What propane tank?

[mjeffrey]

I'll be adding propane to my build this spring, and could use some help picking a propane tank. I'd like a horizontal mount that'll go against a frame rail on the driver's side, similar to that on a VW campervan (and presumably on SMBs, though I've never seen one). Is there a model of tank that's designed for this purpose? I'm having a hard time turning up any part numbers online.

I could go with a tank from a VW parts source (ie. gowesty.com / van-cafe.com) but I imagine they're marked up from the original supplier (Manchester tank?) and would prefer to save the money.

I've also found these:
http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/lp-g ... =froogle_p

which seem ideal, but not sure if there's a cheaper option. Don't mind paying the price, but don't want to overpay

Any sources, parts numbers, help with brackets, etc would be most helpful.

Cheers!
Mike.

[Ford_6L_E350]

I'd call Sportsmobile. Probably SMB North in Indiana. They have been very good about selling pieces with little or no markup. And they installed that kind of tank in my van, so they have access to them.

At least, it is worth a phone call to find the price.

Mike

[02Chevytonner]

Mike,
I bought the 9.8 gal tank (40 lb) from PPL Motorhomes and have started doing preliminary work to mount it to the drivers side frame rail on my '02 Chevy. I had to re-route the coolant lines to the rear heater and hopefully this weekend can design the mounts for it. I'll take pictures as I go.

Rick

[Zaskoda]

I'm researching the same thing right now and thought I'd point out the GoWesty tanks:
http://www.gowesty.com/ec_view_category.php?id=380

[mjeffrey]

Thanks! That's actually what I ended up with - it just arrived the other day, so I haven't yet mounted it. Got the smaller, old-style tank, and will have to trim the brackets a bit to get it to fit. I have AC lines running down the side, which prevented me from getting a fatter tank.

I'd bought from GoWesty back in my VW days. They still have good customer service: tank arrived in 2 days, and they quickly shipped out a replacement shield for me, since the one included was a bit chipped up. I also won free shipping with coupon code LUCKY13 (the 13th person each day in March to use the code wins, and a cool pint glass).

Will post pics to this thread when I have it mounted.

Cheers,
Mike.

[02Chevytonner]

Mike,
I finally got my tank installed. Once I got over the mental block of putting such a large tank under the van it went pretty well. Two of the body main channels had holes that matched the spacing on the tank so close I only had to elongate one bracket about 1/8". The problem was how to get a bolt down from the channel. I took a 1 1/2" hole saw and drilled a hole in the side of the channel. This allowed me to put a heavy flat washer, lock washer and nut inside the channel. I had to fabricate 1 1/2" spacers which I welded to the tank brackets. The tank fits nicely. I looks like it hangs down quite a bit but is actually higher than the muffler on the other side. I still need to side brace the mounts to the body which I will do with angle irons tomorrow.

Rick

[Zaskoda]

Awesome install but now I'm curious... On SMBs and other vans... what about the risk of tagging the propane tank on a rock while offroading?

[Ford_6L_E350]

My propane tank (and probably most SMBs) is tucked up above the bottom of the body. There is a door added to the side of the body to access the valves and filler.

Mike

[mjeffrey]

Looks great! Thanks for the info and excellent pics.

I have a week off in a few weeks during which I'll be doing my installation (and rebuilding all of my cabinets, installing a heater, finishing the interior paneling, new dinette, etc...!! Wish me luck ) I'll post pictures then, too.

Cheers,
Mike.

[saabman]

Wow nice tank... I have a Chevy question:
How on earth did you get those bolts up into the box sections under the floor???
Thanx for the tip... (it is for my battery project )