1953 Chevy Truck Rear Mount Gas Tank Install - Universal City

Sam then drilled matching holes into the crossmembers.

Next, the straps were mounted in place. One end of the strap is mounted to the top of the coilover crossmember, and the other end is mounted to the side of the trimmed crossmember. Once mounted, the tank was then pushed up into position, as you see in the picture. These straps won't physically hold the tank up, but they will play a key role in mounting the tank in place, as you'll see in a few steps.

Chevs of the 40's sends these tank straps with the kit. These straps are what hold the tank in place. But because the kit is universal, the straps come straight, so they can be bent to suit various applications. Also, one end of each strap is already pre-made with a mounting tab, while the other end is left straight to allow for maximum "play" in a custom installation.

Sam bent the straps to match the contour of the tank using a...

...combination of the "Knee Bender 2000" and the bench vice.

Once the first strap was made, Sam then went back and created the second strap to match the first strap. Lastly, mounting tabs and holes were made at the other end of each strap.

With the straps bent, they were then placed in position. A mark was made where they met the two crossmembers. At each mark a hole was drilled and the proper bolts were dropped in place.

With the upper braces in place and the straps made, the tank was once again hoisted into place. At this point, one end of the strap was mounted to the coilover crossmember via a small 1 1/2-inch nut and bolt. As for the other end of the strap, shown here, a 3-inch-long bolt was dropped down from the rear crossmember. Then the nut was chased up the 3-inch bolt until the straps tightened and raised the tank up against the upper braces installed earlier. Once tight, that means the tank is locked and mounted in position.

Next, the bed fill neck and cap were screwed into place. Once the bed floor is dropped in a hole, the diameter of the fill neck will need to be cut from the floor in order to access the neck.