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Old 12-10-2019, 10:47 AM   #1
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Gas tank size after conversion?

2004 5.4 E350

I'm putting this in this section because it specifically has to do with a 4x4 Conversion.

I have a Quigley based conversion (It was done in Canada) and I understood that they needed to trim the gas tank for the transfer case.

For the first time after owning the van for almost a year my low fuel light came on. I usually never let it drop below a quarter tank but I was a bit lazy this week.

I knew I had a smaller tank but I was a bit shocked that I could only pump 85L which is approx 23 GAL.

This seems incredibly small for the size of this vehicle, is this normal?

When the funds allow I'd like to get a rear bumper that can carry external fuel which would give me another 15 GALs, but I'm wondering if I should consider upgrading the fuel tank as well.

Thoughts?

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Old 12-10-2019, 11:00 AM   #2
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The trimmed-down fuel tank usually is around 31 gallons. Only the "nose" needs to be cut off. I'd try to verify the capacity before pulling the trigger on the new tank. Can you take a pic? Maybe they swapped in a smaller tank from something like an F150. Or maybe you do have 31 gallons in the tank available, but the fuel pump was damaged when it was put back together (or they put in the wrong one).
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Old 12-10-2019, 11:07 AM   #3
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I recall when arctictraveller took a peak under my rig he said they trimmed the tank by "a lot". I will try to take a photo but I'm flying abroad for a few weeks so I'm not sure if I can get around to it quickly. Thanks for the advice.
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Old 12-10-2019, 02:48 PM   #4
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I haven't looked at my tank, so I can't confirm how much trimming was done, but mine is only 26 gallons. But mine van is a 2004 E350 4x4 that the previous owner did a body swap to an E150 camper type body. So they might have switch over the smaller tank from the E150.
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Old 12-10-2019, 03:07 PM   #5
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I have an Agile conversion and I believe mine is right around 30-31 gallons. When my light comes on, I can fit about 27 gallons of gas.

Once the gas light comes on, I've driven approx 30 miles and I only get about 10 miles per gallon. Thats how I came to the conclusion that my tank is right around the 30-31 gallon area.
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Old 12-10-2019, 03:49 PM   #6
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I have an 08 Quigley and have put 28 or 29 in it several times. I think I put 30 once when I ran it dry, but that's another story.
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Old 12-10-2019, 11:54 PM   #7
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I don't have a Quigley, but still have a cut-down and re-welded tank. I've put 24.mumble gallons into it on a number of occasions and have not dared run it much lower. It may have as much as another two gallons at that point.

My tank clears the transfer case more than comfortably, so I could see others having remained larger.

In the van that takes me four or more hours to burn through that much fuel, which doesn't bother me as a cadence for stops. I do carry extra fuel if I'll be spending a bunch of time in 4-low.
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Old 12-11-2019, 12:00 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cyrull View Post
2004 5.4 E350
This seems incredibly small for the size of this vehicle, is this normal?
Ford never saw the need to put a lot of fuel capacity in these vans, for some reason. I have an older E-250 2WD with dual tanks, and their *combined* capacity is not quite 40 gallons. The later ones got a bigger single tank, I think, but they were never really built to tanker a lot of fuel.
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Old 12-11-2019, 10:01 AM   #9
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It would be helpful if folks have SMB, Quig, Quadvan, etc conversions to put that in their posts.


I have an Advanced 4x4 conversion....they use a crazy extension tube between the trans and transfer case..it's about 5" long. This leaves less room for the gas tank.


That being said it seems like my cut down tank is about 28 gal.....and that would make sense that other conversions with NP27X transfer cases being around 31 gallon without the extender tube that I have.
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Old 12-11-2019, 11:19 AM   #10
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It's also possible your low fuel light comes on a bit early, but the only way to know for sure is to either completely empty the tank and refill, (siphon it?) or pull the sending unit to test. As for an different tank, I don't know the rules in Canada, but here in the U.S. it's difficult to get a bigger gasoline tank installed due to emissions regulations. Diesel tanks are no problem though. It could also be less expensive to carry some extra in cans, depending on how much you spend to mount them.
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