I dropped my gas tank to put in a new fuel pump. I found the plastic straps across the tank holding it to the shield were worn through at the point they touched the hitch. Should I worry about replacing them somehow? They are simple black shipping straps that are heat sealed together. I have a hunch that they were to hold the tank to the shield as they were lowered upside down onto the frame during assembly. Since they rub the hitch wings they probably did not care if they wore through. Most ladder frames are placed upside down and the suspension/axles/tank/etc. are put on and then the frame is flipped right side up for engine, trans, and body. You can see them flipping a F150 frame at 2 .00 min in on this vid:
Any thoughts? I'm thinking of not worrying about it and just reassembling as is.

 

Thx for the KY assembly info. Bion. I agree, they're no longer needed and if someone needs to reassemble the unit from above (from an upside down Ex) they'll find a way to reattach.

 

Wouldn't ya know it, all of a sudden those straps are the least of my worries. I just took the tank out of the shroud, thinking I'd wire wheel it and hit any rust with a needle scaler and then Eastwood rubberized rust encaspulater. No such luck. The side sheet metal comes down on the right side and has a short seam weld to the bottom pan. That weld rusted to heck and back, swelling the seam for about 8 inches. The expansion is so bad that it was rubbing on the fuel tank. It had not rubbed a hole in it yet, but it was only a matter of time. The other side is rusting and expanding, just not as much.

Now time to get out the plasma cutter and the mig welder, fabricate some new sections and weld them in. Then grind and paint. Sometimes ya just can't win. This will cause another week delay at least, considering my schedule lately.

 

 

BTW I found removing the fuel tank a fairly easy job. I can see why some people complain about it though. Most are using a standard floor jack to lower it and it becomes a rocking danger. I pulled out my motorcycle jack instead. The motorcycle jack has a wide surface that spans across easily. I don't have a motorcycle anymore, but I keep the jack around for special problems like this. This is the type of jack I used. Makes it easy and safer.

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Bion, I've had my tank down twice now using a standard floor jack, that MC style jack looks like it would make the job MUCH better!
As far as the plastic straps go, I cut mine off over 25K miles ago with no ill effects. Good luck with the skid plate repairs.
We are planning to be at the https://koa.com/campgrounds/philadelphia-south/ in Clarksville NJ on July 13,14,15, that looks pretty close to Mount Royal if you want to meet up and show off the new skid plate repairs.