Rear Fuel Tank On Cj3b

Has anyone installed a rear CJ5 fuel tank on a CJ3b? I know I will need to remove the draw bar and install a custom rear bumper.

Will a standard CJ5 rear fuel tank fit?

Thanks

RVS

 

Kinda suspect it won't. The CJ-3B rear springs and rear frame are shorter than the CJ-5. CJ-5 Frame Modification on CJ3B.info
You could remove the toolbox and put a tank on the passenger side. Thats been done a lot. Auxiliary Gas Tank on CJ3B.info MTS sells a plastic tank specifically for this. Or could build a tank that's 3" shorter than the CJ-5 tanks.

 

I had a 2A with a rear mounted tank and the rear axle kept hitting it.

 

A friend of mine has put rear tanks in three 3b's that I know of. I can ask him what tank he uses. I know the two recent projects had plastic MTS tanks. I'm pretty sure he is using a CJ5 tank and mounting straps.

 

I have a CJ5 15gal I was planning to use on my 3B. I better watch this one....

 

I made my own, and it was a tight fit to make a tank that held 10 gallons and still had clearance.

 

Yea I can confirm a 74 cj5 tank won’t fit without interference. I’m considering a fuel cell again.

 

Thanks for everyone's feedback. I am curious regarding which tank 44bz’s friend is using. I may look at a fuel cell or a custom tank as I am swapping a 225 and what EFI with will require me to install a return line.

 

He thinks it's the 78-86 MTS tank that he has used. Their website states it measures 23x16x10 so get out the tape measure. He removes the factory rear crossmember/bumper, bends the mounting tabs in the frame ends outward, then installs square tube inside the frame rail to act as the new crossmember. This provides a little more room for the tank and there aren't any clearance issues with the rear axle.

 

That’s pretty darn close to my measurements, but the 16” could be an issue. I removed the rear crossmember on mine and replaced it with 3/8” flat stock. My tank is crammed between that and the crossmember under the bed, and my tank is 15 1/4” long. I did replace/redesign the frame horns to work with my springs, so maybe I made the new ones shorter? It’s been two decades, so who knows.

My 3a frame measures exactly 16” between the under-bed crossmember and where the outside of the rear crossmember was, so maybe if the rear crossmember is removed and tubing added to the outside? It’d be tight, but possible.

 

I think the postal tank is slightly smaller than a CJ-5 tank. I think that's what's in the back of my M-38.