Hardware for Fuel Tank Skid?

[mattging94]

I just got my hands on a OEM skid plate for the fuel tank on my '03. Problem is it didn't come with any hardware to mount it. Anybody know what hardware I need to mount it?

 

[cvar]

Just ordinary bolt screwed into ordinary speed-nuts that clip onto your frame.

 

[mattging94]

Where do I get speed nuts big enough to fit the frame holes? Looks like it needs to take a bolt in the 1/2" neighborhood but all I can find for speed nuts is 5/16" and smaller

 

[mattging94]

Correction - the mounting holes on the skid itself won't take much more than a 3/8", so need speed nuts in that thread that are long enough to span the gap between the square hole you clip the speed nut through and the round hole the bolt passes through - about 3/4" between the closest edges of each hole. Anybody know where I could get something like that?

 

[cvar]

The four 10 mm (metric) nuts and bolts have the following Ford part numbers, if that helps. I'm sure Dorman makes a replacement, if Ford dealership is out of stock. Have you tried LMCtruck or Rockauto or your local parts stores? Or ebay?

N801107-S426 U-Nut, M10-1.5
N605920-S426 Bolt, M10-1.5 x 33.5

BTW, Ford factory service manual says torque them to 25-34 ft-lb.
http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/sdcrowder/2011-01-11_210741_95_explorer_fuel_tank_removal.pdf

 

[mattging94]

Thanks for the info, that should help a lot I think. Haven't had a chance to check the dealership or anything yet; I'll start looking around more now that I've got a better idea what I'm actually looking for.

 

[racer1044]

http://www.dormanproducts.com/p-20063-55157.aspx
Not sure if these would work but there fairly cheap and most parts store stock them.

 

[1996xlt]

I think explorers from 95-01 used the same hardware, so you may want to check one next time you're at the junk yard.

 

[mattging94]

I ended up finding some 3/8" J-style speed nuts at Home Depot that were long enough to fit the holes on the frame rail. For the passenger side of the skid the holes in the frame cross-members that the skid mounts to are oval shaped, so a 3/8" carriage bolt pushed through the cross-member locks in nicely to tighten the nut from the open side. Everything is all mounted up nice and tight now

 

[chudykGT]

I just took the fuel tank straps from the wrecker ranger I got my fuel tank skid from. it has the bolts on it for mounting skid plate.

 

[MastuhWaffles]

Put up some pictures.

 

[mattging94]

Here's pics of how I got the skid plate mounted. Basically it's just carriage bolts with the square shoulders locked into the oval shaped mounting holes in the frame crossmembers, and 3/8" J-type speed nuts pushed through the square holes in the bottom of the frame rail lined up with the round mounting holes. Everything's still mud-splattered from my last wheeling trip

Just to show it off here's my front skid plate I got from RCI - it's real beefy 3/16" plate and just mounts in place of the factory plastic radiator splash guard