New Fuel Tank - Foam Pad

I removed the fuel tank because there was garbage going into the filter and also the gauge wasn't working. There was a foam pad between the skid plate and the tank, when I peeled it off the tank, it opened a couple pin holes.

I replaced the tank and the assembly with the float and filter, etc., now everything is back together and working except that I haven't reinstalled the skid plate yet.

My question... is the foam pad needed to support the tank, there are only the three mount bolts? The old pad has a thick rust layer stuck to both sides and removing it isn't easy. Can I just reinstall the skid plate without the foam pad?

Thanks

 

That foam pad was one of Jeeps worser ideas... my brand new '73 started leaking due to rust through of the gas tank, within two years, in sunny California.

I certainly would not put the pad back the way it was. The fuel tank skid plate was optional 72-75, so the tank won't fall out if you leave it off (as it would '76 on). I expect the pad was meant to either keep stuff out from between the tank and the skid, or to distribute any big hits to the skid over the whole tank... I'd probably coat the bottom of the tank with a couple of layers of good paint like POR-15 or epoxy and put it back. The pad is going to wick up moisture... maybe coat the outside of the pad with a rubberized coating or epoxy or something to keep water from soaking in.

 

Lose the pad. As previous post suggests, coat the tank with something substantial. I used two coats of a brush on undercoating. No pad makes it easy to rinse dirt, mud etc. from between the tank and skid plate to further deter rust. Might be a good time to install a HD skid plate, if you don't already have one. Mine is like 3/16 or 1/4 thick and has saved my bacon on numerous occasions.

 

The purpose of the pad was to keep the tank from "drumming", for lack of a better word.
On the '72, the pad was absent. Upon filling the tank, when filled to a certain level, the tank would "thump', which was the expansion. The bottom would bulge a little.
The tank started to leak within a year, developed a crack at the bottom rear corner.
Repair lasted as long as ownership
Not too many '72 to '75 left, so the problem has gone away by itself.

 

Tommycj, don't take this the wrong way, but how do you know this? I've never heard of such a thing - all the 72-75 CJs with skid plates that I've seen have the pad, '72 included. It's been a long time since '72, but I spent a lot of time at the Jeep dealer in '72 and owned a '73, and later worked for the same dealership. I talked with the mechanics a lot in that time, and talked with them about my leaky fuel tank, and never heard of such a thing. Plus, I know the skid was optional in '73, and I'm pretty sure it was optional through '75. If the skid with the pad was required to keep the bottom of the tank from flexing and fatiguing, I don't think Jeep would have continued to offer the skid plate as an option once the pad was fitted.

I'd be happy to be wrong, since it's a good story, but I don't see how your explanation can be correct.

 

I have a 72 that doesn't have a pad but who knows if it had one when it left the factory. As for the drumming, mine does it when the tank is over 3/4 full. I'm used to it but I get lots of stares if I'm parked near people.

 

My '74 had a piece of ribbed rubber matting between the skip plate and the tank. I don't think it was OEM but had read somewhere it was there to prevent the tank and SP from rubbing a hole in the tank. The ribbed matting was to allow air to circulate and water to drain.

 

Tim:

Accept the fact that some CJ's had the pad, some didn't. Mine was early production.
They fixed the problem with the addition of the pad between the tank and skid pan, and created another problem.