Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
Just finished installing the 60 gallon replacement tank from aerotank. (I have a whopping 180 miles on it)
Just a FYI to anyone considering doing the same.
Be prepared to do the finish work of the fabrication. Mine arrived with weld splatters all over it, including stuck to the threads for the pickup lock down ring. It was also painted with a single coat of black that must have been sprayed in the general direction of the tank from 10 feet away to account for the lack of coverage and the fact that many parts of the tank, that were shielded by a bracket, had no paint on them at all. One entire seam was not only unpainted but had begun to rust. (the attached pix show the weld splatter and the missing paint)
Welding sheet metal without distorting is difficult but in some areas it looks as though they didn't even try. With a straight edge across on 8 inch area the distortion is almost 3/4 inch.
The instruction were minimal (and in my case I opened the hardware box to find a bracket that had been cut off some other truck... . with a label on it saying to cut this off or notch it on my truck. I never was able to locate a bracket like it on my truck. ?!?)
I suspect, by the grammatical errors that the writer of the instructions spoke English as a second language. I don't have a problem with that but it makes you wonder about the quality control when even the paperwork looks to be quick and dirty.
The instructions do not really cover how to get a wrench in to bolt the tank in place so you are left to figure this out on your own. (I decided to drill and tap the frame, insert the bolts from inside the frame and tighten them down giving me "studs" to mount the tank to and not having to get a wrench inside the frame with the tank in place. Worked great. )
I had no problems with positioning or clearances but you do have to watch that you don't get the tank to tight up against the frame or you will pinch/chafe the fuel lines. I used a calibrated finger to set my spacing.
They do recommend that you replace your fuel sender if you have over 50,000 miles. Since I have 350,000 miles on it I decided I would do that but I waited to pull the unit before I got the new one. Good thing I did as I had to replace the entire pickup assembly. The "feet" at the bottom had worn to half their height, the bottom screen was ripped and the internal filter was restricted. (I picked up 4 psi on my fuel pressure and it stays at 6 instead of 1 at WOT) The bad part was that the assemble set me back $400.
On the bright side, once it was mounted (they said 1/2 day... I say they are right... about 12 hours! I could easily do it in 4 hours now. ) everything else went together as specified although I cut the extension hoses to half the length they provided.
It was interesting to note that the 1/8 of a tank of remaining fuel that was in the old tank did not even move the gauge in the new tank. (about 3 gallons) I added 12 gallons to get to 1/8 tank. 20 more gallons got me to 1/2 tank and 20 more got me to full. I was able to put 6 more gallons in before the pump shut off. If I added right... that's 61 gallons. The only thing I don't know is what is unusable.
Just a FYI to anyone considering doing the same.
Be prepared to do the finish work of the fabrication. Mine arrived with weld splatters all over it, including stuck to the threads for the pickup lock down ring. It was also painted with a single coat of black that must have been sprayed in the general direction of the tank from 10 feet away to account for the lack of coverage and the fact that many parts of the tank, that were shielded by a bracket, had no paint on them at all. One entire seam was not only unpainted but had begun to rust. (the attached pix show the weld splatter and the missing paint)
Welding sheet metal without distorting is difficult but in some areas it looks as though they didn't even try. With a straight edge across on 8 inch area the distortion is almost 3/4 inch.
The instruction were minimal (and in my case I opened the hardware box to find a bracket that had been cut off some other truck... . with a label on it saying to cut this off or notch it on my truck. I never was able to locate a bracket like it on my truck. ?!?)
I suspect, by the grammatical errors that the writer of the instructions spoke English as a second language. I don't have a problem with that but it makes you wonder about the quality control when even the paperwork looks to be quick and dirty.
The instructions do not really cover how to get a wrench in to bolt the tank in place so you are left to figure this out on your own. (I decided to drill and tap the frame, insert the bolts from inside the frame and tighten them down giving me "studs" to mount the tank to and not having to get a wrench inside the frame with the tank in place. Worked great. )
I had no problems with positioning or clearances but you do have to watch that you don't get the tank to tight up against the frame or you will pinch/chafe the fuel lines. I used a calibrated finger to set my spacing.
They do recommend that you replace your fuel sender if you have over 50,000 miles. Since I have 350,000 miles on it I decided I would do that but I waited to pull the unit before I got the new one. Good thing I did as I had to replace the entire pickup assembly. The "feet" at the bottom had worn to half their height, the bottom screen was ripped and the internal filter was restricted. (I picked up 4 psi on my fuel pressure and it stays at 6 instead of 1 at WOT) The bad part was that the assemble set me back $400.
On the bright side, once it was mounted (they said 1/2 day... I say they are right... about 12 hours! I could easily do it in 4 hours now. ) everything else went together as specified although I cut the extension hoses to half the length they provided.
It was interesting to note that the 1/8 of a tank of remaining fuel that was in the old tank did not even move the gauge in the new tank. (about 3 gallons) I added 12 gallons to get to 1/8 tank. 20 more gallons got me to 1/2 tank and 20 more got me to full. I was able to put 6 more gallons in before the pump shut off. If I added right... that's 61 gallons. The only thing I don't know is what is unusable.
