Thats how they did it back than, when you buy a 30 year old truck don't expect the latest safety equipment. The original Mustang was a death trap that would turn into an oven if it got rear ended.

My Silverado has the tank between the frame rails where it belongs, they learned a lot from 1980-2005.

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2006 CL500
2009 C300 4matic
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200