Fuel Pump

Will the mechanical/diaphram fuel on my 1978 Dodge van pump the gas from a small gas tank (only a few gallons small gas tank) if the small gas tank is sitting on the floor of my van? Or would I need to add an auxialary electric fuel pump to the top of the small gas tank?

The reason I ask is beause of the high gas prices, I want to mount a small gas tank inside of my van (probally behind the front passenger seat) and use the small gas tank.I could build a wooden box and mount the box to the floor and set the small gas tank in the box.I guess I could locate a small boat/marine gas tank that has the fuel outlet near the bottom of the gas tank and drill a hole in the floor for the fuel line and that would eliminate the need for an auxiliary electric fuel pump?

I almost never drive anywhere that is more than about a fifteen miles round trip from my house.I always have a 3 1/2 gallon gas tank in my van anyway for lawn mower gas, so carrying a little extra gas tank around in my van has never been a problem for me before.Those gas thieves are really bad around here.When I am not using my van, which is most times about once every three weeks or more, I could remove the small gas tank and put it in my storage shed in my back yard. cuhulin

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cuhulin
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here is a guy who permanently mounted a marine fue tank in his car. scroll down until you see the red fuel tank.

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i would say you don't want fuel vapors in your passenger compartment especially if you smoke. If theft is a problem, what about a locking gas cap on your factory tank and forget about an auxilary tank inside your van?

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boxing

The factory installed fuel tank under my van is old and rusty.A few years ago, I patched numerous little pinhole leaks on the bottom of that tank with fiberglass Evercote two part epoxy resin and fiberglass cloth.I dont trust that old tank anymore.Nobody ever rides in my old van but meself.I am going to fix up some sort of a small fuel tank to use for my van.

I do have an old cheap locking gas cap on my van, I bought the locking gas cap about fifteen years ago.I think even a more expensive locking gas cap wouldn't be more secure than the one I use.Besides, my van's fuel tank has a baffle in there, most gas thieves know most cars have gas tank baffles.Recently, I saw something on local tv news, what some gas thieves do is either punch a hole or drill a hole in the bottom of gas tanks.

Yep, I am going to definetly fix up some sort of a small gas tank for my van.All I want to know is would I need to use an auxilary electric fuel pump for the small gas tank? I realize if I do, I would need to run the hot wire to the ignition switch, I think. cuhulin

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cuhulin

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> i would say you don't want fuel vapors in your passenger compartment > especially if you smoke. > If theft is a problem, what about a locking gas cap on your factory > tank and forget about an auxilary tank inside your van? Seconded. If a secondary consideration is leaving only a couple gallons in a steel tank, I'd recommend a fuel cell.

nate

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Nate Nagel

There are some auto parts stores around here which sell racing parts and other parts for those kinds of cars and stock cars and hot rod cars.I guess they sell fuel cells too.I am not too up on how fuel cells are made and how they work.Some speciality fuel tanks are filled with some sort of a fine mesh material (stainless steel, I think) which is suppose to prevent fuel spills. cuhulin

Reply to
cuhulin

I think it will work without an auxilary electric fuel pump. Maybe try that. I think you could look around for an inline electric fuel pump if going without one doesn't work. Here is a web page that sells them but they seem rather expensive. Maybe there are cheaper pumps around.

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Carter would likely be cheaper than Edelbrock or Holley.

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boxing

Years and years ago, an elderly guy who used to live down the street from me owned a 1974 Mazda Ford pickup truck.He got the truck second hand from somewhere.It looked like somebody before him had backed the truck between two trees and ripped both of the doors completly off of the truck, the truck had a great running little four cylinder engine though, I finally sold that truck to somebody.

Anyway, one day I asked him how much money he wanted for that truck.He walked over here and we looked around in my big old shed in my back yard.He picked up an old Remington electric chainsaw.He said, I will trade you the truck for the chainsaw.He didn't need the truck and he could use the chainsaw, so we traded.

Lest you think he was a dummy, he wasen't a dummy.He was in the 149th Signal Company, U.S.Army in Europe in World War Two, he worked in Motor Pool.He went to General Motors school and Dodge school.Untill he passed away last year at age 84, he was still buying second hand cars and fixing them up at his home and selling those cars.He didn't need the money all that much, it was something he enjoyed doing. cuhulin

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cuhulin

In my previous post, I forgot to say it wasen't before the Mazda Ford truck needed a new electric fuel pump.I went to an auto junk yard and I bought one for a few dollars.It worked as good as new. cuhulin

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cuhulin

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