Fuel System: 54 c/k fuel tank (spring mount)

[junior]

okay, took my fuel tank out of my car...made a mental note of where the spring went on the passenger side mount, but now that I think about it I think it was in the wrong place...service manual and chassis manual of no help, so...

-does the tank flange sit on top (trunk side) of the mounting bracket, and the spring go under (road side) of the mounting bracket. (I think this is correct)

or

-does the tank flange go on the bottom (road side) of the mounting bracket, and the spring presses the tank flange up against the mounting bracket, meaning the weight of the fuel tank and fuel is always bearing down on the spring. (I'm positive this was the way it was when I took it apart, but it seems wrong)

Thanks for any help... cheers, junior.

[Jeff_H]

Makes more sense to me that the tank weight would compress the spring. That said, my car was missing the spring and the tank was found laying loose in a collapsed shed on the property where my car came from. When I put it back together, I never bothered with the spring. In later years, Studebaker stopped using them anyway. You will note, the hanger on that side goes into the trunk floor rather than the frame. The idea of the spring is to prevent the twisting of the frame from cracking the tank from metal fatigue. But, the longish hanger strap into the relatively "bouncy" trunk floor has plenty of springiness already so that added spring doesn't really do much.

BTW, how stiff is that spring? Not having actually seen one, I have it in my imagination it being very stiff almost like a valve spring?

[johnod]

There's no spring in my car, I didn't even know there was supposed to be one.
Seems to work fine without.

[junior]

Well I guess this seems to be a rather "why bother" item that Studebaker installed on 53/54's? What year did Stude stop installing the spring, and when they stopped did they still mount the passenger side of the tank to the trunk floor, or did they start mounting it to the frame? Jeff_H, the spring looks just like a small valve spring, as in coil wound wire with the ends flat-faced. It was installed with a through bolt and a castle-nut with a cotter pin to lock the nut in place.

Cheers, Junior.

[altair]

gas tank spring

okay, took my fuel tank out of my car...made a mental note of where the spring went on the passenger side mount, but now that I think about it I think it was in the wrong place...service manual and chassis manual of no help, so...

-does the tank flange sit on top (trunk side) of the mounting bracket, and the spring go under (road side) of the mounting bracket. (I think this is correct)

or

-does the tank flange go on the bottom (road side) of the mounting bracket, and the spring presses the tank flange up against the mounting bracket, meaning the weight of the fuel tank and fuel is always bearing down on the spring. (I'm positive this was the way it was when I took it apart, but it seems wrong)

Thanks for any help... cheers, junior.

I just re and re -d the tank on my 54 champion and the bolt drops down through he flange, tank up against the underside of the flange then the spring on the bolt followed by the nut and cotter pin. The weight of the tank is directly on the spring. One or two years thereafter the spring was discontinued. I don't know if it really served a purpose except with a full tank and severe road conditions maby. Dave B.C.

[junior]

Ok altair, thanks, good to know how it's supposed to go together...next time I'll take photos. cheers, junior.

[Corley]

Tank sat on the spring on my '54... Now it sits on the scrap metal pile. :^)

[junior]

Tank sat on the spring on my '54... Now it sits on the scrap metal pile. :^)

what sits on the scrap pile...the spring? the tank? please don't say the '54! lol junior

[Blue 15G]

Hello junior, yes, I agree with altair, that's how it is mounted on my '54. The weight of the tank is on the spring. I agree, it seems like "why bother", but I guess the engineers must have had a reason for it. On the other hand, they eventually stopped using it. I'm guessing they dropped it due to cost (as usual). Probably found they could save 10 cents per car or something like that.

Dave Bonn
'54 Champion Starliner

[Corley]

what sits on the scrap pile...the spring? the tank? please don't say the '54! lol junior

Both the tank and spring sit on the scrap pile. Didn't mate well to the S10 frame I've installed.

[Flashback]

The reason for the spring was to keep the tank from flexing as much as mounted rigid. It can slide a little and still have support. Put it back Junior.