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Mon Feb 28, 2005 7:28 pm

Does anyone know what years gas tank will fit a 56 Kombi? Any info would be appreciated.

Mon Feb 28, 2005 8:36 pm

They all fit but later ones have a Gas gauge hole .
I think any pre 60 tank would be right with out the hole.
or add a gas gauge and use a later tank

Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:10 pm

If you go with a later one just an FYI, Bus Depot has 'em on sale for like $59. I just ordered a new one for my '66 Westy last week and that was by far the best price by at least $30.

Tue Mar 01, 2005 2:54 am

Thanks for the information guys! Aloha!

Tue Mar 01, 2005 7:37 am

808bmx wrote: Thanks for the information guys! Aloha!

Howzit bruddah :!: ...just noted where you posted from. Howz the weather? I'm in WA State and it's like 45 degrees :cry: God I miss home... :cry: if you surf can you catch a wave for me and then eat some poke in my honor :lol: Later...

Tue Mar 01, 2005 8:34 am

Hi 808bmx,
Like others have said the late 1955 through 1967 tank will fit in. If you want to cruise, one can install the 1968-71 bus tank and get fifteen gallons capacity instead of the earlier ten gallons.
Eric&Barb

Wed Mar 02, 2005 12:40 am

Aloha Localboy mark! Weather has been really nice over the past week....it's in the 80's and sunny. There's been decent surf round the entire island over the last few days! Surf was breaking well overhead out here on the southwest side. Aloha to everyone that responded.

Wed Mar 02, 2005 6:52 am

Really any of the bay tanks will fit - I have a '73 tank in my DC, and the extra 5 gallons makes a HUGE difference on road trips...

Wed Mar 02, 2005 7:07 am

teamspatula wrote: Really any of the bay tanks will fit - I have a '73 tank in my DC, and the extra 5 gallons makes a HUGE difference on road trips...

I don't know about you guys, but I can't handle any farther than 10 gallons will get me. I like to pull off and get gas as it gives me time to stretch and move around a little bit. Anywhere I go has gas stations within 10 gallons of each other too.

Wed Mar 02, 2005 8:25 am

Hi Volks,
The 1972-79 bus tank can be made to fit, but from what we understand one needs to install (wood) shims under it to mount it. The 1968-71 has the same underside as the 1955-67 tank so needs no shims, and seals to the body just like the earlier.
We also like to get out of the bus every two or three hours to walk around at parks and rest stops for about ten minutes. Still we have often found ourselfs on trips late at night with towns far and few. Running very low on fuel and pulled into a town that looked big on the map. Only to find the entire town closed up for the night.
This has happened out in nowhere in Nevada on highway 50. Also Southern Cal in I-5, when we saw the services sign, and found out only by driving out to the town that it was six miles OFF of I-5!
Having the extra five gallons, we can start looking for a gas station at 200 miles with more than 345 miles range @23 MPG. Instead of every 100 to 125 miles with at most 230 miles range @ 23 MPG.
Eric&Barb

Thu Mar 03, 2005 9:45 am

Eric&Barb wrote: Hi Volks,
The 1972-79 bus tank can be made to fit, but from what we understand one needs to install (wood) shims under it to mount it. The 1968-71 has the same underside as the 1955-67 tank so needs no shims, and seals to the body just like the earlier.

Hm, I wonder if that is why there are pieces of wood mounted under the large tank in my 54 SC. It's really lame. the big tank can't be filled up all the way cause the geometry of the filler neck means that gas comes out when I turn left. It's all kinds of lame.

The 59 SC I used to have had a 15 gallon tank and got 28mpg. I drove from the bay area to Oly, WA. Filled up when I left, and stopped once in the middle for gas, then drove round town in Oly for a week before filling it again. Of course I stopped more often than for gas, but I could stop at rest areas, or scenic places to stretch me legs. It was nicer than stopping at gas stations.

Fri Mar 04, 2005 12:40 pm

Do the '68 to '71 gas tanks just slide right in with the filler tube and everything lining up? How about the sending unit...do you need the one out of a '68 to '71 tank?

Fri Mar 04, 2005 7:14 pm

tlavergne wrote: Do the '68 to '71 gas tanks just slide right in with the filler tube and everything lining up? How about the sending unit...do you need the one out of a '68 to '71 tank?

Hi tlavergne,
To fit you cut off the neck of a 1955-67 tank (preferably a rusted out one) and we found that to make the new tank and old neck line up properly we needed to cut and angle the neck. Otherwise the neck kept twisting loose the body grommet from the body. While doing the welding we installed a thick sheetmetal screen in the neck to keep out gas thieves.
As for the fuel gauge sender if you want to run a gauge you need the 1968-71 sender. It will work with either 12 or 6 volt gauges.
Eric&Barb

Fri Mar 04, 2005 7:36 pm

Thanks for the info...I am going to look into that.

Fri Mar 04, 2005 8:26 pm

tlavergne wrote: Thanks for the info...I am going to look into that.

Hi tlavergne,
Glad we could help!! Forgot to mention that we made extension pieces for the pre-1968 gas tank straps. We like to modify our VWs with the idea that that if need be later we can put back in the original part.
Also a good idea to install a stock 1955-60 reserve switch. So nice to be able to change fuel line or pull engine without fuel spillage and possible fire hazard. In our 1963 Sc we just slide under and reach up near the starter to shut off the fuel.
Eric&Barb

Sat Mar 05, 2005 9:14 am

if you run a splitty sender in a 15 gallon tank, it will read
full when the tank is full,
half full when the tank is 2/3 full,
and empty whe the tank is 1/3 full or less, for the last 5 gallons that is.

at least that was what the guage in my 59 truck with 15 gal tank did, and I guess that it had a splitty sender. I never got around to sorting it out before I sold the truck :cry:

Sat Mar 05, 2005 9:55 am

Hi Clara,
The fifteen gallon tank in our 1963 SC reads very well all the way to empty. We definitely have the 1968-71 sender inside it.
Eric&Barb