EFI conversion - Fuel tank options

[tanman]

So I purchased the 4 barrel sniper kit with the external pump and regulator. I want to just buy a new factory 16 gallon side tank.

Are any of the tanks baffled? Should I buy a new sending unit? My truck has a straight six that originally had the feedback carb. It currently has the Weber 38 from the clifford kit.

Does the tank matter? Should I just order a new tank and sending unit for my year make and model?

[1986F150Six]

Where are you located? In storage I have a factory fuel tank from a 1985 which was equipped with 4.9L and only had 61K miles. It is very clean and is the 16.25 gal side tank. Beginning in 1985, the tanks had the larger sender mount hole for the trucks since some had F.I.

[tanman]

I'm in Raleigh North Carolina.

[1986F150Six]

Even for an original part, shipping would be prohibitive. If you are ever in the area of north Alabama, contact me.

[Rusty_S85]

tanman wrote

So I purchased the 4 barrel sniper kit with the external pump and regulator. I want to just buy a new factory 16 gallon side tank.

Are any of the tanks baffled? Should I buy a new sending unit? My truck has a straight six that originally had the feedback carb. It currently has the Weber 38 from the clifford kit.

Does the tank matter? Should I just order a new tank and sending unit for my year make and model?

No, none of the 1980 - 1986 tanks are baffled.  In 1985/86 when EFI was introduced they placed a low pressure lift pump in the tank that kept a plastic reservoir filled on the frame which is where the high pressure EFI fuel pump mounted on the frame pulled fuel from.  It was a band aid done by Ford to work around fuel slosh.

If you source a '85-'86 tank the hole is big enough to reach your hand down into the tank and weld some baffling plates in to help hold the fuel in the sump area.  This is what I plan on doing.

[tanman]

When I look at the 16 gallon side mount tanks on Rock Auto there appears to be no difference between a 1986 vs. a 1996.

I wonder if the '92-'96 tanks are baffled? Is the diameter of the sender hole the same?

[Gary Lewis]

I know that the later tanks are set up for the Fuel Delivery Modules and the location on the tab for them is different from where the Bullnose pump/sending unit's tab is.  And I assume that the change happened in 1987 with the new/different sending unit/pump.

What that means is that the Bullnose sending unit/pump won't orient correctly unless you cut a new slot in the tank.  But if you do then it is likely to rust at that point since that's where any moisture will be, so you'll want to treat it with something that gasoline won't soften or remove.

I put the 90's tanks in Big Blue and I don't think there's any baffling in them.  And I used the correct FDM's, which means that w/o an interface the gas gauge reads wrong and backwards. I used a Meter Match to correct that.

[85lebaront2]

I used a pair of 1990 tanks on Darth, they are not baffled, but the FDMs (Fuel Delivery Modules) sit down into wells in the center of the tanks. The FDMs have a siphon system on the returning fuel portion that draws fuel into the FDM "cup" Here is a diagram of a 1993 front FDM installed:

Here is a diagram of the FDM internals:

[Gary Lewis]

Good explanation, Bill.  Which is a big reason we are both running the 90's tanks and FDM's since we are both running Ford's EEC-V EFI system.  We are using the complete system.