Anybody explain why the gas tank looks like three sections?
Tom, I hope you're not getting tired of me.. I worked at 2 OEM fuel system suppliers in the past, but in the rear pic of the coextruded plastic tank, you can see the vapor / charcoal canister, looks like the fuel filter is there too, all of which is sitting in clearanced area making it look like what you described. Some tank designs I worked on were radical, had a 3 piece on a BMW, which needed jet pumps to distribute the fuel. Corvettes have a 2 piece, with a convoluted stainless tube connecting them. The blow molded tanks can be molded in some odd shapes to consume as much packaging space as possible. Unfortunately a heat shield is usually needed depending where it sits, which is below the tank. In the end, I'd prefer a plastic tank vs a steel tank. They deform much better than steel in an accident, and if there is a fire, the plastic will burn and eventually leak fuel, wheras a steel tank which would build pressure and pop / explode. I worked on the GT(40) tank, that was wild, called a "ship in the bottle" design. All of the typical external components, valves and lines are in the tank, in such that the tank is blown around the components. I'd hate to see the replacement cost of a GT tank at a dealership. Enough annoying babbling, I know.. sorry.