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Ordinary readers know the rapid progress of the F-Word project, because the situation has escalated rapidly since our F100 project truck was dismantled and rebuilt from the ground in 1969. Now that the chassis and suspension are basically resolved, we have replaced the Ford Performance Gen 3, 5.0-liter Coyote Aluminator (more on the installation) and the Tremec T56 Magnum 6-speed engine from Silver Sport. This time, we started to redesign and connect the fuel system to feed the coyote.
The first step in repositioning the fuel tank is to remove it (obviously-this truck no longer has a fuel storage tank, so this step is omitted for us), and then pull the bed off the frame. Only a few bolts hold the bed in place. Of course, use a jack to support the frame!
In case you didn't know, the fuel tank of the truck of the 1960s was in the cab, behind the seat; both Chevrolet and Ford. This is obviously not the safest position-you are actually driving a bomb and all the fuel is always behind you. This is why the owners of these trucks often relocate the fuel tanks under the rear of the truck, and the factory eventually moved them there.
We found that Holley has a neat "wish list" feature on their website, where you can specify and order all the parts you need in one step. So we went hunting.
In the case of our project truck, the hot coyote engine under the hood should generate a lot of steam, and we want to do this-remove the fuel tank from the driver and place it under the bed. Facts have proved that the Mustang fuel tank from 1969-1970 was installed almost perfectly between the frame rails with very little effort. This is what we did, mainly using Holley parts along the way.
We started with a 400 lph Sniper EFI fuel tank system capable of supporting up to 750 horsepower. We added the famous HydraMat fuel pad to prevent starvation, although the included fuel tank does have a 4.3-liter internal baffle. The fuel system is equipped with a galvanized and powder-coated fuel tank, a 400lph fuel pump in the tank, a hanger and a sending device, so all you need to do is connect it to the fuel rail and wire it.
Next, remove the rear bumper and bracket from the frame to better access the rear cross member, which needs to be repositioned to make room for the fuel tank. (You will notice that we have completely stripped the truck at this time).
We set out to accomplish this task by first removing the truck floor and rear bumper/bracket so that we can move the center frame cross member back enough to fit the Mustang fuel tank. Then we use jack brackets to support the rear frame to make it strong.
Next, we ordered all the parts and fuel system hoses, accessories, etc. from Holley's online wish list function and put them together. This is a great feature on the Holley website-we have been using it. Now that we have a complete, relocated (and safer!) fuel system to feed that hungry coyote, the puppy is almost ready to hit the road and tear up some off-road vehicles!
To remove the beam, we used grinders, chisels and punches to knock off the rivets that held it in place. Then move the beam to the last part of the frame and turn it upside down so that the "hump" faces down towards the ground. Finally, align the rear bed bolt holes and enlarge them to make sure they fit the bed bolts. They are located on the top of the frame.
It's time to simulate the Holley Sniper tank to the location we chose for it. After seeing it very close to just sliding in, we took some overall width measurements and removed about half an inch of the bottom of the frame rail on each side. This is to keep the fuel tank flush with the rail and in the position we want. (If the water tank is not equipped with a pump, filling and sending device, make sure to seal the hole with tape to prevent anything from entering the clean new water tank).
The tank is now ready and able to slide into the correct position. We were able to work hard to bend and seat the fuel tank belt. We bought a universal strap from Tanks Inc. and a strap spacer rubber from Summit Racing, both of which are very easy to use. The belt is galvanized for corrosion resistance and long life. There is a beam directly behind the axle, which is the perfect place to fix the front side of the strap. The passenger side strap needs to be drilled with a few large enough holes for us to choose the bolts and lock nuts to use. We pass the bolts through the beam and spot weld them in place so they don't rotate and can be opened/closed easily.
Since we plan to traverse this truck automatically, we have gone too far in adding additional support. The gas tank has an additional lip at the weld, and the two halves (top and bottom) of the gas tank are welded together. We drilled two holes on the edge of the water tank and the frame, and used two smaller bolts to fix the side of the water tank directly to the frame. To ensure that there is an easy way to prevent the nut from rotating, we used a ½ inch wide piece of steel and welded two nuts for use in the frame from the top. (We don't want to spot weld these bolts through the frame because it may be difficult to align them all in the future.
We designed and used all Earl's Performance Plumbing for the entire fuel system. As you can see in the photo, we used -6AN connectors, pipelines, regulators, filters, NPT sealants, wrenches, etc. We used -6 AN to 1/4" NPT to adapt the AN line to the Holley Sniper Fuel Hat. Scroll up to see the complete parts list, including Holley's 1969-1970 Mustang fuel tank system.
It is worth mentioning that we directly replaced the OE fuel socks for Holley HydraMat to ensure that we maintain the fuel supply of the 400 lph pump when making sharp turns. HydraMat is like an oil absorbing sponge-it sucks it from wherever it comes into contact with fuel and keeps the pump on.
Then we have to decide where to put the regulator and want to put it in a place that looks good but can be repaired so that we can access the gauges in case we need to diagnose the truck. Therefore, it was decided to install the regulator on the firewall behind the engine. We drilled the firewall and installed some threads to install it.
Next, we decided where to install the fuel filter. We want to install all the hard parts in the fixed position first, then run the line and find a good position that is easy to repair between the suspensions in the frame rails.
As shown in the figure, the check valve is located on the outlet side of the filter. It is the small silver part on the right side of the Earls filter.
We want to keep all the pipes in the frame rails to prevent them from being injured, so we pass them through the rear cross member to Earl’s fuel filter, and then use Earl’s hoses and pipe separators to fix them in the car. Shelf. These are excellent clamps that make it easy to install and fix the wiring.
This is where we have to be creative-we are approaching the middle and long headers of the truck and really want to keep the lines away from the heat headers. We ended up using Earl's bulkhead fittings through the frame, transitioning the lines to the top and outside of the frame during the last few feet of running. In this photo, you can see the partition transition, and then again see the use of Earl hose and line separators. We used Earl’s flame protection insulation to ensure that any heat around that part of the pipe would not be a problem, and to keep the fuel good and cool. We have used this product in our brake and clutch series in the past with great success.
From here, you only need to measure and assemble the remaining lines to complete all the connections of the return lines. In order to finally connect to the OE fuel rail, we used the Earls OE fuel line EFZI quick disconnect coupling to convert the OE ⅜ connector on the fuel rail to 6AN.
In the next episode, we will introduce Gen 3 Aluminator installation in more detail. We also made some steering upgrades to match our modern suspension...not to mention everything else that put this rusty old farm truck into combat. Hold on to us!
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