C172 PLT CAME WITHIN PT 1 GALLON OF RUNNING OUT OF FUEL AT NIGHT.

Narrative

I FLEW A PLANE FROM FARGO; ND; TO WILLISTON; ND. I ARRIVED AND LANDED SAFELY; BUT WAS NEARLY OUT OF FUEL (FILLED 39.9 GALLONS OF 40 GALLON CAP). THIS ENDED IN NIGHT VFR; SO I WAS UNDER MINIMUMS FOR FUEL (DANGEROUSLY). THIS WAS A RESULT OF A CULMINATION OF SMALL SITS WHICH LED TO THIS INCIDENT. WE LEFT FARGO WITH FULL FUEL (JUST TOPPED OFF) IN A PLANE THAT I WAS SOMEWHAT UNFAMILIAR WITH. BECAUSE THIS PLANE HAD 40 GALLON TANKS AND OUR NORMAL PLANE HAS 50 GALLON TANKS; I FORGOT TO TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT (I FILED AND OPENED A FLT PLAN WITH 5 HRS REMARKED AS FUEL AMOUNT). 30 MINS INTO FLT; WE APCHED A TSTM WALL EXTENDING FROM THE NE TO SW. WE CALLED FSS AND WAS ADVISED TO HEAD N; AROUND THE FRONT. WE DID SO; AND THIS EXTENDED OUR TRIP SOME 70-90 MI. WE LANDED IN DEVILS LAKE; ND; AT APPROX XD00 FOR A BIO-BREAK AND THEN DEPARTED. APPROX 1/2 WAY BTWN MINOT; ND; AND WILLISTON; ND; I NOTICED THAT WE WERE VERY LOW ON FUEL. BY NOW IT WAS NIGHT; AND I WAS NERVOUS ABOUT A LOW FUEL LNDG ON A RURAL ARPT THAT I WASN'T FAMILIAR WITH; SO I PUT THE PLANE IN A SLOW 150 FPM CLB IN THE CASE THAT WE MIGHT RUN OUT OF FUEL SO I MIGHT GLIDE IN. WE DID SUCCESSFULLY ARRIVE AND LAND. THE PROB WAS A CHAIN OF EVENTS: 1) WX DIVERSION INCREASED ENRTE TIME. 2) STOP THAT CONSUMED FUEL. 3) FAILURE TO USE MIXTURE BTWN STOP AND DISCOVERY OF PROB. 4) STRONGER HEADWINDS THAN EXPECTED. THAT; COMBINED WITH MY INITIAL BELIEF THAT WE HAD 5 HRS OF FUEL LED TO THE INCIDENT. I BELIEVE THE CLB TO 10000 FT; RE-LEANING THE MIX; AND SLOWING A BIT HELPED CONSERVE ENOUGH FUEL TO JUST MAKE IT.