Introduction
Hello All, just replaced the fuel tank straps on my crustnado of a 4runner. The rear strap was rusted through and the front was barely hanging on, causing the tank to sit directly on the skid. I tried to grab as many pictures as I could along the way, let me know if you have any questions!

Before and After


Step Directory (Jumps in Current Tab)

• Parts, Tools, and Consumables
• Step 1: Consume as Much Fuel as Possible
• Step 2: Jack Vehicle and Remove Rear Tire
• Step 3: Apply Penetrating Fluid to All Bolts
• Step 4: Secure Tank with Ratchet Straps
• Step 5: Remove Skid Plate
• Step 6: Adjust Ratchet Straps
• Step 7: Remove Tank Straps
• Step 8: Clean Rusty Areas
• Step 9: Reinstall Straps
• Step 10: Reinstall Skid Plate

Parts | Return to Steps

• Fuel Tank Straps- I purchased the LILAND GLOBAL Fuel Tank Straps from Rock Auto. I chose them since they were powder coated, rather than the bare option from Spectra Premium.
• Tank Strap Hanger Pin- One of my strap pins was in almost perfect condition, the other was all rusty. I got one new pin, it is PN 77653-35040.
• Tank Strap Cotter Pin- I lost one of the cotter pins for the hanger, so picked up 2 small stainless cotter pins from the hardware store to replace them
• Tank Strap Sleeves- Ideally these can be reused, but if you need new ones, the part numbers are 77681-35031 and 77681-35041.
• M8 Bolts- If its rusty enough to break through some straps, there is a chance you could break off some hardware too. The skid bolts are m8x1.25 and any length 15-25mm will work.
• M10 Bolts- The strap bolts are m10x1.25, and any length around 30mm will fit great.

Tools | Return to Steps

• Safety Glasses- No rust chunks in your eyes on my watch!
• Floor Jack
• Wheel Chock
• 2-3 Jack Stands- I made it work with 2, but 3 would be helpful.
• 2 Ratchet Straps
• 12mm and 14mm Sockets with Ratchet
• 12mm Wrench
• Pliers
• Plastic Wire Brush
• Wire Brush or Wheel

Consumables | Return to Steps

• Penetrating Fluid- I use 50/50 acetone and atf that I mixed in an oil dropper
• Degreaser
• Paper Towels
• Sandpaper
• POR15 or other Rust Converter
• Paint
• Zip Ties
• Anti-seize

Step 1: Consume as Much Fuel as Possible | Return to Steps
I got it down to an 1/8 of a tank of fuel, but then I forgot I was trying to drop the tank and almost filled it all of the way up. Ended up getting it down to just below half a tank before getting started. Also noticed how dirty my gauge cluster is now...


Step 2: Jack Vehicle and Remove Rear Tire | Return to Steps
One of the tank straps is a bit hidden in the driver's side rear wheel well. I chocked up the front passenger wheel, jacked it from the rear axle, set it on stands, and removed that wheel. Chocking your wheels is especially important if the rear wheels come off the ground, since the parking break break won't be there to help!


Step 3: Apply Penetrating Fluid to All Bolts | Return to Steps
If you rusted through a skid plate strap and need to replace it, there's a good chance you have some rusty bolts too. Soak them down with penetrating fluid, you need to do everything in your power to prevent them from breaking. There are 6 skid bolts total, and their locations are marked in the 3rd picture below


Step 4: Secure Tank with Ratchet Straps | Return to Steps
It's safe to assume that if one tank strap is broken, the other is either broken too, or on the way. I used ratchet straps to hold the tank, so I could drop the skid. Snaking the straps through was not too difficult, I just needed to try several routes to get them across. The hanging loops in the pictures are just there to show how I routed the strap before tightening it, all the slack was pulled out when they were secured.

Each strap was fed in through on the frame side of the tank, where the tank straps enter the skid. Don't worry about the ratchet straps overlapping the tank straps, we will adjust those later.

Front Strap
Here is how I snaked the front strap through the skid:


After I made it across the skid, I could then secure the ratchet strap on both sides. The hook side of the strap was attached to a little bracket for the parking brake cable.


The slack side of the strap was fed through this hole in the subframe, over the exhaust pipe and opposite side frame, then to the frame with the ratchet end.


Rear Strap
Here is how I snaked the rear strap through the skid:


Pro Tip: Since the rear strap was broken, it was a bit harder to feed it through. Sometimes it wouldn't go in one way, but would go in reverse. You can back feed the ratchet strap, tape the end to the section that needs to pass through, then pull the end through bringing the rest of the strap with it.


The hook end was secured to the little bracket that holds the rear tank strap.


The slack end was snaked over the drive shaft, muffler and frame, redirected around the body mount, and secured with the ratchet end to a drain hole in the frame.

Step 5: Remove Skid Plate | Return to Steps
As we saw when using the penetrating fluid, there are 6 bolts holding up the skid plate. I removed the bolts in the order shown below. This way, two bolts across from each other, #5 and #6, are left to hold the skid up until the end.


Bolt #4 is underneath the driveshaft and in a tricky location. I could only get a wrench on it, but didn't have enough leverage to break it free. I then set the passenger rear wheel on the ground and moved the jack and stand to the driver side. This is where 3 jack stands would have come in handy! After she was flexed out as much as stock suspension, sway bars, and my comfort would allow, I got a longer ratchet in to break it free. I then returned the setup to jacking under the rear axle, since that felt safer. I removed bolt #4 1/12 a rotation at a time, which was awful.


Before loosening bolts #5 and #6, place a jack under the skid to support it. These bolts could then be removed like normal with a ratchet or impact, and the skid then lowered to the ground.


All of the skid plate bolts were really crusty, and I was fully expecting to break them all off. I had a traumatic bolt breaking experience with the front skid plates, so I was preparing for the worst. For the front bolts, I was trying to break them free with a ratchet, since my little impact driver couldn't loosen a really stuck bolt, and I think the long applications of torque was one of the reasons the front skid bolts broke. By now I had this bigger impact, which could plow the bolts off no issue. The intermittent torquing with enough power to remove the bolts is what I think saved me.


Step 6: Adjust Ratchet Straps | Return to Steps
More than likely, your ratchet straps might have crossed over the fuel tank straps while in between the tank and skid. This is completely fine, we will now adjust them to not interfere.


I started by supporting the tank near the front with the jack and releasing tension on the front strap. I then moved the strap back and ran it through one of the exhaust hangers that was a bit further back than the subframe piece from earlier.


The rear strap was actually not interfering much, so I just jacked up the rear of the tank and moved the strap slightly further back. If your ratchet strap is interfering significantly, the same method as the front strap can be used on the rearward strap.

Step 7: Remove Tank Straps | Return to Steps
I started by removing the pins that are holding the interior side of the strap. I used pliers to remove the cotter pin, hammered out the strap pin, and pulled the pin through with pliers. I did this for both straps.


Next, the bolt side of the straps can come off, there is one bolt for each strap. Once again, I was worried about breaking bolts, and once again, I didn't break a single one! The first and second picture are the same bolt, look how that crusty boy came right out!


After removing, here is what is left of the front and rear tank straps. The front was barely holding on and the rear was rusted all the way through.


Before Tossing the old straps, remember to remove the rubber sleeves. We're going to clean and reuse these since they're in good condition.


Step 8: Clean Rusty Areas | Return to Steps
I started by removing all the extra grease slung by the slip joint and U-joints from the skid. Some foaming engine degreaser and a small plastic wire brush took care of this well.


I then needle scaled and wire wheeled any of the rust flakes of the skid. Anything loose I took off, but didn't grind to bare metal. I'll be using Rustoleum Rust Reformer primer before I paint, which converts surface rust to a paintable surface


I gave everything a light sanding with some 220 grit sandpaper to prepare the remaining painted surfaces. From there, I took the skid out back and got ready to spray. The rust reformer is only for rusty areas, so I sprayed only appropriate areas with it. After the reformer, I sprayed some regular flat black outdoor paint to cover everything. I'm not a great painter, but it should keep everything protected!


I also cleaned and painted the frame areas around the skid, but I want to come back and drop the tank when it has less fuel in it. This way I can get to all areas hidden above the tank and paint them too.

The hinge area of the new fuel tank straps had exposed metal, so I gave them a spray to protect them.

Step 9: Reinstall Straps | Return to Steps
The rubber strap sleeves we removed earlier will be reused, since they're in good condition. They were a bit dirty, so I cleaned them up with some soapy water and a plastic wire brush.


From here, the rubber strap sleeves can be installed on the straps. They fit kind of loose, so I used zip ties on the ends to keep everything secured. The front strap is the shorter strap, and the rear strap is the longer strap.


Moving underneath, I first installed the strap pins and cotter pins in their respective hangers. Each pin was coated in anti-seize to prevent them getting stuck down the road. Pliers were used to help get the strap pin's cotter pin in. The rusty pin is the one I ordered a replacement for. It didn't arrive in time, so I'll install later and update pictures. Update! Installed the new pin here: Extra Strap Pin Replacement + Fuel Tank Skid Fix



Swinging the straps up, the bolts can be anti-seized and attached to the frame. I didn't torque these bolts to anything specific, just snugged them up to a few ugga duggas with the mini impact and manually overchecked with a ratchet.


Step 10: Reinstall Skid Plate | Return to Steps
The skid plate was a bit difficult to wrangle in, so I apologize for not getting any super nice pictures. I put the bolts on in reverse order, starting with the #6, moving to #5, etc. All the bolts were coated in anti-seize, tightened up to a few mini impact uggas duggas, and checked with a ratchet. After the skid is in, it would also be a good idea to touch up any paint that go roughed up on install.



Congratulations!
Hopefully you and all of your bolts survived the tank strap replacement in one piece! Let me know if you have any questions about the install, I'd love to see some pictures of your strap replacement too!

AWESOME writeup

Timely writeup, thanks. The rear strap on my '03 looks just like yours, I already twisted the bolt in half there though so mine will be more "fun".

Nice work! Thanks!

Thank you both! Hopefully it can help you or someone else out in the future!

Oh no! I broke almost all my front skid plate bolts, so I feel your pain. Drilling and tapping holes upside down is not a fun day. The tank strap thread size is m10x1.25 if you need to get a tap. I made the mistake of getting m10x1.50 hardware at first, but they didn't work.

Maybe something like rivnuts could make life easier, but I don't know if they could hold that much axial force since I haven't used them before. The rear strap bolt had to pull a decent amount to get the strap bolt side fully seated, and combined with 23 gallons of fuel, they might not hold up.

Great writeup.

Well done man, another beauty write up and great you didn't have to use the fancy Milwaukee drill/tapp. ++on the anti-seize

Thank you!

Thanks a bunch! I kind of wanted to try those bad boys out, but maybe best that I didn't have to use them upside down trying to remove broken bolts lol. I'll have to conduct a separate experiment with some different thickness materials and see how they do with the chip clearance.

I do like anti-seize and future me probably will too! Only issue is I end up wearing about double the amount of anti-seize that I actually apply to bolts haha.

I love the stuff too...especially knowing everything under the truck will see salt and sand for 5 months up North here!

Anti seize - A Dab will DO ya

let me know how the experiment goes!

Awesome, thanks for the info.
My tank straps are getting pretty bad too and will be replacing them soon.

Thank you, I hope this is helpful during your replacement! Let me know if you have any questions! I'd love to see some before and after pictures if you are able to snag some!

I got no questions-you pretty much covered everything.
I have the same straps on order from Rock auto and if the weathers nice I might replace them next weekend.

I'll take the photos & post them when I'm done.