Custom 35 gallon gas tank for '09 Tacoma

cwvandy

Adventurer
For several years I have been reading posts throughout the Portal and learning a great deal from others' knowledge and experience. As a regular lurker and sometimes "poster", thanks to everyone for the huge body of information that has been collected and special thanks to the organizers and moderators for making this a go-to site for over-landers.

This week I started a project that I thought I would share. I have a '09 Tacoma which has been heavily modified for overland travel. The one area that I have been struggling with is how to carry enough fuel for my not-so fuel efficient rig (even less so because of the weight from gear) . My solution has been a couple of 5 gallon gerry cans on a custom bumper made by Megatech. While Metaltech's work was top-knotch, I wanted a better solution. I could not find anyone building an aftermarket second tank or replacement tank to increase capacity and decided to have one built here in town. The outfit I went to is Custom Exhaust Specialties in Bend, Oregon. They had helped me with a number of other projects including sliders and a custom electrical panel and I knew they did terrific work.

I had contemplated a second tank where the spare tired was carried, but the additional pumping, transfer pumps and/or fills, wiring etc. made me decide to instead replace the Toyota tank with a larger custom built, 14 gauge steel tank. The goal was to squeeze as much fuel into a new baffled tank while maintaining clearance, using the existing vents, pickups, fuel level gauges & wiring. The goal was to also make it as large as possible.

After removing the factory tank, the first order of business was to make a cardboard template of the new tank and fill every possible nook and cranny to maximize capacity. The depth of the tank where the fuel level is measured had to be maintained as well as insuring that the fuel pickup was at the low point in the tank.
From the photos, below, you can see the results and compare the template to the original tank. The template was fitted, refitted and fitted again to the space where the existing tank was located. Most of the extra volume is located in unused space forward of the old tank and by "filling out" some of the old shape.

The welding was started yesterday and is depicted below. There is another day of welding (stay tuned for more photos) then the tank will be pressure tested, powder coated and installed. Last step will be to create a full length skid plate out of aluminum to compliment the steel Bud Builts already on the rig. We will go with aluminum to keep the weight down. This is a big tank and much of it is right on centerline so it needs some significant protection.

We have tried to do the math on the new tank to determine capacity but the shape makes this pretty tough. Our best gues-stimates are about 35-37 gallons. We will have to wait to fill it to get an accurate measurement.

More photos to come......



View attachment 85733View attachment 85746View attachment 85745View attachment 85744View attachment 85743View attachment 85742View attachment 85736View attachment 85735View attachment 85734View attachment 85747IMG_1034.jpgIMG_1025.jpgIMG_1029.jpgIMG_1030.jpgIMG_1032.jpgIMG_1031.jpgIMG_1037.jpgIMG_1024.jpgIMG_1028.jpgDSC_0142.jpgre photos as this comes together.
 

zolo

Explorer
Holy gas tank batman, that is a lot of work!
Impressed for sure. Looks good so far.

Weight difference side to side? Any thoughts on adding to the left rear spring or front left? Just wondering... I like it either way.
 

cwvandy

Adventurer
Thanks. The template looks like some sort of architectural model.
Yeah, there there will definitely be additional weight on the left side for sure (100+/- lbs of fuel plus skid plate) so I will wait and see what the ride is like and how she handles. I have OME Dakar springs with the extra leaf so the rear carries weight well, but will just have to see and adjust accordingly.
 

NM-Frontier

Explorer
That is a really cool project, I'v been waiting for some one to do this. Keep it up I can't wait to see the finished product!
 

slooowr6

Explorer
Wow, that is amazing. Finally a extended fuel tank for 05+ taco. I've been looking since I got my truck in 06. Any idea how much the it's going to cost?
 
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4xdog

Explorer
Nice project. Looking forward to the tank's installation and report when it's in service.

Don
 

cwvandy

Adventurer
No, not yet. Since this is a first and a one-off (for now) I am having to support the not insignificant R&D costs. Once Shane and crew get this figured out they might be able to build these for a commercially reasonable price. The first one won't be....unfortunately.
 

TEJASYOTA

Adventurer
KIller project.... just one question err comment...
the 35 gals.... is it the whole thing?... if yes, then I would challenge you on the one section of the tank that would have trouble filling with fuel... can you guess where it is.

Other than that... you going to use the factory parts from the factory tank (sender, pump, vent, etc.)?
Again, killer project!
 

TangoBlue

American Adventurist
That will be an impressive amount of work, thanks for taking the plunge for other 2nd gen owners. Will be waiting for your impression of the completed project.

You mention you've made some other mods... well don't be bashful. Show us what you've done.
 

slooowr6

Explorer
cwvandy,
Not sure if you are aware this so I'll mention it anyway. The newer Taco has a pretty elaborate emission test system in fuel tank. From what I remember reading on the forum and the technical doc from Toyota. The system uses vacuum to detect leaks in the fuel tank. The system will create a vacuum in the fuel tank and it'll compare the pressure difference in the tank and ambiance. The pressure difference has to fall in certain range and the negative pressure in the tank has to reach in certain level and a predefined time limit. If this test failed the system will retry 3 times (I might be wrong). If it still fails, the check engine light will come on. This has been an issue with the FJ aux tank from Man-a-fre several years ago don't know if they have got it fixed. Not sure if with a 35gal tank at close to empty will have too much space for the system to reach that predetermined negative pressure in time. Just FYI, in case if you did see check engine light come on this might be one of the possibility cause. :sombrero:

Again, this is an awesome project! Thanks for posting it.
 

cwvandy

Adventurer
Thanks for the support and great questions!
The fill for the tank is near the highest point in the tank. The pick-up at the lowest. Most of the tank should fill fine. It is a ridiculously complex shape, but when you see it in person it looks like it will fill.
slooowr6, we are using all the factory pick-ups, hoses, fills and attachments, etc. from the factory tank. We talked to a local Toyota expert who thinks if we use all the factory pieces (except the tank itself) it should be fine. This is yet more of the R&D I mentioned. We will just have to see if the increased internal volume impacts the pressure to the extent that a warning light is set off. Doing a bit of trail-blazing here, for sure. Stay tuned. I will report all trials and tribulations. And thanks for the heads up!
 

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