Dual Fuel Tanks Savage X

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thesmilingpirate

Well-Known Member
Messages
355
Location
Long Island, New York
I'm not sure about the other members of the HPISF, but I enjoy working on my Savage. Bashing is fun, but wrenching is a whole lot better. (IMO). When the truck is inside on the bench, I'm always itching to tweak something or engineer a modification.

So, while going through a box with old Savage stuff yesterday, I came across the stock tank from the Savage. I replaced the stock tank soon after I got the truck because of the half tank lean issue. This tank was destined for the bone yard. It was among other parts that were on the short list to be scrapped. But after a full tank run through in the morning that lasted
about 15 minutes, I remembered that the new tank held less fuel. Therefore, shorter run times. (Insert Lightbulb here)

Now I was curious about dual tanks on the Savage. I know the first response about this is going to be about the weight that is being added to the truck. Keep in mind, this mod was spur-of-the-moment and experimental in nature. My only concern was to see if I could get dual fuel tanks to run on the truck to extend the run time.

First thing I did was see where the secondary tank could go. The stock Savage tank is so large it's not easy to do. If the truck was already a mid-tank mod it may have been a bit easier. But my goal was to get the stock tank on the truck with only the parts I had on-hand in 30 minutes. Anything over 30 minutes was not worth it to me.

After exploring the minimal options for the location of the secondary tank, I decided the perfect fit was behind the rear
shock towers. I now need to figure out how I was going to secure the tank to the truck.

I took the two stock tank mounts and looked at how they could be used as the mounts for the secondary tank. I then drilled a hole in each of the stock mounts and the corresponding location on the truck. The location of the stock mounts forced me to have to change the two screws that hold the rear bumper on. They were too long. I used two shorter screws that were long enough to hold the bumper on and still allow me to secure the tank mounts. I added a tie-strap on the left tank mount for added stability. Secured the tank on top with the clips and I was now ready for the fuel line configuration.

Here is the fuel line configuration I used:

tuned pipe > main tank pressure nipple (on lid)
main tank feed > fuel filter
fuel filter > secondary tank pressure nipple (on lid)
secondary tank feed* > carb

* Here is where may add another filter or move the filter off the main tank to this location. I have to test both to see
what works best.

Once the fuel line configuration was done, there was nothing left to do but test it. I accomplished my goal of using only the parts I had on-hand and finished within the 1/2 hour.

I filled the main tank about a 1/4 of the way and the secondary tank about 3/4. The reason I did this is because I really didn't feel like waiting for a full main tank to finish to see if the secondary tank would kick in. Doing this probably caused most of my starting problems since it seemed like it was more difficult to start the truck now with two tanks than with one. I have a feeling back-pressure may be causing this.

Anyway, once I got the truck started, I blew through the main tank and once I did the truck kept going. Fuel was flowing from the secondary tank with no problem at all. Now, by no means would I go to print with this as the next revolutionary mod but proof of concept was there. It was fun and it worked. Try it out for yourself. Remember, it's not like it's permanent.

If you don't like it, you’re left with two holes on your truck. Could be worse.

Enjoy!

Here are a few pics of the finished product.

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Like I said, a second tank should not make a an engine run lean. However, it will run lean if for some reason there is a lack of pressure due to a line or tank cap that is not sitting right. Second tank means it takes more to push the fuel through the lines. Curiousity keeps the hobby interesting.
 
the second tank or "header" tank is a mod that was actually designed to eliminate fuel tank lean in r/c planes. as you can see from jimmy's pic, many peeps have used this on the savage to eliminate MTL.


to this day, peeps 'still' ask me "why the savage?" and the answer is always the same...... there are just so many ways you can modify it.





have you run it yet?
 
Hey frddy, I've ran it and it ran as expected. However, as you know, new mods will always need some sort of tweaking. Thanks for asking.

It's funny though how people are so eager to point out the potential failures in a mod. What's the worst that can happen, the truck flips, crashes on it's top and the tank flies off? The only thing I would be ####ed about is that it wasn't captured on video. I'm not on this for to tell people how to mod their truck, I'm showing them how I modded my truck. I could care less if they don't like it. At the end of the day if this hobby is not fun, it's time to go find something else that is.
 
It's funny though how people are so eager to point out the potential failures in a mod. What's the worst that can happen, the truck flips, crashes on it's top and the tank flies off? The only thing I would be ####ed about is that it wasn't captured on video. I'm not on this for to tell people how to mod their truck, I'm showing them how I modded my truck. I could care less if they don't like it. At the end of the day if this hobby is not fun, it's time to go find something else that is.


best quote ever eat mind if i use that in my signature?
 
Thanks Mikey. Sure, I would use it in my signature too but I have to scale it down a bit to fit under the 300 character limit. I'll pick out the core stuff so I get my point across.

If it says how you feel, by all means use it. :cheers:
 
Hey frddy, I've ran it and it ran as expected. However, as you know, new mods will always need some sort of tweaking. Thanks for asking.

It's funny though how people are so eager to point out the potential failures in a mod. What's the worst that can happen, the truck flips, crashes on it's top and the tank flies off? The only thing I would be ####ed about is that it wasn't captured on video. I'm not on this for to tell people how to mod their truck, I'm showing them how I modded my truck. I could care less if they don't like it. At the end of the day if this hobby is not fun, it's time to go find something else that is.

don't get me wrong it just looks like its in a bad position i would give it a try in a different place.
I personally modded a 500CC plane tank to fill up like a car tank to get stupid long run times but i installed it in the front were it was covered by the body to give it protection you may try am method like that to keep the tank safe
 
Fluxinator, I can totally understand your view. You have to remember one thing that I specified in the first post- This was a spur-of-the-moment, use whatever parts I had on hand, 30 min mod. This was not something that I brainstormed for three days about and decided that this was the best location for the second tank. It fit, I went with it. I wasn't sending schematics off to HPI for their enginnering dept. to review. It was a simple quick, trial and error mod. I just wanted to get the truck to run with two tanks. There may be some guys out there somewhere who can't get their trucks to run with one tank.

Regarding the protection of the tank, it is completely covered by the body so it is protected for the most part.
:deadhorse:
 
Another run with this setup yesterday and not experiencing the truck running lean at all. Run time was great. Main tank emptied and the header tank took over. Don't seem to be experiencing any pressure issues at all.

Truck flipped several times and landed on its back and stayed running much longer than usual.

Also moved the fuel filter to the fuel line before the carb.

So far, experimenting going better than expected.
 
I'm not on this for to tell people how to mod their truck, I'm showing them how I modded my truck.


Well said dude. You're gonna get this on any forum & ive found that most times, the person saying it won't work never actually tried it.

the savage isnt about pulling it down off the lhs shelf and bringing it to the track. savages were always about customizing and modding.

hell, you put a lid on my flux and if you cant see the tvps you'd never even know its a savage anymore.
 
I'm not on this for to tell people how to mod their truck, I'm showing them how I modded my truck.


Well said dude. You're gonna get this on any forum & ive found that most times, the person saying it won't work never actually tried it.

the savage isnt about pulling it down off the lhs shelf and bringing it to the track. savages were always about customizing and modding.

hell, you put a lid on my flux and if you cant see the tvps you'd never even know its a savage anymore.
 
Thats an old mod beffore the Ofna and other half tank lean fixes were out. Truck looks nothing like that now. Thats actually my black and red midtank truck now. I bashed the hell out of it with that header tank. Note the gouges on the mounts. Those header tanks are thick and very tough and the skid would have to snap the braces and bend all the way back to hit it. Never had any problems with that set up.
 
Never had any problems with that set up.
For a quick, zero cost mod, I haven't had any problems with the setup either. Specifically leaning issues. Damage control is something else. The body covers the header tank but I'm sure with a full force impact to the rear there would be some damage. The mod is nothing permanent. I can remove the tank at any time. Just will go back to shorter run times.

Thanks for the info Grumpy.
 
And Grumpy, what are those shocks?
 
I don't bash my truck, so I don't worry about landing on the back and the tank flying off. I would, on the other hand, love to have extended run times, so I might have to give this a shot!! I'm thankful for you guys that try new things and share those ideas with the rest of us. Keep up the good work!!
 
I don't bash my truck, so I don't worry about landing on the back and the tank flying off. I would, on the other hand, love to have extended run times, so I might have to give this a shot!! I'm thankful for you guys that try new things and share those ideas with the rest of us. Keep up the good work!!

Neither do I Preacher... I run it and if it flips and something breaks, I fix it. I don't run my truck nearly as hard as some other guys. But it all comes down to how you like to have fun with the Savage. There's really no rule book on how things "should" be done.

I like to experiment and do unconventional mods and see how they go. I can tell you that I am experiencing extended runs times with both tanks. The main tank is much smaller than the stock tank so it empties fast but the header tank kicks in and I don't notice a hiccup.

That's what this hobby and forum is all about...sharing ideas. It's how we learn. A bone stock truck is no fun.
 
I don't post often but this one caught my eye; pirate I have to disagree with you on one point, if the stock savage was no fun this site and all of our time spent bashing/racing/moding would not exist, the stock savage was (IMO) the birth of a whole new hobby and I am thankfull for my hours of driving it as it lead me to question "what can I do to make this beast better" and for some of us thats what this is about.
Thank whomever you must for the savage it helps keep this hobby alive!
 

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