grrr... i just snapped the passenger side front leaf spring hanger.. (damned Mass. roads ).. my local indy will replace front and rear hangers tomorrow with ford parts. i have no grinder or torch to use here.

anyway looking underneath saw some fantastic rust.. not only the drivers side spring hangers but also something fairly shocking (to me anyway).. the gas tank straps look really bad.

is this something you can replace without say killing yourself?? is it a dealer only part?
it's the larger tank 21 gallons if that makes any difference...

 

When I needed to replace the gas tank straps on my 90 Ranger supercab about 6 years ago none of the autoparts stores had the correct straps or couldn't get them. I'm not sure if any of that has changed or not by now. But it surprised me that the dealership could get the straps although a bit pricey. Check around with some of the better parts stores in your area. They may be able to get the ones you need. Then if all else fails check the dealership. When replacing my straps, I found it easier to take the bed off so I could get to the section of the frame where the rear two piece strap fits in a notch in the frame. This also let me clean out the debris hiding between the tank and frame before attaching the new strap. And it helps to get the end of the new strap in place easier since there's no room between the tank and frame rail to get to the notch from below. Taking the bed off also lets you have more room to work on rusted strap bolts. Try spraying them down a few times a couple of days early with whatever you use for rusted bolts and maybe not very many will break or strip. You can replace whatever breaks with new grade 8 bolts and j-clip nuts from some of the better hardware stores or maybe the dealership. You may find a lot of the hardware on that to be metric. You don't need to have the tank completely empty when you change the straps, but half or a bit less would be good. The tank is pretty beefy plastic and taking one strap off at a time won't cause any problems. The tank is also held snug into the frame a bit by the shield that's between it and the drive shaft. You shouldn't need to unbolt or move this shield just for strap replacement. Taking the bed off is pretty simple. Take the tail lights out and unthread the light harness from the bed structure where ever it goes through one part of it over to the other side. You could mark down where it goes so you can put it back in the same spots later. Take the three screws out of the tank filler neck that attaches it to the bed. You may need to remove the filler cap when you take the bed off in case it won't fit through the hole with the cap on. You can use tape to cover the filler neck opening so dirt won't get in the tank when the bed is taken off. There are six torx socket head bolts holding the bed on the frame. I think they're #55. They too may be pretty rusty so soak them down a couple of days early. They have j-clip nuts on them as well. Keep track of where these bolts come from in the bed. The ones up by the cab will be longer than the ones in back. You can remove the tailgate to make the bed lighter and easier to work on the bed bolts. Three guys can easily remove the bed. Two to lift and one to guide out the tank filler neck and hose and to make sure no wires are hung up as the bed gets lifted straight up. Just walk the bed back behind the rear bumper and set it on a couple of good saw horses. If you have rear splash guards on the wire support frame, make sure one end of it isn't bolted to the frame. It's possible one of the parts suppliers on this site knows where you might find tank straps too, so you could check that. Let us know what you find and how it goes. And yes the larger tank does make a difference. That's the one the other parts stores don't have straps for.

 

Not your roads to blame for the broken front hanger, it is the water trapping design Ford uses. Kind of figured that out when the dealer parts guy told me they always have 3 or 4 in stock at all times. I've had to do both mine. At least they are cheap-20-25 bucks. Good you are doing the rears at the same time. I now keep all 4 hangers generously coated with Fluid Film spray to limit corrosion potential. I also baby the thin fuel tank straps and keep them covered with no rust paint. Rangers have alot of pros but you hit two of the biggest cons, in my view.

 

thank you both for the comprehensive replies. the indy replaced the front hanger and the 2 rear hangers and shackles. it was a lot of work requiring mucho torch action.. lots and lots of rust came raining down off them.

all grade 8 bolts/nuts and ford parts as replacements.

not something i could do with limited tools/no lift.

i'll keep an eye on those tank straps. they are holding for now but who knows
when they will be toast.

as for the roads i'll maintain what i said. along with ford's poor design being the culprit.. the roads here these days are like a lunar landscape!!
that combined with salt use in the winter and salt air all year round =
really rough on vehicles in general..
oh well...


have a good holiday weekend everyone.

 

oh and i'll add that the ford replacement parts are way more robust than the originals.
also there was a '95 F150 in the shop doing the same thing but his hangers/shackles cost exactly twice what it was for the ranger parts so i guess there was some consolation in that...

 

Hmm-my front spring brackets were the same, figured they'd have to be to fit the springs as well as the mounting holes in the frame. Oh well, the first ones lasted 10 years. While you are watching for rust, check your spare tire carrier as well. The bolt your lug wrench fits on the rear will rust up and on the front where it pivots down will seize up also. Not to mention the bolt that holds the tire in place. Nothing like a fine spare tire that you can't get to when needed.

 

maybe the fronts are the same.. sorry it was the rears i was talking about that were different/more expensive on the f150

lol, my spare tire carrier is also rusted to hell.. next project....
on the other hand the tire looks fine!! haha i just can't use it

 

I just began soaking the carrier bolt and hinge on a daily basis to get them free. PB Blaster or similar, I prefer Kroil. I had to drill out the bolt that threads into the carrier to hold the tire in place. Ended up replacing it with a threaded rod cut to size then bolted into place so that you can stick one of the lug holes through it. Fasten the wheel down with a washer and big wing nut. All copiously coated with no seize goop.

 

Check with some of the FTE Ford sponsors for straps. If they have them, you should get a better price. Also LMC Truck carries tank straps. You may want to check them out also.

 

I have a different problem: I can't get the key into the lock above the rear bumper to let the carrier down. How does one get the lock out of there for replacement?

 

Tell me about it!


It's bad in my ranger, even worse in my camaro.... No ground clearance and a very very stiff suspension= kidney damage

 

soaked the hinge with pb blaster and finally got it to move using a pipe for leverage.
the hold down bolt was also freed by using pb and said pipe. amazingly the spare was in decent condition! it probably hadn't been moved in 10+ years...

anyhow put it all back together and coated hinge and bolt with spray lithium grease to keep away more corrosion.

nice to know a spare tire is available if needed.

 

Back to the problem of gas tank straps. If all else fails, look for heavy duty (or standard) perforated pipe strapping and fabricate your own straps. A good hardware store should have what you need. Also cut some pieces of rubber (an old inner tube would do or some rubber roofing scraps) and put them between the straps and the tank to protect the tank from wear. Good luck.