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Dual fuel tanks?

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BullnoseHunter02

Dual fuel tanks?

Hey guys, I'm continung my quest every day to try and find a Bullnose I can keep an eye on for when I have the money. One feature (option) I noticed these trucks have, is the dual fuel tanks. if you guys have these, are they useful? being 16, fuel is probibly gonna be my #1 cost and was hoping this would help me save a bit of money and stop to fill up less. Lemme know what ya think! TBH, i would love to have a truck that had em!

Hunting for a Bullnose, single cab, 8 foot bed, decent shape with little to no rust! and under 10k in near or around the STL Mo area, (Illinois is a valid option aswell!)

Gary Lewis

Re: Dual fuel tanks?

Administrator

In my opinion, dual tanks are really only useful if you travel long distances and have a thirsty engine. My wife and I drove Dad's truck with a load of furniture from Oklahoma to Pennsylvania and back using only one tank, and it worked out fine. We could do ~200 miles/tank, and by then we were happy to get out and take a break.

The down side of dual tanks is the maintenance. The switching valves are notorious for problems and are expensive to replace - if you can find them.

To me, the best approach is to go with either a Bronco rear tank, which is 33 gallons, or the 38 gallon replacement Bronco tank. You now have essentially the same capacity as if you had two 19 gallon tanks, but no switching valve. However, there is a downside to this approach - you can't put the spare under the back of the truck, so it'll have to go in the bed.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
Blue: 2015 F150 Platinum 4x4 SuperCrew wearing Blue Jeans & sporting a 3.5L EB & Max Tow
Big Blue: 1985 F250HD 4x4: 460/ZF5/3.55's, D60 w/Ox locker & 10.25 Sterling/Trutrac, Blue Top & Borgeson, & EEC-V MAF/SEFI

BullnoseHunter02

Re: Dual fuel tanks?

Yeah, im not gonna be driving any long distances so i guess it would probibly hurt me more than help me. I could always buy a rig that had the dual tanks and only use the front one aswell.

Hunting for a Bullnose, single cab, 8 foot bed, decent shape with little to no rust! and under 10k in near or around the STL Mo area, (Illinois is a valid option aswell!)

Gary Lewis

Re: Dual fuel tanks?

Administrator

The switching valves changed quite a bit through the Bullnose years, and while some are worse than others, none are all that good. A simple single tank is the easiest to maintain.

As for what they can do, as Ray Cecil. His valve was pulling from one tank and returning to the other. Boy, was he getting bad MPG. We wound up taking the valve out of the equation and he ran on one tank. I'll bet his uncle, who has the truck, is still running on one tank.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

BullnoseHunter02

Re: Dual fuel tanks?

Okay. That sounds like a better idea if i wind up with a dual tank truck, just take out the valves to the 2nd tank and run the truck off of the one tank? Correct me if i'm wrong.

Hunting for a Bullnose, single cab, 8 foot bed, decent shape with little to no rust! and under 10k in near or around the STL Mo area, (Illinois is a valid option aswell!)

Gary Lewis

Re: Dual fuel tanks?

Administrator

It depends on what you get. There were probably 4 different systems. But there's a way to make any of them single-tank systems by bypassing the valve.

And, if the truck has electric fuel pumps you get an interesting security feature. With the valve gone if you flip the switch on the dash to the other tank the fuel pump won't run. And who would think to flip the switch down by the air conditioning controls to get it to run?

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Steve83

Re: Dual fuel tanks?

Banned User

In reply to this post by BullnoseHunter02

BullnoseHunter02 wrote

I could always buy a rig that had the dual tanks and only use the front one aswell.

Bad idea, unless the rear (unused) tank NEVER had fuel in it. Letting gas sit in a tank for decades wastes the gas and destroys the tank, the level sender, and the pump (if present). These are some that I've had to work on:

The best way to maintain a dual-tank truck is essentially the same as any other vehicle: USE IT as-designed. Run one tank low, and switch to the other. When that one starts getting low, fill the first. You don't have to drive around with both tanks full all the time, and you don't have to pick one tank to run from. Run from one AT A TIME, but alternate between them so neither sits for more than a year. 2 years is probably OK. 3 years is pushing your luck. By 6, the damage is done.

BullnoseHunter02

Re: Dual fuel tanks?

In reply to this post by Gary Lewis

Ohh, thats so cool! ill defenetly keep that in mind if i get a dual tank truck!

Hunting for a Bullnose, single cab, 8 foot bed, decent shape with little to no rust! and under 10k in near or around the STL Mo area, (Illinois is a valid option aswell!)

Ford F834

Re: Dual fuel tanks?

Administrator

Ask the seller if he has been using both tanks. If yes, continue doing so to keep both of them current. Most of the time, however, I think you will find that the PO had issues with one or the other tanks and has been running just one. My ‘81 had a gunky mid-ship tank that hadn’t been used in ages. I removed it and have been running just the rear tank since buying the truck. The only time I really wished for more capacity was during my Death Valley trip because gas inside the park was ~$5 per gallon.

SHORT BED 4-DOOR DIESEL: 1986 F350 4x4 under construction-- 7.3 IDIT ZF5+GVOD

STRAIGHT SIX 4X4: 1981 F150 2wd to 4x4-- 300 I6 close ratio diesel T19, hydroboost brakes, Saginaw steering

BIG F: 1995 F-Superduty under construction— converting to 6.9L IDI diesel ZF5+DNE2