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Working on dropping the skid plate/fuel tank for purpose of rust reform with por-15 treatment underneath on 1989 Grand Wagoneer.


These 2 bolts are really giving me hell. The bolts spin and I cant get a socket or wrench on top of them to hold them still due to the fuel line in the way and the closeness of the body.
My (somewhat reckless) buddy says I should just angle grinder them off and replace them. Doing metal work like that near the fuel tank (with the 2 hoses from the backside currently off and tank drained) causes me worry. What do you guys think is the solution here?

Get a stubby wrench, or cut down a cheapie. Jam it on there and remove nuts.

You only have to remove one of those bolts -- I can't remember from the picture but it is easy to tell when you're under there...

One of those bolts attaches the tank strap to the skid plate -- and it is not actually attached to that body rib/rail. There is a large hole drilled in it, and the head of that bolt simply passes through. The other bolt attaches the lip of the skid plate to that body rib/rail -- it is the only one that has to be removed.

acct21 wrote:You only have to remove one of those bolts -- I can't remember from the picture but it is easy to tell when you're under there...

One of those bolts attaches the tank strap to the skid plate -- and it is not actually attached to that body rib/rail. There is a large hole drilled in it, and the head of that bolt simply passes through. The other bolt attaches the lip of the skid plate to that body rib/rail -- it is the only one that has to be removed.

Wow. I hadn't really looked at it good enough from the top side to notice this. I kept trying the first nut and getting nowhere.
I bought a low profile 13mm socket and was just able to get it on top of the back bolt and successfully got the nut moving.
Thank you. Praise the old gods and the new for this place.

Doesn't seem clear whether I to need to access the fuel sending unit through the interior cap. Will that be necessary?

pb blaster or a mix 50/50 acetone/ATF, soak for a few days.

89er wrote:

acct21 wrote:You only have to remove one of those bolts -- I can't remember from the picture but it is easy to tell when you're under there...

One of those bolts attaches the tank strap to the skid plate -- and it is not actually attached to that body rib/rail. There is a large hole drilled in it, and the head of that bolt simply passes through. The other bolt attaches the lip of the skid plate to that body rib/rail -- it is the only one that has to be removed.

Wow. I hadn't really looked at it good enough from the top side to notice this. I kept trying the first nut and getting nowhere.
I bought a low profile 13mm socket and was just able to get it on top of the back bolt and successfully got the nut moving.
Thank you. Praise the old gods and the new for this place.

Doesn't seem clear whether I to need to access the fuel sending unit through the interior cap. Will that be necessary?

When you drop the tank there will be 2 wires on top that just pop off. There should be enough slack in the fuel lines to drop the tank. The fuel sending unit will be accessible by removing the large plastic nut.

Just for future reference -- in case somebody else comes along -- you can pretty much get to all six lines going to/from the coffin tank on the later GW -- the two filler hose/vents, the two fuel/return lines, and the two tank vent lines -- before you actually drop the tank. you would be detaching the filler and vent hoses from the back of the tank, detaching the fuel/return soft lines from the hard line attachments at the frame rail, and the two small tank vent lines from their hard lines underneath the body. It requires some contortions, but is pretty straightforward.