Gas tank modification

In building my '72, I replaced the rear crossmember with 2x4 steel instead of the C-channel that was there originally. Now that I'm putting the gas tank back in, I'm finding that the flange on the tank interferes with the solid section crossmember.

Should I cut the flange off and re-weld the tank to make it flat, or should I just sell the original tank and put a larger-capacity fuel cell inside the tub at the rear? It's a resto-mod that I'm going for.

 

:? Doesn't sound like a resto-mod to me. To me, a resto-mod preserves the original appearance while upgrading the drivetrain.

JMO - fuel cell in the back will be very impractical - no back seat, no camping gear, no trips to the home center for whatever. That seems like a trail-only mod to me.

I'd suggest you cut out the crossmember and fit the original tank. Or else find a tank that will fit under the floor.

 

I think the plastic tanks don't have that flange

 

Good call. I called jeepdoc.com and they confirmed the size of the plastic tank and that it doesn't have the flange, and I think it will fit the bill perfectly.

And, yeah, I guess that wouldn't have been very resto-mod-like to put a fuel cell back there. Maybe I was just trying to take the easy way out. Thanks for keeping me on track!

 

Yep, poly tanks dont have the flange, you should be happy with it if you go that route.Plus NO RUST

 

or you can bend the flange down.