explorer fuel tank in 94 idi

[ISPKI]

Has anyone ever swapped the 21 gallon explorer tank into an obs idi? My rear tank rotted out, been running on the 18 gallon front for a couple years and i happen to have acquired an 01 mountaineer with a shiny clean tank. Was thinking i could mount it on the passenger side outside the frame and simply run a line to feed into the 18gallon tank.

 

[79jasper]

No. Just. No.

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[Thatoneguy]

Outside.... The frame? Huh?

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[jwalterus]

Why not strap a 55 gallon drum to the roof?
Just as NOT legal, and might actually be safer in an accident............

 

[Macrobb]

Why not strap a 55 gallon drum to the roof?

Sounds like a plan!
I'll even be able to delete the mechanical fuel pump, *without* an E-pump!
Kill two birds with one stone right there.

 

[ISPKI]

Why would it be illegal to have the extra tank? My truck has a custom flatbed setup that would fit the tank rather nicely under it.

 

[Thatoneguy]

Why would it be illegal to have the extra tank? My truck has a custom flatbed setup that would fit the tank rather nicely under it.

On the less rude side of things... Lol. Its always illegal to put a fuel tank outside of the frame rails. Too exposed in the event of an accident. That's also why transfer tanks in a truck bed cannot extend past the frame rails.

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[snicklas]

Do you remember the Square Body 72-87 GM Pickup tank fiasco????

They were mounted outside the frame rails, and in a side collision (T-Boned) MVC the tanks would be crushed spraying fuel everywhere.... a spark or flame and massive fire..... kinda like the Pinto...... If you remember the Dateline NBC story about them (this is the one they caught flack over because the used an ignitor in their crash test to ensure a fire) but it was still a major problem none the less....

This was the story, with the forced ignition, but the issues is still real.

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[ISPKI]

No, never actually heard of this. Why is it OK for medium and heavy duty trucks to have their fuel tanks outside the frame?

 

[ISPKI]

As far I was aware, diesel fuel cannot ignite simply from a spark or even from a small flame, it requires significantly more heat to ignite, so I do not see how this test from ABC on a gas fueled truck has anything to do with the situation.

 

[ISPKI]

On the less rude side of things... Lol. Its always illegal to put a fuel tank outside of the frame rails. Too exposed in the event of an accident. That's also why transfer tanks in a truck bed cannot extend past the frame rails.

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So I looked into the legal aspect of this and cannot find anything that suggests that this is illegal with a liquid fuel tank holding diesel fuel. Do you have any evidence that this is in fact a law?

 

[Thatoneguy]

So I looked into the legal aspect of this and cannot find anything that suggests that this is illegal with a liquid fuel tank holding diesel fuel. Do you have any evidence that this is in fact a law?

Not off the top of my head, but I have seen it and heard of it before. If I can remember later when I get a chance I'll do homework.

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[ISPKI]

Not off the top of my head, but I have seen it and heard of it before. If I can remember later when I get a chance I'll do homework.

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Actually, I found the legal documentation for it. Fuel tanks holding liquid diesel bypass many of the safety regulations that apply to gasoline holding tanks, hence why diesel trucks have saddle tanks and nearly all medium and heavy duty trucks have external fuel tanks.

The only restriction I found is this: If drawing a linear line from the front wheel when the wheel is straight to the rear wheel, the tank cannot protrude past that line.

 

[Thatoneguy]

Actually, I found the legal documentation for it. Fuel tanks holding liquid diesel bypass many of the safety regulations that apply to gasoline holding tanks, hence why diesel trucks have saddle tanks and nearly all medium and heavy duty trucks have external fuel tanks.

The only restriction I found is this: If drawing a linear line from the front wheel when the wheel is straight to the rear wheel, the tank cannot protrude past that line.

Well very well then. Thank you for clarification.

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[crash-harris]

Didn't read all the discussion, but if it's illegal to mount tanks outside the frame rails, then are the laws just different for medium duty trucks and class 8 tractors (utilizing steel, stainless steel and aluminum tanks hung outside the rails)?

As for rear tank (OP), just grab a 38 gallon off ebay. Just did that swap recently.