Does the 2009 Gas Tank fit on a 2010 ?

I need to replace my gas tank and at 1100$ at the dealer I'm looking for a used one.

I found a 2009 in a scrap yard, the guy tells me it's exactly the same for 2005-2010, can I trust him ? Another yard who had a 2006 says that they fit up to 2009 but that it's different on a 2010.

 

I don't see why a 2010 would be any different...

 

I would really doubt they are different.

 

Does anyone know if it's made of metal or plastic ? Somebody tells me it can be repaired if it's metal.

 

its plastic and all 2005-2010 should be the same

 

I have another question. Is it Polyethylene plastic ?

Maybe it's time I tell the story if I want answers. I needed to drill holes in my bed, I f... up when measuring to clear the gas tank and I made a small hole in it. The dealer wants 1100$ for a new one + 400$ in labor + tax.

I can find a used one for about 200$ but with installation and tax it's still gonna cost me 700$.

Some people have suggested I put some J-B Weld on a bolt, plug the hole with it and then generously apply more J-B Weld on top of it. It would probably work if the epoxy bonds to the tank but if it's polyethylene I doubt that anything will.

 

i would go this rout personally. or can you tap threads into it and just screw a bolt in and jb weld the out side just incase?

 

I don't think silicon will hold on HDPE, nothing can stick to this sh...

Maybe it would work for a vehicle that stays on roads but after thinking about it a lot, I came to the conclusion that nothing will safely stay there when I go overlanding and drive thousands of miles on washboards.

The dealer found a used tank for me. That 300$ instead of 1115$ for a new one. It's still gonna cost me 800$ with labor and car rental but that's better than 2000$ and I won't have to worry about blowing up if somebody smokes near my truck.

P.S: I hope people will read this and learn from my mistakes. If you ever need to drill in the front end of your bed, don't be as stupid as I was. Go to your hardware store, buy a drill bit stopper and make sure you can't go more than 1/4". Trust me, this composite sh.. is hard as hell, you're gonna have to push hard on your drill to go through and without a stopper you WILL drill a hole in your tank without even feeling it.

 

Wouldn't silicon be "eaten up" by gas and fumes ?

 

I think I found the right stuff. It's made by 3M and they call it "Scotch-Weld Structural Plastic Adhesive". It's designed specially to bond with polyethylene and polypropylene.

It's a 2 parts Epoxy with a 10:1 mix ratio. It comes in a weird looking tube and a special distributor that mixes it automatically. The distributor is of course reusable so you only buy it once.

Here's how I'm gonna do this.

1: Clean the surface with isopropyl alcohol.
2: Sand the surface
3: Clear again with alcohol
4: Cover the area with the epoxy
5: Pass a bolt through a piece of fiberglass mat
6: Apply the mat on the epoxy with the bolt in the hole (passing the bolt through will make sure the fiberglass stays flat on my tank
7: Make sure the mat is pressed in the epoxy everywhere
8: Have a beer and allow it to cure for about an hour
9: Add some epoxy over and around the bolt
10: Have a beer and allow it to cure for about an hour
11: Generously spread epoxy on top of the fiberglass
12: Put a wider piece of fiberglass mat on top of the bolt and first piece of fiberglass
13: Press firmly in the epoxy to insure full contact everywhere
14: Have a beer and let it cure for about an hour
15: Spread equally whatever is left of the epoxy on top of all this and let cure for at least 12 hours before using the truck.

I'm a step 8 now. The stuff seemed to bond well with the plastic of the tank when I started. It smells like sh.. but it seems to work.

Will let you know how the next steps go.

 

That's what I'm gonna have to do if my fix doesn't work but I'm confident it will. I'm not the first guy who fixes a hole in a fuel tank with a patch of fiberglass and epoxy, I just needed to find something that bonds to HDPE/PE/PP (whatever our tanks are made of).

Forgot to put links to the stuff.

Epoxy: http://www.shop3m.com/62278304308.html
Applicator: http://www.shop3m.com/62917099301.html
10:1 Plunger (sold separately): http://www.shop3m.com/62917099103.html
Nozzles: http://www.shop3m.com/62974299356.html

3M only sells in large quantiites but it's easy to find online retailers to buy in eaches. For Canada I found everything I needed at National Hardware Sales. First dealing with them but very satisfied.