66 Catalina Wagon Gas Tank Conversion Options
 

Likely LS swapping my 66 Catalina Wagon. It still has the factory gas tank that lies in the drivers side rear quarter panel. I hate to get rid of a functioning tank, but I know LS pumps really benefit from being inside the tank and staying cool. I don't know of a way to make a pump fit in the factory tanks, so that leaves me with likely mounting one in the cargo area? Which also pains me to cut up and mount it there....

Anyways, just curious if anyone has done a gas tank swap on these cars and where you might have decided to mount it.

I have a 62 wagon with the same concerns about a possible LS swap. The best option to my eyes was to just use the factory sending unit for the wagon and make an in tank pump.

My plan was to drill one extra hole in the top of the sending unit so you could solder/braze in a return line fitting. (Or use a bulkhead fitting if you have the room for a backing nut). Im not sure how the wire gets through the sending unit on the in tank pump cars, but figure out if that needs a hole drilled too. Again, an electrical bulkhead is probably the way to go if it can fit.

Then on the pickup hose on the tank side, cut the tube at an appropriate place to an in tank pump would sit in the same depth as the normal pickup sock. If you look at the ebay link below, thats like an IROC sending unit assembly. The pump itself is just connected to the steel pickup line with a short piece of fuel submersible rubber hose. So I would just buy an over the counter parts store in tank pump that puts out the right pressure and stick it on there with a short peice of SAE30r10. Maybe use the C5 pressure regulator/filter everyone does to keep the pressure correct.

It wouldnt be as good as the factory LS1 assemblies because they have a fuel bucket setup, but it would be the same thing as a 3rd gen setup as far as I can see. Maybe someone can shoot holes in the plan. I think real estate might be the biggest hurdle. I would bet that the later fuel injection sending units with have multiple plumbed lines and an electrical connection are likely larger in diameter than a 60s sending unit.

https://ebay.us/m/JjZKjx
https://www.racetronix.biz/p/fuel-ho...e85/rh-30r1056

Have you checked out the Holley fuel pump retrofit kits for stock tanks? Kind of expensive but cheaper than a custom tank.

I dont think that work work correctly the way the wagon tank is designed. The Holley kits Ive seen have the pump directly below the sending unit bulkhead.

With the wagon tanks, or at least with mine, the bulkhead sits on the vertical side surface of the tank and then the tubing inside the tank makes a 90* turn and goes down.

My tank actually has the bulkhead sitting pretty much on top. Or at least that's what I last recall when I had it out. Another guy I know who has done many swaps says he uses a Bosch 044 external mount pump on several swaps when he wants to retain the factory tank. I know the internal pumps are quieter, tend to run cooler and have less issues, but man an external pump would sure make life easier!

If yours goes straight down, then it might not be hard to use an aftermarket off the shelf solution if they get enough depth.

Mine looks like this https://www.classicindustries.com/pr...s/6428060.html

The only thing I would caution with the Bosch 044 is I dont think Bosch has actually made that pump in years. So a lot of what is out there now is counterfeit. Although I think there are some reputable companies making them too just because there is still demand for them.

I could be wrong here, but I think the 044 puts out like 42PSI. Dont LS swaps wants 58-60PSI?

Not sure what the wagon tank looks like but i had a recess welded in my tank and added an LS3 camaro pump in mine.
https://www.vetteworksonline.com/vet...-weld-in-mount

Here's a photo of a '67 A-body sender compared to the sender out of my '65 wagon. Not quite, but visualize setting a GTO tank on it's side and stuffing it in the quarter panel and you have a wagon tank.

I went & looked at a ‘66 B body wagon to buy. It had an external pump mounted below the tank. Supposedly been on there for 25 years. Stuck down farther than I would like to see but definitely worked.

I installed an electric pump on the '65 Catalina wagon and shocking just how efficient Pontiac was on using every inch of available space. Finally ended up putting the pump in the small hole between the tank and rear bumper. Not my favorite location, but just about the only safe place we could find.

Looking at the previous scars around the rear bumper I sure wouldn't want the fuel pump hanging down low.

Fortunately, this car has a huge welded on hitch, so that may help protect it some. If I end up getting it, I will post a Pic, when I figure out how to do that again.

See to me, what makes the most sense is to buy something like this:

https://www.holley.com/products/fuel...s/parts/19-342

now thats probably overkill for you, but its a 60PSI pump that comes as a kit with install parts. So it would make it easy, even though Im sure you could do it cheaper.

Then look at the picture Mick posted in post 10. Just cut the metal tube off leading to the sock and install this pump with its little piece of submersible fuel hose so it sits at the same depth. You would have to put in a return fitting but that seems super easy. And you avoid trying to find a safe place for an external pump, plus should have to deal with the noise.

My only concern would be, the mouths on the old tanks arent all that big. So I would have some mild concern about putting it all together and not being able to finagle it into the tank through the hole. But I think it would go.

I might have to look into this more. I recall the hole on my factory tank only being maybe 2" or so? So yeah, not a ton of room to slide something through, but this piece doesn't look huge.