07-14 38 Gallon Tank swap install thread

Nope they only started w the holes in the 2015 and newer... if you do this you will have to make holes or just weld like I did

 

@papasmurf did you have any interference with the new crossmember and the parking brake lever? it appears i'll have to shim it up and bend the brackets for the fuel lines. i cut enough of the bottom of the crossmember on the right hand to keep it well away from the brake lines
these pics were taken before i pushed the crossmember up into place, it was sitting about an inch and half low in the frame


also, i didn't have a difference in the number two strap. length is the same. the only thing i can see is the eyelet for the pin is a larger diameter on the new one

 

things i'll add from my work so far.
1- invest in a couple vacuum caps to put on the fuel lines because every time you pound or shake something, residual fuel will come out and invariably splash you in the eye
2- the clip for the pin for the strap was not listed, you can just use a cotter pin. i had a similar clip because it holds something on a land cruiser, but if you want the o.e. clip, it's pn 90468-14032
3- on a stock height rig, getting the crossmember in and out sucks.
4- you need to unhook the two fuel supply lines (push the locking clip up and press on the blue sides while twisting the line- in the pic below, yellow is unlocked, brown is still locked).

5- from the rear wheelwell, 10mm socket will unhook the fill hose and there's a vent hose next to it that hooks up like the above lines.
6- last thing is the large breather line..the red clip comes out two notches (almost completely, but not) and it just pulls off.
7- if you unhook the electrical harness from the tab holding the wires near the back of the tank, you can drop it all the way to the ground making it easier to get the plug unhooked from the fuel module

 

So it looks like only the front new strap is needed then?
I am hoping to order some of the parts next week, but probably won't install til next spring. I am waiting on the straps and heat shield. don't know which direction I want to go with the straps (on vs off road ones) and if the shields are needed.
Were you able to finish the project even with the parking brake issues? And did you weld or bolt the member in?

 

i got a late start, so i did not finish. i will be welding the crossmember in when i determine if i can notch the crossmember and raise the e brake. as it stands, i can't go further until i do something with the e brake.

i didn't do the off road straps since i've got an rci skid on order. i suspect the oe skid would be kind of useless like the front skid

if anyone needs the middle strap, i'll have that for sale and i didn't use the new float or the locking ring and bolts for the straps. i'll sell them pretty cheap.

 

no. either the strap that i ordered is tagged wrong, or there is another strap that is needed for my 2012 ( i won't say for others vehicles as there may be differences, but i find it unlikely that the mid crossmember would change). either way, the middle strap, both old and new are about 2" too short for the bolt to attach. the straps i have measure 26" from outer edge to outer edge.

i finally have notched the crap out of the crossmember and have shimmed the park brake lever and fuel lines up, final fitting off the tank (front and rear straps only) and i'm ready to start welding. glad it went well for papasmurf, but it has seriously sucked to do on my rig. i'm just hoping once i get everything welded in the lines will all hook up....at the rate i'm going, i wouldn't expect them too

 

That sucks. So you had to notch the crossmember more or in a different place than papasmurf did? I was under the impression that you can't even get the crossmember in there without doing the bottom notch (I am going off the limited pictures of this). I plan to get the crossmember and look at my dads truck as he has the 38 from the factory and start loosely locating before removing the existing tank.

Let me know what comes out of your center strap issue too!

 

you do have to notch the bottom to get it in the frame rails, but i also had to notch up above to clear the ebrake linkage and instead of relocating the fuel lines, i shimmed them up and notched the crossmember to clear them also.

 

Ok so yes parking brake is an issue, I haven’t fixed mine yet.. not sure how I’m gonna solve it so for now.. I just don’t use the parking brake lol.... and huh sucks to hear the issues...

 

another note. if you're adding a skid plate, you may need different straps. the oe "skid" plate uses studs off the strap or possibly bolts going into nuts on the straps..i'm still investigating that. and rci apparently requires the oe skid style straps.

 

Yes there is the off road and without off road straps. I see some of the skids available use the factory studs, and some don't. Did you get your center strap issue figured out?

 

yes. once it got the front and rear tight, i was able to push the tank up enough to use the oem strap.

 

so only the front strap is needed then?

 

that should be correct. you should measure yours to be sure. should be 26 inches long

 

ok, with the 38 gallon tank. you will need three straps. you can order them from rci for $175 or oem part numbers should be 77601-0C090 (front), 77601-0C100 (middle) and 77602-0C120 (rear). about $152 from sparks with the discount.

 

sorry guys, you guys figured it out and are correct, for RCI 38 gal skid plate and plastic TRD skid plate you need the three straps that have the studs in them. YOu found the correct part #'s thanks for doing that, I just recently had to swap two of my straps because i ordered the ones with out the studs. Oh well for me. Good catch.

 

Thinking about this one being my truck running 10 miles a gallon only in the city.

How much for the parts and how many man labor hours you did?

 

Parts can fluctuate in pricing depending on some options.. but I’d estimate roughly 1500-1700 after all said and done. Man hours you can expect 6-8 from start to finish. I can probably do it in 4 if I hustle but I’ve done mine and half of a friends now so I have a tad more experience. And I have a slew of tools and fabrication background so that tends to change things a bit

 

i don't have exact numbers because i bought the whole list and didn't use much of it. bare minimum you need the tank, the crossmember, one pin and bolt, the seal for the fuel module and one strap. if you do the skid plate, you need three straps. after i return the other stuff, i'll be around $1400
the crossmember is the worst part of it, but if you bust butt, you can have it done in a day.

 

Correct, i included everything even though you dont need it all. i may edit the OP and fix it to include the needed parts, omit the other stuff, and add the list of the three straps with the studs because almost everyone will need them for either the TRD plastic skid or RCI type skid

 

Bruce @papasmurf helped me finish my tank swap yesterday. The crossmember was a real pain but Bruce made quick work of it. I pushed/bent my e-brake mechanism up and removed the fuel line rails to make room for the crossmember. Other than that it’s honestly pretty straight forward.
My truck has no idea how much gas it has though. I drove around on E for at least 80 miles and was still only able to put 34 gallons in it. It’ll eventually learn.

 

Great work and tons of notes guys. Thanks for sharing some wisdom. I don’t think I can pull this one off - no welding experience or equipment. With all the towing I do - at about 8 mpg - it would be so nice to bump up the fuel capacity. Alas...

 

Hey, so you don’t need to weld you can bolt in the cross member.. takes some extra work to mark holes and drill but it can be done

 

Besides a Jerry-can, is there a cheaper alternative than the $1500+ this option costs?

 

Not really.

Other two options are:
A) transferflow (thats discontinued now but some places still have a few in stock, hurry if you want to go this route)
2) LRA (aussie made) from distributor cruiser brothers.

Both these are 46 gal vs the 38 from toyota. Both the 46s costs about as much if not more than this 38 stock swap.

This 38 route just seems kind of a pain to mod the x member. Im done with modding stuff so im going with the LRA 46'er from cruiser brothers.

I use the trucky to hunt/fish which are 2-4 hr drives and also hauling a full bed and towing the floater to these locations.....so i need a larger tank. I got 4 NATO cans and they are a pain in da ass to store/carry.

$1500ish is cheaper than a new truck with a larger tank. And also some dudes spend just as much on tire/wheel combo. Not even gunna get into the cost of suspension upgrades. These larger tanks are a no brainer for our trucks.

 

I did a bunch of pondering and bugging other members on this.

I called TF with my credit card in hand to buy a leftover and they told me they sold all of them to a company in China. They were hoping in December to decide if they were going to produce the Tundra tanks again. The particular sales person I spoke with said if they did it would likely try for CARB certification. He also said they have bigger issues as this was when the fires were happening nearby. This is just what I was told regarding them re-introducing them. This would cost about $1650 shipped (not including coating).

I communicated with Ward (Thanks Ward!) from LRA was seriously considering when I heard the TF were sold out and he also had a $200 off special (maybe still does?). This would put the tank around $1550 shipped (not including coating). Also I think the price is increasing on these next year due to tariffs.

Then Black Friday happened. And I saw some Toyota part discounts and ended up spending under $1300 shipped for a factory tank, crossmember, front strap, pin, heat shields, and a gasket. I would still need to purchase a aftermarket skid plate (TBD as my truck doesn't have one now). And I currently have a coffin sized box sitting in my basement waiting until it gets warmer out (I live in the Michigan). The rest of the parts won't be here till later December as the cross-member is back ordered.

I like the 38g tank as its not a metal tank, I was concerned about interior and exterior corrosion. Yes I will have to modify the skid some and shim/relocate the p-brake and fuel line holders. Also I will be drilling some holes for the cross-member as of now. Might end up welding though. Another reason I wanted to move on this was the rumors of the 38g tanks being discontinued.

I hope this helps!

 

Subbed. Thanks for writing this up Bruce. I bought my 07 last month and drove it home to Denver from the ATL and the tank size was my only gripe, so this is now on my list. Kudos to you!

 

Just a lil UPDATE on the 46'er from LRA...i bought it from cruiser brothers, he was great to work with and i dint have any issues like from the other member.

Im in the cold white nord here in MN so the swap is on hold for a lil while. Its currently occupying the bed of the taco...as you can see from the pic, its friggin huge....it sticks out the back of the 6ft bed of the taco...cant close the tailgate.

I havent even unwrapped it from when it was packaged from ozzy-land...and its still chillin on the pallet. Too cold here to do anything, i juss threw it in the bed of the taco and called it good for now.

I am thinking of coating the tank with some kind of bed protector like linex or somethin similar.

To those who have done a linex on yurr similar TF 46'er, how much it cost ya?

An alterntive i was thinking to linex is herculiner. Anyone have experience with the herculiner roll-on DIY kit?

Thnx

 

What did it cost you?

 

Less than a set of tire/wheel combo.

A new set of FN BFD and KO2s would cost more than this...so this was worth it.

What did it for me was a roadtrip to Yellowstone and the uncertainty of when the next gas station would be. I also brought 2 5gal NATO cans and wat a pain in da ess to store them...especially it being in the bed with our other junk.

this 46'er would ease that.