Auxillary Gas tank install

[HueyPilotVN]

Quote:
Originally Posted by udoxx
Nonetheless 700-800 mile range if you are getting 14-16 mpg, simply amazing! That will cover a one way trip to LV from the Bay Area on one tank!

I guess if the weight is going to be an issue one can always upgrade to the OME heavy duty rear springs that support a heavier constant load.

I am glad to hear that it would be armored! I would like to know for sure if it is baffled but the only thing that is a downer will be how the computer handles the extra fuel and calculations...crossing my fingers!

I am not worried about the computer calculations. I will still have two gauges to show me how much gas I have. Funny how we survived before we had a computer to tell us how many mile to empty we had. I am looking forward to a display that tells me I am getting 40 miles to the gallon, even if it is faulty information. Might be the source of a good practical joke on someone riding along. Maybe make up a story about having solar panels on the roof or something like a hydrogen boost system.

[HueyPilotVN]

Ok, I have lots of new information on the project. It is done, I picked it up this morning and we took it to fill the tank and check it out.

First, The tank is going to be called a 25 gallon tank, but it actually holds close to 30 gallons. This gives me 50 gallons, 55 with the gas can on the back included.

The tank is custom made out of aluminized steel and it has two baffles, brackets especially for the Commander and ports. It also has a drain in case we ever have to drain a bad batch of gas.

The fill system is really slick. The filler tube was cut and turned to fill the back tank. The filler hose from the front tank was left attached at the tank and was turned and connected to the back tank. This way the back tank fills and overflows into the front tank while you are filling it. The tanks are connected directly for the first half tank or so. When the front tank gets low you turn a 15 minute timer mounted on the console and the back tank pumps gas to the front tank. With the double connection the front tank will overflow back into the rear tank if it is too full. There is now a second fuel gauge mounted under the dash. The rear pump is a heavy duty externally mounted transfer pump.

There has been no effect on the check engine light or on the computer MPG. What does change is that because the back tank flows into the front tank it tends to keep you front tank full and my distance to empty either stays the same or might increase a little. It is just like topping off your tank at every station yoou pass.

Here are some of the pictures:








First steps in building the tank with two baffles:

[HueyPilotVN]

More Pictures:





This picture show the connections. The gas goes from the filler tube into the large port on the right and then goes into the port on the left that is directly connected to the front tank. They used the existing filler hose to make this connection. The main filler tube was turned and connected to the back tank.

The brackets are for hanging the tank using "J" bolts that are hooked into the frame. The tank install was very easy, just drill four holes for the "J" bolts to hook to. The other tubes are for the vent lines and the hole is for the sending unit for the gauge. The bottom has a drain.

[HueyPilotVN]

More Pictures:

These pictures show the transfer pump and the four "J" bolts locations. The transfer pump is on a timer in case you forget to turn it off. It would just circulate anyway but the pump should not run all the time like if you forgot a switch was on.



Left rear "J" bolt:

right rear:

right front:

left front:

[HueyPilotVN]

more Pictures:

The departure angle is not reduced as you can see by looking at the rear frame rails.






Here you can see the left side of the tank. The transfer pump, the inlet hose and the two "J" bolts installed to hold the tank.

[HueyPilotVN]

more pictures:

Here you can see really well how the fuel filler works. The rust colored tube is the original filler tube turmed to the right, (it used to go to the left). The large hose at the bottom of the picture with a clamp on it takes the gas from the back tank into the original port in the main tank.



Skid plate welded under a similar tank:



On the way home I got a red Blitz can at 4 Wheel Parts for about $70. I found a surplus store down the road and got the Nato OD Green can for $30. Which one do you think I will use?

[HueyPilotVN]

more pictures:

[HueyPilotVN]

They made the kit so that it includes everything that you need. Hanging the tank was very easy. Drill four holes to hang the tank and connect the lines and the pump. Then wire the timer, pump and the gauge.
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[HueyPilotVN]

Ross is working on the price. By the way I have no financial interest in this product. I just wanted to make sure that we could have a complete kit solution that will fit all of our Commanders.

I can tell you what is involved in the installation. First you remove the spare tire and the spare tire cable. You next remove the sheild that is located in the passenger side forward area of the spare tire. I am not sure if this is necessary, but they did remove mine. You would next mount the transfer pump to the unibody on the drivers side. The filler tube is then turned to the right to connect to the new tank. The filler hose from the main tank is used to connect to the new tank for transferring during fueling. There are several vent hoses that will connect when you put the tank in place. It looks like all of the connections are made behind the axle and are easy to get to. You do not have to drill into the main tank and I had 3/4 of a tank when they installed the second tank. The mounting of the new tank involves drilling four holes in the unibody panel to allow the "J" bolts to hook into the holes. The four bolts hang down and you use them to hang the tank. They fit into the four reinforced brackets and are secured with two nuts for each hanger bolt. I would think that you would want help installing it and maybe a transmission jack or some kind of support while installing the tank. The last part is running the wire for the timer and the gauge. I would wire the pump before the tank is in place. I will ask the manufacturer of the kit to put together more complete instructions and I will send them the pictures that they took on my camera for me.

I could have done this install, especially after seeing the pros do it, but it is easier for me to sit back and watch. Since I had open heart surgery I have trouble laying on my back to work under any vehicle.
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[HueyPilotVN]

Quote:
Originally Posted by wmjacobsjr
Huey, the tank is very nice and the tire carrier looks really great with the plate light and the green can on the back. Have you had any issues with where they placed the pump switch?


Thanks, The pump switch is not in the way at all and it is a timer that you have to twist to set it for up to 15 minutes so there is no danger of turning it on accidently. Even if you could it turns itself off. It is acutally a large 110 volt timer like you would put on a hot tub, however you cannot see the back part of it. These guys really knew what they were doing and the timer was a nice touch to insure that the pump only ran 15 minutes.

I do like that NATO can also and I repainted it with OD Green paint. I used a strap to make it tight and a cable lock to keep it there.

I am looking for a stainless steel continental ring to go over the spare tire and a plastic or fiberglass disc to paint the matching "Jeep Green Metalic" color.
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