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Aluminum fuel tanks?


ExploreNW

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First off. I know these are a very bad idea in some cases. Let me explain-

The state next door has $2.40 gas. For refs that's $.30 cheaper than what I get here. 15 miles on the freeway to the cheapest truck stop just across the state line. Also, WA is talking about changing their fuel tax and doing (pushing) the opt-in tax per mile BS. It could get to regular being $.50+ cheaper across state line. Couple Benjamins per year in savings.

Spare tanks in the trucks and a bigger boat tank are starting to look really good right about now. Found this junk shop literally called the "Junxtore" and its just full of junk. Among all the useless stuff they have a couple racks of sheet aluminum available for dirt cheap, cheaper than I can get sheet steel, and they have some meaty aluminum extrusions as well. They also have a :poop:-ton of air tanks and 55 gal steel & HDPE barrels.

Question is, can I make tanks out of aluminum and put ethanol fuel in them? I've only heard the horror stories from boats that don't get Sta-Bil in the winter. Is there some sort of coating I can line them with to help with the ethanol problem?
 


85_Ranger4x4

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Me wonders if borders are monitored for those that haul fuel across state lines to avoid the tax...
 

ExploreNW

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Not the Idaho border, and I'm not talking about illegal quantities. Just a weeks worth of fuel in the spare tire well of each truck. Maybe another 50 gal in the boat or so.
 

Blmpkn

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What would an illegal quantity be?

What could they really do If you lived on the border, worked over the border, and always filled up over the border? Never buying fuel in your home state.
 
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85_Ranger4x4

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What would an illegal quantity be?

What would happen If you lived on the border, worked over the border, and always filled up over the border? Never buying fuel in your home state?
No idea, some states get weird about such things.
 

Blmpkn

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Do they require as you cross into their state to drain the tank of the vehicle your driving at the border and fill up with new gas they themselves taxed? Lol.

I really despise the idiots "running" the show -_-
 

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We're talking Washington not California lol! The idiots up in WA aren't as bad. One of them ran for President on climate change and discontinued state emissions testing for cars at the same time, just in case you thought my idiots are any smarter than the ones over there ;missingteeth;

As far as I know you can't drive around with more than 100 gal of fuel in an auxiliary tank without a CDL and a specially designed vehicle that requires said CDL. That's for the in-bed tanks. I really don't know what you can strap up under the bed legally but I know no one will know til I flip the truck on its side. No inspections of any kind here.

Eastern Washington is your "wild west" for you guys out east. The red half of a blue state. Our Sheriffs regularly tell the state DOJ to go **** themselves over gun laws and a bunch of other stuff they won't enforce. You can't drive drunk here but otherwise I could probably grow cocaine or something and no one would know or care. The only thing I've heard of is farmers in diesel trucks getting dipped for off road fuel but that happens everywhere.
 

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Here guys make nurse tanks by strapping bulk fuel barrels in pickup box trailers...

I could see a similar situation where Omaha would have stings on people going into Omaha for cheaper gas. They go thru extensive antics to punish the hardened criminals that register their vehicles in Iowa for pennies on the dollar compared to Nebraska plus Omaha’s road tax (which they tried to force on Iowans but got their hand slapped)
 

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If you are going to custom build a tank, steel might be the better option since it's less apt to crack or split if there is a wreck. Aluminum doesn't like sharp bends.
 

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When one finds a place that can sell aluminum cheaper than the cost of production, it can be hard to resist. I'm already thinking about all the BS I can make with this cheap premium stuff...

Now I haven't even seen local Spokane cops caring about whatever comes over the border outside of a tractor trailer or some blatantly illegal hauling. I'm pretty sure I can run auxiliary tanks underneath my trucks and be fine. Ranger seems to take 15 gal every fill up, adding 30 gallons would get me two weeks before a fill. The F250 takes 29, adding another 30 would give me a full week of fuel. I would have no problem heading across state lines on Sunday to gas up all the junk if it meant saving tons of money in the long run.

By the way, both trucks have junk spares. Ranger's spare dates back to 1994, and the Super Duty is a 2006 spare. Both are useless to me, and I am leaning towards replacing both with fuel tanks.
 

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I'm trying to remember what the Bronco fuel tank mod tank holds. I think 15 gallons. It goes where the spare on a Ranger would go. A fabricated tank would probably hold about the same. One thing to keep in mind, the Bronco mod tank pokes down below the frame some. I think the original auxiliary tank for the Ranger held 13 gallons. Just some food for thought, whichever direction you decide to go.
 

ExploreNW

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I calculated out about 30 gallons if I make a box that perfectly fits the spare tire holder using the dimensions of the 225x70r14 that came with it (27"L x 27"W x 9" H / 231). I imagine I could squeeze more in there if I cared considerably. I have seen a Ranger with exhaust relocated to the outside of the frame rail (he wasn't running emissions. I will be.) and he mounted another 20 gal tank in where the exhaust used to be. That'd be the easiest, if I didn't just spend my afternoon welding up an exhaust...
 

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I'm trying to remember what the Bronco fuel tank mod tank holds. I think 15 gallons. It goes where the spare on a Ranger would go. A fabricated tank would probably hold about the same. One thing to keep in mind, the Bronco mod tank pokes down below the frame some. I think the original auxiliary tank for the Ranger held 13 gallons. Just some food for thought, whichever direction you decide to go.
BIi tank is north of 20, I think like 23.
 

ExploreNW

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I would be happy with that size. My primary tank is only 15-16.
 

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Original Ranger aux tank was 13 gallons.

B2 OE tank is 23 gallons.

B2 tank has the same footprint, more or less, as the Ranger's aux tank but is much deeper, so it hangs down below the frames, and pokes up into the bed. @BlackBII has done this, and IIRC he had a body lift and still had to modify bed supports to clear that tank.
 

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