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Fuel tank skid plate alternatives

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4.4K views 20 replies 9 participants last post by  99wjtx  
S
#1 · (Edited)
So as most owners with the WJ encounter my fuel tank skid plate is about halfway rotted away and the other half that is still there is full of cracks where it just hasn't fell apart yet. Luckily I was trying to find a hitch for this to pull around my tractor otherwise I probably wouldn't have known it was this rotted until my tank fell out. I've been told by a couple scrap yards in my area that this shell is the only thing that holds a fuel tank in on my '03 Jeep so I'm trying to find out if anyone has found an alternative route to keep the fuel tank secured without having to buy one of these because in my area we have a lot of salt used and every scrap yard I have talked to told me to not even waste my time in this area to find one south of us several hours. I know my neighbor has a 98 and his has the actual fuel tank straps so I didn't know if that was an option or what other Solutions people have found because I am also wanting to put a hitch on it and I want to make sure that I'm able to do both secure my tank and have a hitch.
 
#4 ·
Yup:

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Or the new and improved, full stealth mode aka Krylon mode:

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Else there are cheap, thin, Chinesium replacements available:
www.amazon.com

Amazon.com: LAFORMO Fu-el Tank Skid Plate Brush Guard 917-528 Compatible with 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 J-eep Grand Cherokee (LFMOT001061) : Automotive

Buy LAFORMO Fu-el Tank Skid Plate Brush Guard 917-528 Compatible with 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 J-eep Grand Cherokee (LFMOT001061): Skid Plates - Amazon.com âś“ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
www.amazon.com

Dorman makes a slighty heavier one:
www.amazon.com

Amazon.com: Dorman 917-528 Fuel Tank Brush Guard Compatible with Select Jeep Models : Automotive

Buy Dorman 917-528 Fuel Tank Brush Guard Compatible with Select Jeep Models: Body - Amazon.com âś“ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
www.amazon.com

Don't forget the top straps:

IMHO of replacement in the salt belt - it took 20yrs for mine to get this bad. If I were to replace (I'm not on this WJ, maybe the next) with a cheaper version, how long would that last? 10yrs? Will I still have that same WJ for 10 at this point? Probably not. On my next WJ, if it needs it, I will replace it with Chinesium. I will also coat it with truck bed liner, and make sure it has drain holes in the appropriate places.
 
S
#6 ·
The local scrap yards told me that all that skid plate was what held the tank in except for the two straps that go across the top of the tank to stop it from bouncing around in there but I had already considered like ratchet straps or something because when I looked them up on Amazon and eBay they were 200 plus dollars and I might have the Jeep a couple years so it definitely wasn't worth that much if I could find an alternative
 
#7 ·
Well lets see.......we're talking about a tank under a vehicle, that has human beings in it, that contains 20? gallons of highly combustible fluid in it. Then we want to secure it with ratchet straps that can damage or tear easily........ok. I'm not as courageous as you guys.
 
#8 ·
Even though I have ratchet straps on mine, I cannot and will not recommend that anyone else use them. See disclaimer in my signature.
 
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#10 ·
Bought one from there myself this summer(shipping included it was cheaper than ordering a thinner one fron RockAuto). Arrived in decent shape for a used part, although if did take forever to arrive, as contrary to how their website potrays it, they need a week or 2 to pull it from the donor vehicle. I'd suggest ordering tank straps and knowing that straps/hardware/ect doesn't some with the part, despite their site saying "hardware included." Luckily I didn't need hardware, and as welding was part of the other repairs I was working on, I was able to knock out and weld in SAE nuts for the troublesome bolts.

I did take a wire wheel to all rusty spots on the used part, then gave it a good coating of Chassis saver paint, and topped with multiple coats of cheap spray paint. I've found these "rust converting" paints are useless for unibody vehicles, as the chassis flex results in cracking and rust getting trapped behind the paint.
 
T
#11 ·
IIRC, Dorman has both a replacement skid pan and straps. The assessment I remember is that they are not at thick as the original....what ever you get, use liberal amount of POR on it. Hmmmm I wonder if 'banding straps' would be a good (reasonable?) alternative?
 
#20 ·
Given the price(especially if shipping is neccesary), and quality, I'd go with a DeadJeeps one ober a Dorman every day, as DeadJeeps has free shipping, and buying the Dorman from Rockauto costs more with shipping, than the DeadJeeps ones.
 
R
#12 ·
I just got one this week. At the LKQ pick and pull in Chicago. It was about 40 bucks. They empty the fuel so it was light. Less than 20 minutes to remove it. You will be better off using a battery impact to remove the bolts as they were quite rusty

Ron
 
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