Gas Tank / Skidplate pad and reinstall.

I'm about to reinstall my repaired and re-sendered gas tank and had a question about the pad. Does anyone use this? If so where can I get one cheap, are there any field expedients i.e Home Depot products?

Also, any wisdom on reinstalling all the above. I'm up on securing the rear bolts for the tank, any other secrets or tricks?

Thanks

 

I found the remnants of a pad in my CJ-6. I reused it, but I coated the bottom of the tank liberally with Rust Encapsulator paint. The pad I took out looked like cork, maybe? A few cork floor tiles might be a good replacement, or several layers of bubble wrap?

My '73, bought new, rusted through the factory gas tank in two years. In Orange, California. The pads trap water next to the tank and the tanks rust through the bottom.

I'm not sure what approach to take ... you could leave it out. The tank will stay in without the skid plate, so the pad just keeps the plate from pushing up into the tank, if you hit it hard enough.

 

Personally I want as much air between them as possible to allow the skidplate to dry out and not hold moisture against the tank. I have drilled drain holes in my skiplate as well. I have about 3/4" or so of an air gap between the tank and the skid.

 

I have a thin sheet of rubber that I glued to the skid with marine glue. There is also a little space between the skid and the tank.

 

On my rebuild i did not install the pad. i dont think there was one on there to begin with. I also left a gap in between the tank and skid so that i can wash out between the two. should never rust from the outside that way

 

Survey say's......No Pad. The consensus is that no pad is needed or desired. Fine with me since there wasn't a pad on there to begin with. The no pad no rust scenario makes sense, every place on this rig where there was trapped dirt there is rust. So I now just have to finish up re-wiring the rear lights and the trailer connection and the tank will go back on without the pad. Thanks Guy's

 

I have had 2 73's and both tanks rusted through - both had the pad in place. My vote is for no pad.

 

When I get around to installing my skid, I was going to use some adhesive backed foam insulating strips. I found it at home depot in the weather stripping product section. It comes in a roll and is about 3/4" wide x 1/2" thick. Foamy kind of rubber with the "skin".

I was going to lay three 5" strips ,spaced apart, along each of the fore and aft reinforcing ribs of the gas tank. Shouldn't trap anything but will go along way in muffling that harmonic vibration that the factory mat was supposed to eliminate.