Filling sill tanks

[trobbo]

I was thinking about fitting sill tanks to my D1. It has a 40mm body lift and is on gas with scuba tanks so the little tank in the rear quater doesn't really cut it when I am away from fuelling stations for a while.

I dont like the idea of having the filler in the rear wheel well. It will get covered in mud and possibly squashed by the 35 inch tyres also found there. Filling via a hole in the floor is a pita.

Has anybody set their's up to fill via the main filler? Was toying with the idea of getting a pair of tanks that fill via the wheel well, shortening that pipe and running a T piece in the main filler hose and flexible pipe down to the auxillary tank. When the main tank fills, it will overflow up the pipe to the T piece and then down to the auxillary tank. The other benefit this set up would have is that you then cannot overfill your main tank and lose petrol. Any excess fuel pumped into the main tank would run back down to the axillary tank via the T piece and flexible fuel hose.

Has anyone done this? Can it be done? Is there any reason why it shouldn't be done?

[Grimace]

I am also contemplating how to fill my aux sill tanks.

I personally wanted to keep the system for the main tank seperate. I did look at connecting the two sill tanks and adding a second filler hole above the main filler or getting a two way filler (like the 100series cruiser has) and booty fab it in place.

To get fuel to the main tank I was goin to set up a pump on each sill to a cabin switch with an overide float switch (to shut the pump off if the tank is out of fuel). The pumps would simply pump into the filler for the main tank, slowly but simple.

Breathe for both sill tanks was to be connected to the original breather line.

Previously I had the filler in the rear wells and it was a down right PITA with even the 33s on let alone the 37s I have planned for the next one!

I too am not willing to vent any form of fuel to inside the cab.

Keen to hear other peoples opinions and resolutions.

[Charlie]

I had sill tanks in a petrol Discovery for years. Fill was at two points,through the floor in front of the driver's and passengers seats. Worked well, but was awkward, and care had to be taken with spillage. I would not recommend this system with diesel, because the stink from any spill would linger forever.

Fuel was transferred to the main tank by pump from each individual tank, and the breather from the auxiliary tanks went to the main tank breather. Never had a problem with the installation.

I have seen a system where sill tanks are filled via the main filler in a Discovery with body lift. All happened via the main filler and T pieces - you could not direct fuel to any particular tank. The body lift allowed installation of filler pipes between chassis and body. I guess that the main filled first, then the sill tanks. Seemed to work fine. Once again the sill tanks were vented to the main, with oversize breather pipes to aid filling.

Filling via the wheel arch is awkward, but reliable. A correct installation should not interfere with tyres.

[Ralph]

I have sill tanks with the filler in the front foot well on driver and passenger side. I never have a problem with spillage because the tank is outside the vehicle. The hole in the floor is a 150mm diameter plastic port hole with a screw in cover (you get them at boat shops). I simply lift the floor mat, unscew port cover, unscrew tank lid and fill. Any overflow goes onto tank and onto the ground. There is no smell because the port-hole cover is watertight.

[roverrescue]

On my old disco1 I had a passenger side sill tank. (for sale if anyone interested - as well as the plumbing)

-Fuel was transferred to main tank by 12v inline pump took about 25minutes to transfer.

-I had the switch for the pump relayed to a level sender in the sill tank crossing to the main fuel gauge. So I could flick the transfer switch to check the level in the sill.

-Original filling system from "4wd systems" was a t-piece off the main filler, 50mm hose running around the back of the vehicle, between body and chassis and down to tank. It was a pretty poor system in that with the long tortuous route the sill tank was slow to fill, eventually the hose cracked and leaked so I redesigned.

-from a wreck I got the filler pipe and flap door with inner mounting plate.
Cut a hole in the passenger rear guard, a little bit of panel work and fitted the flap and filler neck, routed the hose to the tank (with a body lift this would be a piece of ****) It now filled high flow and had seperate fuel systems which let me use the sill tank for boat fuel on some trips. Would just pump the sill tank into the boat tank rather than the disco main tank.

-This system would work well with two sill tanks as you could run a t-piece at tank level across to the drivers side and fill the 100L pretty effectively. I think trying to fill two sills and the main from the main filler will give problems??? Would be difficult to put a filler above the existing one space wise and all the landcruiser/patrol dual fillers are pretty large for the size space of the original drivers side filler neck.

did I mention all my bits are for sale!!!
Steve

[trobbo]

-Original filling system from "4wd systems" was a t-piece off the main filler, 50mm hose running around the back of the vehicle, between body and chassis and down to tank. It was a pretty poor system in that with the long tortuous route the sill tank was slow to fill, eventually the hose cracked and leaked so I redesigned.

Where on the sill tank did the fuel enter on this set up? Was it via an opening basically under your feet, at the back of the tank or another location?

[HAK]

who making the sill tanks for you?

[trobbo]

AFAIK the only two companys that make them are Brown Davis and LRA. Both are located eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

The Brown Davis ones fill via a hole in the floor.
Brown Davis Long Range Fuel Tanks (http://browndavis.com.au/landrovertanks.html)

The LRA ones fill via the wheel arch
Long Range Automotive - [L/Rover] (http://www.longrangeautomotive.com.au/vehicles/lrover.html)

Apart from the filling mechanism, the tanks appear to be basically the same. I dont like the way either of them fill.

Like grimace, I considered using the mechanism as found in 80 / 100 series cruisers but it appears because of the rear quater tank I dont have enough room for that. Roverrescue appears to have a good idea with a bit of fab work and a second filler point on the passenger side.

[Grimace]

Like grimace, I considered using the mechanism as found in 80 / 100 series cruisers but it appears because of the rear quater tank I dont have enough room for that. Roverrescue appears to have a good idea with a bit of fab work and a second filler point on the passenger side.

I have the LRA rear qtr tank and there is still enough room for the dual filler I think...

My qtr tank is forsale aswell :D

[streaky]

If you are looking for a quick solution to filling the tanks then I'm afraid you'll be dissapointed. There isn't one.
If you have sill tanks that are filled via the rear arches then a simple funnel and an extention pipe is the simplest solution that I have found.

There was a chap on here a few months ago who'd fabricated a second filler cap into the oposite side of his Discovery. He was breaking the car down and offered the parts for sale. When I saw that they were nothing more than standard Disco bits and some fabricated pipes I decided to make my own.
This makes filling both sides a breeze...but installing the second filler isn't a job for the fiant hearted. You need to strip out the rear internal panels and graft the new filler cap assembly into the body work. The filler also opens the other way around because the flap is up-side down.
This is something I intend getting around to doing one day. But I don't use the sills tanks all that much so for the time being I use my extended funnel instead.

Regards.

S.

[Bradtot]

Ok I have done what u have all asked for.
I have gas tanks underneath and 2 sill tanks for petrol.
what I did was insert 2 pipes into the sill tanks facing in towards the Centre of the vehicle at the front of the tanks, I then made up a cross pipe about an inch in diameter that runs at the rear of the cross member to join up the 2 tanks, its out of the way and dont get hit.
I then modified my original filler pipe and used a long peice of rubber hose that goes to the r/hand original filler pipe behind the wheel arch . When I fill my petrol from the original filler it fills up both tanks at once, its slower than normal but it works. the only problem is that the pick up for the petrol is in the left hand tank, so If i am on the beach with a r/h slope all the fuel goes to the r/ hand tank, however to overcome this I have another pump that transfers the fuel back to the left hand tank where the pickup is.
All the breather hoses go back up to their original places on the filler neck. I have about 80 ltres of petrol and 78 useable of gas. The other thing I did was have the petrol sill tanks galvanised inside and out. I have had this setup now since 1993 on my second rangie and now currently on my 89 Vogue Rangie.
If ya want pics I suppose I can post for ya.
Hope all the above makes sense:)
Brad

[roverrescue]

My sill tanks is 4wd systems, 50L... not sure if they still make?

the filler is a short neck of ~ 45mm pipe up at 45 degrees from the rear top of the tank, in effect once the tank is bolted in the filler neck comes out in the space between the chassis outrigger and the guard.

That was me Streaky :)

yeah its a bit of mucking around but it actually works well once youve done it!

Steve

[taff]

the disco i'm currently wrecking has sill tanks 1 for fuel and 1 for water. both filler's are in the engine bay.

[Bundalene]

Hi. have you considered installing a larger main tank first. I have a 145 litre Brown Davis main tank which a great range in my TD5 Disco - although I have never put in more than 130 litres.

Cheers, Erich

[Bundalene]

Sorry, I was a bit quick and missed reading RE the Gas. Cheers, Erich

[trobbo]

If ya want pics I suppose I can post for ya.
Brad

C'mon then Brad, make with the pictures. You know it didn't happen if there's no pictures! :D

[Bradtot]

Ok pictures are requested.

sorry I could only get out there today with the camera
This pic is of the filler and u can see the 3 breather hoses connected to the Hose that goes up to the top of the filler
http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/3751/dsc00015ow7.jpg

Next we have looking from the rear towards the front


http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/705/dsc00016ri4.jpg

Here is where the filler hose goes into the tank an there is the extra pump I spoke about
http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/8768/dsc00017mj4.jpg

this is the r/h tank looking from the side and u can see the cross pipe from the right going over to the left on the back of the crossmember

http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/2061/dsc00018zq8.jpg

here is the left hand tank and cross pipe
http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/8739/dsc00019hs2.jpg


this one is looking from the front to the back of the r/h tank what u see is actually my tank bash plates the tanks are underneath.
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/5628/dsc00021pc3.jpg


another look at the right hand tank this time from sorta the middle of the car looking to the right so u can see the output exit pipe before it goes across to the cross member
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/4485/dsc00022ir5.jpg

This is a better shot looking from the rear so u can see the tanks under the bash plate the wet area seems to be my p/u pipe to the other pump weeping...MORE work.
Hope all this makes some sense
http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/608/dsc00023zf8.jpg


Cheers
Brad

[barjop]

Back in my early days of owning my Disco I was chasing info on Fuel tank options. I wasn't happy with the sill tanks as they could only be filled from the wheel arch which I thought would be a pain or in side the cabin and with a diesel this was never going to be an option. I think it was at the LROCV Field days but I did see a Disco with the the fill point in the engine bay. I have no idea who made it or where it came from but I did think this was the best choice of fill points.

Regards
Barjop
98 Disco Tdi Auto
Ridepro Suspension
BFG At's
Rear Truetrac

[sclarke]

As your in the Melb east.
Go see Fred Smith, he can tell you what the options are as he has fitted a few in his time.
and yes you can fill it from the orig filler....