Behind axle tank the way ford shouldv'e done it

[gaz]

Hello,

My 87 Ranger, is being brought back to life after 13 years, most of which my former spouse held it hostage from me.

For the most part, things have been going well. By suspicion, I saved the fuel system for last. When I parked it, I had just filled it up; this however did not keep the "former" from raiding it's fuel tank, leaving it to corrode, with no chance of use.

Upon learning this, I remember how I once decided if ever that tank went, I would replace it with a BII 23gl tank. While I am aware that I am not the pioneer in this adventure, I did do it in the spirit of improvement.

After some thinking, planning and consulting I decided to mount the BII tank just where it would be if in a BII, right behind the axle, with the driver's side shock right behind the forward tank support bracket.

 

[gaz]

Steps

1. First I made a list of what I knew I would need:

a. forward BII tank support
b. BII tank, straps and skidplate
c. hardware to replace all those ⅜" rivits and several special fasteners

2. Upon gathering everything on my list, I set to it. There were several things I had not accounted for:

a. The Ranger frame not only rises but narrows, forward of the driver's side shock tower and the BII's frame sits approximately ¼" wider, so it's frame brackets are ¼" wider ( I knew this from purchasing g the James Duff dual rear shock system for the BII but long let that info slip to time). The work around were simple enough; I just trimmed the BII front tank support bracket to fit well.
b. The Ranger's rear tank support needed to not only move forward but also be trimmed to accommodate the 23gl BII increased hight, compared to a Ranger 13.5 gl aux tank. Approximately 2" need to be trimmed from the leading edge for the tank to be able to nestle into the straps.
c. Longer fasteners were required for the straps since the tank is taller than a Ranger aux tank.
d. The Ranger filler neck is better suited because it is longer and offers better placement flexibility.
e. Since I went forward and I have. 4" body lift there are no clearance issues with the bed structural supports. I am tossing around a bed access cover just because, this pump will eventually die and that will make for a swift swap vs dropping the tank again.
f. For the fuel lines I just added EFI hose and lengthened the senders wires.
g. I am lengthening the rear spring shackles approximately 2" which will net about 1 ¼" of ride height. Once the dust settles I plan to add an 8.8/D35 so I will leave the pack as is for now.
It is currently all but done. When I learn how to put up pictures I have pics of every aspect and stage of the process.

I chose to move the tank forward for the best possible handling with this distribution weight change.

 

[bobbywalter]

i have a 34 gallon in front of my axle...thinking of putting a fsb 33 behind it.

 

[BlackBII]

I'd love to see pics on how you did this. I used a BII tank in my Ranger as well, but I made my own crossmembers. You can use the site imgur.com to host your images and then use the bbcode links to have them show in the thread.

 

[gaz]

Bobby;

That's a lot of diesel!!!

Black;

That is some pretty undercarriage!!!

I will get the pics up shortly. Your install is enviable .)

 

[Junglejoe]

I know this is older.. but for those who have done this, is there plenty of room to run duals out the back, one on each side?

 

[gaz]

Junglejoe:

If you have a long bed Ranger and you mount the tank all the way back, then yes; if you are short bed or mount the tank all the way forward, then no.

As a result of my tank being as forward as possible, my exhaust needs to exit forward of the rear axle. While a true dual is still an option, the 2.9 does pretty good with the single 2½" system.

 

[Junglejoe]

Mine is a 2000 shortbed. V8 conversion. But I want to he able to run the exhaust all the way out back

 

[gaz]

I was able to do it with the BII, probably due to the 4" lift; Ranger only has a 2" suspension lift and I don't see it happening there, so not impossible, just not the path I will be taking.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

I will get the pics up shortly. Your install is enviable .)

We were promised pics!

 

[gaz]

Here are some layout pics, I'm no Hollywood, most of my photos are for reference.

 

[gaz]

Layout 2, forward on the rails.

 

[gaz]

Layout 3, Ranger rear cross member moved forward.

 

[gaz]

Layout 4, upper shock perch bolted.