A few months ago I was looking at my work truck (1500) from about 100 feet away and noticed something did not look quite right. Something was hanging down. I crawled under the truck and to my surprise the front gas tank strap was gone, and the tank was leaning badly to the front being held in place only by the rear strap. Only a small piece of the front strap remained, where it bolts to the frame. Not sure how long I drove it like this as you have to look from a distance to notice it.
I went right in the house and ordered a set of straps, IIRC they were about 30 bucks on Amazon, got them in a few days. The rear strap was still in great shape but the front strap completely rusted out. What caused this you may ask? Well, I haul seafood products in the truck and the salt water from them leaks down through the drain holes in the bed and drops right on top of the front strap. A little more vigilance and care on my part probably would have prevented this, If I had rinsed things off more often.
The repair itself is an easy one, I placed a block of wood under the tank, jacked it up back into position with a floorjack under the block. Then I removed the bolt that held the old strap remnants with a socket and extension. The new strap hooks on the frame on one side of the tank and a single bolt holds it on the other. Remove floorjack and done.
Lesson: If you haul anything corrosive in your truck you may want to take a look at your gas tank straps. Also may want to rinse it off now and then with fresh water!
I went right in the house and ordered a set of straps, IIRC they were about 30 bucks on Amazon, got them in a few days. The rear strap was still in great shape but the front strap completely rusted out. What caused this you may ask? Well, I haul seafood products in the truck and the salt water from them leaks down through the drain holes in the bed and drops right on top of the front strap. A little more vigilance and care on my part probably would have prevented this, If I had rinsed things off more often.
The repair itself is an easy one, I placed a block of wood under the tank, jacked it up back into position with a floorjack under the block. Then I removed the bolt that held the old strap remnants with a socket and extension. The new strap hooks on the frame on one side of the tank and a single bolt holds it on the other. Remove floorjack and done.
Lesson: If you haul anything corrosive in your truck you may want to take a look at your gas tank straps. Also may want to rinse it off now and then with fresh water!
