Date: Tue, 7 Sep 1999 19:04:22 -0700
Reply-To: Max/Joyce Wellhouse <maxjoyce@IPA.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Max/Joyce Wellhouse <maxjoyce@IPA.NET>
Subject: Re: Spare Gas Container - My Solution
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
I need to get a consensus from the list on my method of toting spare fuel.
A lot of us carry a coleman gas stove when we go campping right?(well maybe
not all the Westy people). We have to store the coleman fuel somewhere,
Right? Most of us store it inside the vehicle in it's shiny metal can,
Right? Coleman fuel is an unleaded white gas with an octane rating of about
104 RON, Right?
Why can't that gas serve two purposes on the trip? Store it under the rear
seat as far away fdrom the rear heater as possible, mine sits inside a
rubbermaid tool box bottom with the lid removed for spill/leak containment.
My thinking is that a full can is much less lethal to carry than one that's
a quarter full(fumes have less space to accumulate?). This won't work for
the diesel sniffers, but us gas burners shoullld benefit, Right?
Shoot some holes in this thinking orelse agree with me for a change. After
all, the fuel is cheap at Stuff-Mart.
Dimwitted Moose and Flying Squirrel
-----Original Message-----
From: Frank Grunthaner <FrankGRUN@AOL.COM>
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Date: Tuesday, September 07, 1999 2:24 PM
Subject: Spare Gas Container - My Solution
>Sometime back, there was a thread on the storage of spare gas cans and the
>inadvisability of storing such in the spare tire area. I too had lusted
after
>the spare gas can that fit inside the spare tire, but finally gave up after
>years of trying to locate one. Couldn't even find them in Germany when I
last
>visited.
>
>When we purchased the Westphalia ('82 Diesel) and picked it up in
>Weidenbuch, I purchased a spare container (plastic) which was stored in the
>interior cupboard next to the rear seat. Over the years, with infrequent
and
>sporadic usage, the container eventually got relegated to the garage. When
I
>converted to gasoline power ('90 1.8 L 8V Digifant), I was reluctant to
store
>spare fuel inside the passenger volume. The German plastic container would
>not fit easily in the spare tire well, so another solution was needed.
>
>Solution: Many years ago I put mud flaps all around (purchased from QB
>Autocamp in England) and mounted the rears by drilling the lip of the frame
>near the mounting point of the Diesel engine covering pan. I purchased two
>mounting rings from a trailer supply store, and a screw-close threaded
chain
>link. The threaded link neatly went through the two holes in the rear
fender
>behind the rear wheel (forward of the bumper. The two mounting rings were
>secured by drilling the outer frame lip just as I had done with the mud
>flaps. I then purchased two Rubbermaid 1 gallon spare gas cans mounting
them
>up into the rear fender well, behind the rear wheel. I mounted one on each
>side. Originally, I was going to fabricate an Aluminum holder to support
the
>container, but finally used the thick solid rubber tie-downs (sold at
>Hardware stores). The front hook is attached to the front mounting ring,
the
>rubber strap then goes diagonally across the gas container, through the
link
>on the lower fender lip and then on to the rear mounting ring (mounted near
>the back panel of the vanagon. The area available is about 5.5 inches deep,
>8.5 inches wide and 12 inches long. The Rubbermaid container only occupies
>about 1/2 of this volume, but it doesn't hang down below the edge of the
>fender skirt. The stealth, or unseen nature of the solution appeals to me.
I
>have had occasion to use this arrangement four times in the last three
years.
>The total stored volume of 2 gallons has served well. More than eight
months
>of southern California weather and inattention did not cause any loss in
>stored fluids. The mounting rings are stainless steel and have shown no
signs
>of corrosion. The rubber straps seem to last much longer than the tires.
So,
>outside, easily accessible (particularly compared to a spare tire
solution),
>cheap ( less than $30 plus time) and time tested!
>
>Hope this helps someone!
>
>Frank Grunthaner
>
>Postscript: It really bothered me that this area was unused. Also no
apparent
>heating problems (muffler, etc.). Oh yeah, use at your own risk...I know
>nothing...!
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