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View Full Version : Nomad stock gas tank with C4 rearend conversion?



rockytopper R.I.P 5-13-2017
09-10-2013, 03:38 PM
Has anyone done this? I'm planning on using the chevynut kit. I see he has built a custom tank on his 56 but I really want to keep the stock wheel tub in place because I plan to drive mine and need a spare on board daily. If its not possible then I need to start looking for other areas to build and install a custom tank. Loosing the well tub is not an option for me.
Thanks
Rocky

NickP
09-10-2013, 04:49 PM
As memory serves me, stock tank will not work with a C4.

rockytopper R.I.P 5-13-2017
09-10-2013, 06:17 PM
Please mark that to the top stupidest questions every ask here lol. After looking under mine this evening that ain't happening. Nick add a custom one off tank to the list.
http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk243/rockytoppers1/image-14.jpg (http://s282.photobucket.com/user/rockytoppers1/media/image-14.jpg.html)

56-210Sedan
09-10-2013, 07:54 PM
I am stepping out of bounds here, but i thought that Laszlo mentinoned he could use a tank from tanks inc of stock dimensions for his c4 conversion. He is out hunting still so it may be some time before he checks back in to give us the final report.

chevynut
09-10-2013, 08:27 PM
No can do.

Run-em
09-11-2013, 04:39 AM
Stock tire carrier takes lots of room & wastes some area under the Nomad's rear. I've a space saver spare and a bunch of tools in the tire carrier. A much better use of the gas tank/tire carrier's space would be a square tank/tire carrier combo with no unused under car area. You could even make your own custom design side by side system and still have more useable storage/tank capacity than Chevy gave you.

NickP
09-11-2013, 05:38 AM
That's an easy build I think

rockytopper R.I.P 5-13-2017
09-11-2013, 07:14 AM
Stock tire carrier takes lots of room & wastes some area under the Nomad's rear. I've a space saver spare and a bunch of tools in the tire carrier. A much better use of the gas tank/tire carrier's space would be a square tank/tire carrier combo with no unused under car area. You could even make your own custom design side by side system and still have more useable storage/tank capacity than Chevy gave you.

Thats want my mind is thinking but what about the exhaust may be tough to route. Thoughts

NickP
09-11-2013, 08:03 AM
Thats want my mind is thinking but what about the exhaust may be tough to route. Thoughts

Piece by piece, it can go where you want.

chevynut
09-11-2013, 08:58 AM
You would probably want to relocate tbe swaybar too. Anything can be done. Call me sometime when i get back from hunting.

rockytopper R.I.P 5-13-2017
09-11-2013, 09:12 AM
You would probably want to relocate tbe swaybar too. Anything can be done. Call me sometime when i get back from hunting.

What are you hunting ELK?

56-210Sedan
09-11-2013, 07:51 PM
No can do.

This is why i don not like stepping outside of the box ;)

NickP
09-11-2013, 07:53 PM
This is why i don not like stepping outside of the box ;)

Stepping in the box can lead to boredom - JMHO

WagonCrazy
09-14-2013, 09:03 PM
This is what I did on my C4 Nomad build. This is a Tanks Inc tank (for a 57 sedan) with a custom mount that bolts to the frame, then uses the stainless straps to hang the tank. This is a 16 gallon tank and just barely fits with the swaybar along the front edge of it.
2409 2410 2411
I decided the stock spare tire carrier was useless, and with the larger wheels/tires I'm running with this, makes it nearly impossible to have 1 spare that fits both front and back. Heck, with the ride height of mine being so low, and the rear wheels tucked so far up inside the fenders, I can't even drop the rear axle down enough when jacked up to remove the wheel. I'll have to remove the lower coilover shock mount in order to drop the half-shaft low enough to get that tire/wheel off.

So I'm planning to keep my AAA towing membership up, and just call a flatbed in to take me to a tire shop if i have a flat out on the road. :D Changing a tire on the side of the road with a jack ain't gonna happen with this one...it will need to go up on a lift to get access to the shock mount and drop it down far enough to remove the wheel/tire.

toms57
12-16-2013, 08:55 PM
I like what you have done using the pass car tank in a Nomad. I would like to do something like that for my 56 (when I get it underway), but I would like to slide it to the drivers side some, and then have a place to put the battery and a tool compartment that would be accessible from the top. I really would like to drop the whole tank frame and all to allow for a space saver spare, but that just might be asking too much. I had in mind a custom low profile tank, but the 16 gal stock capacity is as small as I would want to go with. Tom

chevynut
12-17-2013, 04:23 PM
Tom, the wagons have a lot higher cargo floor than the trunk floor in the sedans and HTs. So you can put a deeper, smaller tank under there. Mine is 23 gallons and is 10.5" deep. You can't put that deep of a tank under a sedan without it hanging really low under the frame.

WagonCrazy
12-17-2013, 10:16 PM
Agreed. This tank I have could easily be 4 inches taller,and still not visible from the rear of the wagon (with the bumper mounted). While that can still happen for me (via a custom made tank)…this 16 gallon one with the pump and sending unit and straps was a package deal from Tanks, Inc for under $500 shipped to me. I need to spend the $ in other places on the build….so I'm sacrificing some fuel tank space here.

And when used with a wagon, and the higher cargo floor…can be made to work by raising up the mounting pads (left and right) for the rear sway bar. Laszlo, that's a frame mod you should look into doing for guys with wagons that want to go with the FI tank like this. I can send you more pics and measurements if you get an order for one and want to show someone.

And I think the tank could be slid to the left and possibly make room for the spare tire carrier (sedan version…vertically standing tire). But most guys just ditch the spare altogether. Makes sense these days with AAA towing and flatbed trucks and cell phones and a tire shop in every town.

chevynut
12-18-2013, 06:38 AM
Paul, what I'm actually suggesting to customers is a tank that's shorter front to rear and wider side to side. It fits between the swaybar and rear crossmember and is available in either 16 or 18 gallons and the larger one is stainless. Both are around $575 with Walbro pump and sender. You can't use the spare tire well, but it works on a wagon or a sedan/HT. The filler comes out close to the stock location, but still needs to be modified. I have one guy trying it, and I may be doing on on a project soon.

The other option is a splined swaybar that can be moved forward to clear a stock or stock-type tank. That's a fairly inexpensive option too. I prefer to find a solution for all models, rather than a wagon-specific one. Most of the frames we've built have been for non-wagons, but we have built several for wagons too.

I'll keep your mod in mind for another option. I thought your Tanks, Inc. tank was over $500 with everything.

rockytopper R.I.P 5-13-2017
12-18-2013, 09:27 AM
Chevynut I came to this site because of you. I really was interested in your C4 rear swap and itended to go with your kit. But after I posted this I was turned away from that idea becasue I would really like to keep the stock nomad tank and wheel tub. If your saying that would still be a doable with C4 rear I would like to revist that option with you. I'm currently neck deep in learning how to do rust repair and metal fab so I'm aways from starting the chassis work. We can discuss here or off line either is ok by me. I'm thanking I want the earlier vesion that has the narrower track width because of the tires and wheels I plan to run on it.

Thanks
Rocky

chevynut
12-18-2013, 01:54 PM
No rocky, I'm sorry but a C4 rear will NOT work with a stock wagon gas tank and spare tire well. I don't think I said that, and if you read it that way it was a miscommunication.

If you're trying to keep your cargo area sheetmetal stock, I can understand your concerns. If you just want to be able to carry a spare, what I would do is put a narrow spare on top of the flattened cargo floor with a cover made to hide it, and a rectangular gas tank under the floor, like in a sedan. That way you can do the C4 swap. I'm not even sure you can keep the stock wagon tank with a 9" rear, but maybe you can.

Like Paul said, who needs a spare? When was the last time you had a flat? I have gone through at least two sets of tires on my truck, and only got one flat and that was because of a sharp rock on gravel backroads in Montana. I guess it depends on how you use your car, but mine won't have a spare. Some new cars don't even have spare tires. I plan to carry enough tools to get the wheel off and take it to get it fixed, or get AAA and have the car taken to a tire shop if needed.

rockytopper R.I.P 5-13-2017
12-19-2013, 06:08 AM
Thanks Chevy my bad I misunderstood what you said. Nothing in my build is concrete yet and you are right even with the wheel well you can't get any real size hot rod spare tire in there. But even so my current plan is to try and restore with original sytle interior and the well would still be good for a tool box. As stated a spare will only be on board for long cross country trips anyway. A nice cover made when the upostery is done to match will work nicely as you have stated. If I do change my mind and go with the C4 there is a guy in florida that builds custom fuel tanks to your order any shape or size you desire. So I was visioning in my head a square tank with the wheel well built in the middle of it so the hatch above would still function as original and you would still have a nice tool compartment below.
Rocky