Metal Fuel Tank Filler Neck?

[jwill226]

It has been a long time since I posted here.  A while back I had bought a project truck and things quickly fell apart and I had to sell it.  Now I have bought another so hopefully things go better this time even though i'm not off to a good start.

I have a 78 K10 short bed 350ci automatic.  It has duel fuel tanks (and for some reason factory duel batteries but thats off topic).  Some time today some dirt bag decided to cut the rubber line that fills the tank on the drivers side and steal my gas.  It had a locking gas cap on the drivers side so they where bypassing that.

The passanger side has a stock cap and they just siphoned it dry like normal.  All told I lost about 25 gallons of gas at $4 a gallon + repairs.  I'm not happy.

Is there anyone that makes a metal replacement for those filler necks that will make it impossable to simply cut with a knife?  Is there any other options that would make my truck less of a target for fuel theft?

[Irish_Alley]

if you do that they will prob just punch a hole in the side of the tank. its sad that people steal from those who worked hard for their property.

[jwill226]

Probably right.  What gets me is this happend sometime between 630am and 430pm with as many as 4 people home.  It was in my driveway in view of a fairly busy road.  I live in a fairly rural area and am surounded by family and friends for the most part.  They are asll honest hard working types and a couple even have keys to my house so I know it wasn't one of them.

2 other vechicles in the driveway whern't touched.  My truck wasn't even locked and the stereo and the subwoofer behind the seat where still there.  There was a newer 4 runner near by that had a key in the ignition.  They just wanted my gas.  On top of it all I was late for work because of it.  I have never been late to work in 20 years.

Sorry for the rant. I just want to make it harder to do.

[Irish_Alley]

tell you the truth just cause of the ideal of someone putting a hole in my tank i dont use locking gas caps. if they want it bad enough they will do what they need to. my 79 thats lifted and 38s living in the country but my someone local got all the gas out. i had enough to start the truck it ran for about 30 sec and dies. i was only on my way to the mud lol. so from then on i only put a couple gal in it. also parked it different so the gas door was facing the house and they would trip the security light.

[jwill226]

I just bought this truck and it came with one locking cap and one regular.  I'm finishing up my smog issues before I do anything to it.  Your probably right.  only buy small amounts of gas and replacing the locking cap would at least keep the vandalism part from happening.  there is a gas station a 1/4 mile from my house and I almost didnt make it there and its down hill the whole way.  It died right in front of the pump. 

What really bothers me the most about this is I live with my parents and grandmother to help them out as their all disabled.  If something had happend to them I couldn't handle it.  Not knowing what that guy was capable of I can only imagen the worst if they had tried to confront him while I slept.  I work graveyardsso I worry enough as it is.

[bake74]

     jwill226, it would not be hard to take the rubber hose, find pipe the right dia. and bend it to the shape it needs to be.  If you do not have the means to bend it, almost any machine shop will and probably not charge you too much to do it.

[Boone83K10]

My truck has metal piping for the filler neck. GM stamping on them too. I've never seen them on other trucks.

[bake74]

My truck has metal piping for the filler neck. GM stamping on them too. I've never seen them on other trucks.

     Boone83, if you could post the numbers on your metal tubes I will do some research and see if they are available for all trucks or specific on only.  If you get a chance, that would be great.

[Boone83K10]

Ok, its LWB with dual 16 gallon tanks.

Might be a while since its snowing today, Tuesday and Thursday.

[Boone83K10]

I snapped a picture but didn't get any numbers. if this is what OP was thinking then I will take them off to get the numbers since they are at the end of the pipe under the very small pieces of rubber that connect them. In reality, they could still steal from me too, but maybe it would deter them.

I have these pipes on both sides.

[bake74]

     Boone, thanks for the pic, but the long bed will be different than the short bed, but I might still be able to track something down.

[jwill226]

Boone, thanks for taking the time to get that pic.  Its encouraging to me that something like this even exists.  I can tell you for sure that this would not work on my short bed.  I wonder if they make something like that for a short bed.

Like what was said before if I do that though I run the risk of having them just put a hole in the tank.  the only way I could figure would be to enclose the entire tank in sheet metal but then they would pry off the gas cap.  I hate to just roll over and make it easy for them but that might be what I have to do.

I hate giving in to the scum of the earth. 

[Boone83K10]

Couldn't you take that pipe and cut it to short bed length.

 

[bake74]

Boone, thanks for taking the time to get that pic.  Its encouraging to me that something like this even exists.  I can tell you for sure that this would not work on my short bed.  I wonder if they make something like that for a short bed.

Like what was said before if I do that though I run the risk of having them just put a hole in the tank.  the only way I could figure would be to enclose the entire tank in sheet metal but then they would pry off the gas cap.  I hate to just roll over and make it easy for them but that might be what I have to do.

I hate giving in to the scum of the earth.

      I say you need a couple of friends.  Smith and Wesson and 45.

[jwill226]

I say you need a couple of friends.  Smith and Wesson and 45.

I'm well covered in that department.  Problem is I slept threw it.  Going to be investing in a security system that will wake me in the future.  Had they come in the house I would be on a different forum asking the best way to remove blood stains.  I live in a rural neighborhood  where this sort of thing can, will, and has ended in blood shed.

I have been advising my neighbors of what happend so they can keep an eye on their own property.  One of my neighbors requested that I park my truck in a slightly different spot so he "can get a scope on it".  Another one that wears a badge told me that the only way these dirtbags will stop is if "home owners start putting them in the ground"

Meth has become a real problem where I live and the junkies are steeling what ever they can get their hands on to get their fix.  I hope it doesn't come to that at my house but that doesn't mean I'll be a victim either.