'65 Cj5 Glass Body Rear Mounted Fuel Tank Help

I have a 1965 CJ5 and I am trying to see if a rear mounted fuel tank would fit. I dont have a tank in the jeep yet, however the previous owner had attempted to install something in the back as there are straps there already. The under seat mount idea is out because of custom seats that the PO installed. By measurement the 25.25" wide, and 18" long would be a really tight fit by my measurements.

I dont want to order the tank and waste the money if it will not fit. Was hoping for some direction on this. Has anyone done a rear mount on the early cj5's?

 

the tank is supported in three places . one front center . with a C looking bracket
two welded ears to side of frame for rear corners of tank . also going to have to find filler neck , skid plate

best picture I could find . 71 model . yes it's tight

 

A tank from a 78-86 cj should fit but you will need to cut out the V shaped brace under the bed if it hasn't been removed already. The earlier year rear mount tanks should also fit but i think they might have hard to find parts. When i did my rear mount tank i bought a used cj7 tank with skid plate then ordered the rest of the parts for a 1980 cj7 and it all went in without any problems besides a bad fuel level sending unit.

 

Another problem can be under full rear suspension travel. There can be interference between the axle housing and the tank itself.

 

I suggest you go with a '76 or newer tank, which is supported by the skid plate. All these parts are available new at the aftermarket. As mentioned, the earlier rear tanks use parts that will be hard to source today. Mounting the tank on the skid plate (as compared to the earlier method of hanging from the frame) makes installation easier.

Boyink! | Supersize Dutch Blog | Gas Tank - Installing Rear

 

Nope not on a factory system, the tank is not close enough to ever contact.
This is a factory 71 fuel tank set up. As you can see the axle couldn't ever contact it unless it was moved backwards 3-4", more than what the springs would allow from compression.

 

where does the rear most mounting bolts for the skid plate attach? my rear bumper is a piece of flatstock….any pics from the rear?

 

The factory rear crossmember (1). Omix makes replacements, IIRC.

 

The skid plat has a flange on the front and back sides of the plate. The plate bolts into the bottom of the rear crossmember and the crossmember just behind the axle.

 

borrowed Mcruff picture

rear of skid plate has a flange for bolts through lower flange of rear cross member . the front uses brackets as illustrated
the trick for rear bolts is weld/tack a large flat washer and grind/cut into a haft moon shape . drop them in from above . before you hang tank . scrap metal works too . your just trying to keep the bolt heads from turning

 

be sure to get a cj tank, some yj tanks are wider .

 

I just used u nuts on mine

 

My '66 has a '79 tank and skid plate. Real easy to install with the body off the frame but doable I'm sure with the body on. As mentioned above the skid plate is mounted to the frame and the tank is simply held up by the skid plate. In the Boyink build he talks about welding the nuts to the frame and I did the same - makes removal and reinstall super easy.

Here's the skid plate installed...



Here's the rest...