Pro Comps, a new Zerk and the tank rises!

Gas Tank!

While the rest of my life screams along at break-neck speed, this project plods along resolutely. I keep seeing light at the end of the tunnel, then night sets in and I have to pull over.  Night being anxiety.  Getting on the road before the snow flies is no longer realistic, so I can relax and focus.  "It's a good thing", as Martha is fond of saying!

My next milestone:  Install the gas tank.  There are a mess of fuel separator lines and hoses along with the fuel-fill and vent line, all dependent on the tank being in place.  So, it was time to scoot the tank under the truck and lift it into place.  Or so I thought.

One, the weight of the tank exceeds my ability to lift at such a strange angle, and two, I started dinging up the paint on the chassis when I tried.  So, after thirty minutes staring up at the undercarriage (in admiration I might add), I decided I needed a plan!

First and foremost, protect the chassis.  Me thinks wrapping the exposed parts of the frame, axle and transmission in a protective cover of some kind is in order.  I went o my local box store and wandered the isles scratching my head when the light came on.  Use that rubbery foam used as carpet pads!  (Later you'll learn was this was a not-so-perfect solution)

Here is the result:

Next, we need more brawn.  This was provided by my good friend, Orlando, who also brings his keen automotive savvy to the party.  It took a good two-plus hours to complete, but up the tank went.  The fit is a complicated bit of twists and turns and requires that the skid plate be installed over the tank and the straps in place for it to work.  I had restored the tanks original felt pads and glued them carefully into place with a truly fantastic product called Permatex Ultra Black.  It's a silcone RTV gasket maker, but works great as a glue.  Here are some pictures of the entire life cycle of the tank.  Enjoy.

The desert clay was everywhere!

Truly disgusting amount of clay, rust and dust.

The original pads looking good after power washing.

A skid plate under all that crap!  No rust!  Pads Great.

Undercoater on bottom of tank

Looking smart on the side nobody will ever see!

Tank straps (rubbers were amazingly supple, no damage)

Pads restored and replaced with Permatex RTV

Tank vapor recovery manifold.

Skid plate ready with SEM Chip Guard paint

Ready to raise, skid plate held by strap (blue)

Finally in place!

Now, remove that foam...

Note the rubber

Install the four Pro Comp ES3000 shocks

Somewhere between the time I disassembled the truck and received the chassis back from painting, I was missing two of the shock spacers/washers.  They keep the bushing from squishing out too far and are specifically cut to fit the spindle.  There are two sizes for each spindle and they are no longer available.  I have no problem making them, but they are cupped which makes this particularly challenging.  So I opted to buy used ones, and rusty ones at that.  So, I decided to restore all of the washers and coat them with a POR-15 product with a nickel color. You may detect this in the photos.

You little Zerk!

So, this truck is (of course) metric throughout.  The US of A has been teaching us the metric system for decades and the manufacturers have pretty much bought in (while dragging their heels).  So, cars have forever been a mix of standard and metric hardware, driving the mechanic NUTS!  Wouldn't you think that auto parts stores would be interested in carrying...(cough)...metric hardware?  

I needed one measily little Zerk fitting for my rear drive shaft.  If you aren't familiar with a Zerk fitting, a man named (of all things) Zerk designed this little wonder back in the thirties (can you believe it?) that allowed grease to flow one direction through a spring loaded detente ball.  It's a tiny little "valve" that threads into the part you want lubricated and they usually last forever (always lubed!).  However, one on my universal joint had dropped a ball and was spitting grease back at me at roughly the same volume as I was pumping it in.  Now, I just wanted one fitting, but nobody had them.  Most places had no metric fittings at all.  My buddy Orlando had a jar full of fittings but not one was metric!  And get this:  I was even willing to pay for it (really!).  Finally (and I should have tried there first) my NAPA store had it... in a box of 20 in every imaginable size and configuration. Now I have something to leave to my kids!

Anyway the shaft before and after: