74 Bronco, replacing front, auxilary gas tank skid plate

[Ford74Bronco]

Hey guys, new to this site. Looks like the place to be.
I am trying to replace a rusted out skid plate on the front gas tank
under the seat approximately. The straps that hold that skid plate
on are attached by a bolt type hook on the rear which came off
easily. The front however has that H style tip that hooks into the
frame under on the front of the gas tank. I cannot get that out.
It looks like that slot is supposed to be wider so you can slip it in,
but it is not slotted bigger as far as I can tell. There are four bolts
in the plate where the notch is, can those be removed? Are the
corresponding nuts attached to the metal or will they come loose.
And if I remove those four bolts, looks like the frame is still over that
Help!!!!! Thanks.

 

[TheLimeRanger]

The 4 bolts go through a bracket that holds the straps. When you remove those 4 bolts it will make sense how it gets held in. I hit mine with the impact gun and had no problems. I’m sure there are plenty of horror stories however. I replaced my bracket with a new one from Tom’s it fit perfect. If you replace the straps go with the ones from wild horses they are super close to original. Also the straps are NOT the same length so pay attention as to which one goes where. This is kind of a pain in the butt by yourself but I did it with the help of a floor jack.

 

[Ford74Bronco]

Thanks for the response

The 4 bolts go through a bracket that holds the straps. When you remove those 4 bolts it will make sense how it gets held in. I hit mine with the impact gun and had no problems. I’m sure there are plenty of horror stories however. I replaced my bracket with a new one from Tom’s it fit perfect. If you replace the straps go with the ones from wild horses they are super close to original. Also the straps are NOT the same length so pay attention as to which one goes where. This is kind of a pain in the butt by yourself but I did it with the help of a floor jack.

Question when you loosen those four bolts are where are the nuts to those bolts? Are they attached somewhere, as I cannot get to them from the top. want to make sure I can bolt them in again.

 

[DirtDonk]

Hey there, welcome to classicbroncos! Oh, and welcome to the strange world of working on them too. Ugh...%)

I don't remember the details, and it was a pain in my case, but I'm pretty sure that the nuts were captured in the floor pan structure. I can't guarantee that, but I don't remember anything being truly hidden and a pain to get to.

Good luck.

Paul

 

[TheLimeRanger]

Hey there, welcome to classicbroncos! Oh, and welcome to the strange world of working on them too. Ugh...%)

I don't remember the details, and it was a pain in my case, but I'm pretty sure that the nuts were captured in the floor pan structure. I can't guarantee that, but I don't remember anything being truly hidden and a pain to get to.

Good luck.

Paul

Correct.

 

[sprdv1]

Welcome aboard.. You found the right spot

Hey guys, new to this site. Looks like the place to be.
I am trying to replace a rusted out skid plate on the front gas tank
under the seat approximately. The straps that hold that skid plate
on are attached by a bolt type hook on the rear which came off
easily. The front however has that H style tip that hooks into the
frame under on the front of the gas tank. I cannot get that out.
It looks like that slot is supposed to be wider so you can slip it in,
but it is not slotted bigger as far as I can tell. There are four bolts
in the plate where the notch is, can those be removed? Are the
corresponding nuts attached to the metal or will they come loose.
And if I remove those four bolts, looks like the frame is still over that
Help!!!!! Thanks.