficult to mount but the sedans....... you'ld have to pull the rear seat.

[Pete]

Forget gas tanks. Think foam filled safety fuel cell. They are made of high impact plastic and enclosed in a steel case.
A 16 gallon one will fit under the back of a 30 2 door or equivalent and if you have a trunk it is hardly visible, even with a receiver type trailer hitch.
In this pic there is a 1/4 inch thick plate over the back of the cell to prevent the trailer tongue from bumping the cell if the tongue comes off the ball.

[Synchro909]

Betcha it wasn't the fire that killed those people. For the fuel tank to rupture, it was one heck of a bang. A Model A has NO crash protection. It's my bet they died as a result of injuries caused by the crash (or they would have very soon). I would be more than surprised if they ever knew anything about a ruptured tank or fire. The crash would have left them unconscious.
I'm quite relaxed about the location of the fuel tank. Some people look for something to stress about, IMO
So you fit a rear fuel tank. How worried are you going to be that someone will rear end you? The tank in its current location is better protected than one at the back, IMO.

[Will N]

If you think about it, where the tank is situated is probably the safest place for a tank. It is out of harms way from all but the most sever crashes. If the crash is bad enough that it would tear the tank open, chances are you have been so severely hurt that you're not going to survive anyhow.

[Kurt in NJ]

One car that I saw burned by gasoline had not stock plumbing, looked like the " dirty leg" setup some use, that would be very easy to break off in accidents, the other car was hot rod with rear tank that came loose and got road burn
If gas tank fires were such a problem we would be restoring chevys, and the A would be long gone, when's the last time you saw a pinto