New Gas Tank

[ShamBlueC10]

Any recommendations for a vendor on best new gas tank for '78 C10? I'm looking for the highest quality (i.e. as close to original) as I can find.

 

[fast 99]

There really isn't much to them. I bought 2 at different times one was painted gray other was plated like original. They both fit fine. Would like them to match but at the time almost everything was out of stock.

 

[Grit dog]

I bought literally the cheapest one I could find. It weighed the same as the old tank so tells me it was the same gauge steel and it fit and the sender hole and tabs were right, so I don’t think it matters what you buy either.
If you’re worried about corrosion, give it another coat of paint before installing.

 

[Grit dog]

I’ve watched plenty of these trucks rust away in front of your eyes almost and never had a tank rust out (back when they were “newer”) so my guess is in a truck like yours that is obviously taken care of, any new tank will last a very long time.

 

[CalSgt]

I got these tanks that are for an '87 from summit & they seem decent, fit just like the factory tank in my '80 K10 SWB. I did have to order filler hoses because they have a slightly larger inlet. They came with some ugly color paint or coating on them but painted up nice'

If you are even thinking about adding fuel injection in the future these would be the tanks you want, they have the baffle inside to prevent the fuel pump from starving when the fuel sloshes around.

Summit wanted a little more than some of the other companies but had free shipping which made them competitive, some others wanted $50 each for shipping.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/rnb-576-302

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[SquareRoot]

There's only a few manufacturers of these tanks. Pretty much the same regardless of brand. "Quality" is pretty much a foreign concept anymore.

 

[scrap--metal]

If you’re worried about corrosion, give it another coat of paint before installing.

I highly recommend adding a coat of paint before installing. May not make a difference in TX, but it will definitely save a tank in MN winters.

I’ve watched plenty of these trucks rust away in front of your eyes almost and never had a tank rust out (back when they were “newer”) so my guess is in a truck like yours that is obviously taken care of, any new tank will last a very long time.

I've seen new replacement tanks rust out within 10 years or so of year round (ab)use. Again, this is related to road salt and moisture. Additional paint or spray on bedliner will help a lot.

I did have to order filler hoses because they have a slightly larger inlet.

As @CalSgt indicated, the 73-81 tanks use a smaller fill neck. 82 and later tanks use a larger fill neck. Buy a pre-82 tank to keep your same rubber hose if it's still in good shape. I found this out the hard way, but Jegs has a great return policy and it wasn't a big deal.

 

[fast 99]

Will add the only reason I replaced mine was someone dumped paint in the tanks. Previous owner had an enemy. Tanks were cheap enough so why bother cleaning them. Only problem was the nuts were seized on the mounting straps. Had to repair those as well.

If painting a plated tank do some research. Takes correct material to stick to it and stay there.

 

[ShamBlueC10]

Thank you all for your responses. Very helpful.

 

[Bextreme04]

Check your local parts stores too. As others have said, there are only a very few manufacturers of these tanks and the ones you can buy from LMC, summit, jegs, etc.. are exactly the same ones you can buy locally from your local parts store. Amazon is also a good resource for those kinds of parts

 

[Rumbledawg]

find a good tank first, then find a vendor who has that tank at the best price.
i replaced the tanks in my crewy with Spectra tanks. there not offshore, made in Canada and their a tier 1 supplier to many auto company's. very good quality.
i replaced my tanks in 2010, 2 coats of Por 15 and 2 coats of chassis black.

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and if you ever wondered just how good por 15 is, here's some real world testing. 12 yrs and no flaking or peeling, even though they get sandblasted by my rear tires quite often.

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