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Rear Bumper/Spare Tire Mount Thoughts

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Gary Lewis

Re: Rear Bumper/Spare Tire Mount Thoughts

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My friend makes tow eyes out of 1" stock. I haven't seen them yet, but assuming a clevis will attach, if they were drilled and tapped they could be welded to the bumper over a hole in it. Then the bracket from the frame could come back and the bumper could be attached to the bracket via the tow eyes.

In addition, if 3/16 or 1/4" angle was used to attach to the hitch mounting spots and tie into bumper it would be extremely solid. I would not have any fears of off-angle pulls damaging anything as the bumper would tie the whole back end of the frame together tightly.

As for the latch, are you saying the V was a shallow ramp? I was wondering about doing that as it would put enough tension on the swing arm that nothing would move. Or, am I misunderstanding?

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
Blue: 2015 F150 Platinum 4x4 SuperCrew wearing Blue Jeans & sporting a 3.5L EB & Max Tow
Big Blue: 1985 F250HD 4x4: 460/ZF5/3.55's, D60 w/Ox locker & 10.25 Sterling/Trutrac, Blue Top & Borgeson, & EEC-V MAF/SEFI

Nothing Special

Re: Rear Bumper/Spare Tire Mount Thoughts

Gary Lewis wrote

My friend makes tow eyes out of 1" stock. I haven't seen them yet, but assuming a clevis will attach, if they were drilled and tapped they could be welded to the bumper over a hole in it. Then the bracket from the frame could come back and the bumper could be attached to the bracket via the tow eyes.

I think you will definitely want to be able to attach a clevis to your tow eyes. That's a very secure and versatile way to go.

And in my case the "bracket" and the tow eye was all one piece of steel. But if you wanted to have a bracket bolted to the frame behind the bumper and the tow point on the front of the bumper, with bolts going through the bumper to attach them, then you'd have your non-welded tow points too. That does make it a lot harder to use your bumper as an air tank (if you still were thinking of doing that). Running the tow point all the way through the bumper like I did doesn't rule it out with a hollow bumper, it just means you need to have two air-tight welds instead of one.

Gary Lewis wrote

In addition, if 3/16 or 1/4" angle was used to attach to the hitch mounting spots and tie into bumper it would be extremely solid. I would not have any fears of off-angle pulls damaging anything as the bumper would tie the whole back end of the frame together tightly.

Yeah, you can make a bumper with an integrated receiver plenty stout. The challenge is usually more in not making it too heavy. On my Bronco I really couldn't angle from the hitch to the frame as the fuel tank is right there. You can sort of see in the picture above that I just boxed in the back side of the bumper by welding another length of C-channel to it between the frame horns. The receiver tube goes through, and is welded to, both C-channels, with a massive gusset plate flush with the lower edge of the bumper (the gusset plate also serves as the safety chain attachment points). I also put the trailer light connection through the face of the bumper, so none of that stuff hangs down to catch rocks.

Gary Lewis wrote

As for the latch, are you saying the V was a shallow ramp? I was wondering about doing that as it would put enough tension on the swing arm that nothing would move. Or, am I misunderstanding?

I think you're getting what I did there.

But I'm not saying that you shouldn't go with any of the ideas you had previously, just telling you what I did on my Jeep first, and now on my Bronco.

Bob
Sorry, no '80 - '86 Ford trucks
"Oswald": 1997 F-250HD crew cab short box, 460, E4OD, 4.10 gears
"Pluto": 1971 Bronco, 302, NV3550 5 speed, Atlas 4.3:1 transfer case, 33" tires
"the motorhome": 2015 E-450-based 28' class C motorhome, 6.8L V-10
"the Dodge": 2007 Dodge 2500, 6.7L Cummins

Gary Lewis

Re: Rear Bumper/Spare Tire Mount Thoughts

Administrator

Your tow eyes went all the way to the frame!? So, no brackets. I like that as it is the most solid approach, and will measure in a bit to see how that might work on Big Blue.

As for an air tank in the bumper, I've got two tanks that I'll test today to see how they might fit under the bed, outside of the frame. If one of those will fit then that would be easier and free up the design for the bumper.

On the latch, I'm not sure I understand which way it ran - vertically or horizontally.

And I'm comparing the security of that kind of latch to the one Steve suggested. The over-center latch like you used is pretty secure, but there's no "safety" on it that I can think of. But on Steve's latch you could drill it for a safety pin like is used on a trailer hitch, and be pretty sure it won't open. Thoughts?

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Steve83

Re: Rear Bumper/Spare Tire Mount Thoughts

Banned User

Gary Lewis wrote

Your tow eyes went all the way to the frame!? So, no brackets.

Another way to say it is "the tow point is also the bumper bracket". Fewer pieces to fabricate; a stronger design; and safer.

Gary Lewis wrote

Thoughts?

Ford never put a safety pin on Bronco swingaways, and I've never seen one of them come loose - even in a wreck. The '92-96 latch bolts on to the swing arm, so you might want to just use one from a JY on yours.

Gary Lewis

Re: Rear Bumper/Spare Tire Mount Thoughts

Administrator

Steve - I'll get to the latch a bit later.

All - I've been under Big Blue a million times today to measure "one more thing", only to realize I need more or that didn't fit with other measurements. Makes me wonder why it isn't in on the lift.

Anyway, I've done some drawing and checking, and have come to the conclusion that Steve has been right all along - it is easier, and probably safer to put an air tank under the side of the bed. There's plenty of room and it is just a matter of finding the largest tank that'll fit easily. I have an 11 gallon that would fit, but it'll hang down a bit, so I need to find a different one. But that is for a later date.

As for the bumper, It is amazing how things look like they'll fit easily. First, here's my drawing of the underside of BB, showing the frame (as straight but isn't), bed, tailgate, and existing bumper:

Ok, add the tow eyes. These are 1" thick and 2 1/2" tall. The hole is, as shown, 1", and the eyes are modeled after my Smittybilt drawbar that takes a D-ring perfectly. It has a 1" thick tongue and a 1" hole.

And now add in the hitch. It'll weld to the inside of the eyes, and will also have pieces that bolt to the bottom of the frame in at least 2 of the 3 holes the existing hitch bolts into. The issue is that the 2 nearest holes are in a section of the frame that is straight, but the frame drops down before it gets to the 3rd hole, making it more difficult to get to that hole. So I'm thinking that being solidly welded to the eyes, which are bolted in with 4 more bolts will still be extremely solid.

And speaking of "solidly welded, the way the lower piece of the hitch attaches to the upper crosspiece on the existing hitch is via large pieces of angle on the top and bottom tying the two together. I plan to do that on this one, although it isn't shown.

But I'm wondering how to attach the crosspiece to the tow eyes. Will welding and fishplating top and bottom be enough?

Anyway, it is amazing how it'll all fit in the current bumper space. It will raise the hitch 6" and I'm already using a 4" drop. But I want to lower the rear of the truck at the same time by softening the suspension, so hopefully that will keep me from having to run too much drop on the draw bar.

Having said that, the 38 gallon tank I have to put back there will come 5 1/2" below the frame. I have the skid plates that were on Dad's truck and may be able to use them if I were to go with a smaller tank. And, I want to keep a reasonable amount of "angle of departure" in back, and lowering the rear or having a big tank back that isn't helping that.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Nothing Special

Re: Rear Bumper/Spare Tire Mount Thoughts

In reply to this post by Steve83

Steve83 wrote

Another way to say it is "the tow point is also the bumper bracket". Fewer pieces to fabricate; a stronger design; and safer....

Exactly. That's what I was trying to say.

Gary Lewis wrote

....On the latch, I'm not sure I understand which way it ran - vertically or horizontally.

I was able to dig up a couple of bad pictures of that latch (on the driver's side of the carrier). I don't know if they're worth 1000 words each, but at least a few hundred (in other words, maybe this'll explain it better than I can):

Gary Lewis wrote

And I'm comparing the security of that kind of latch to the one Steve suggested. The over-center latch like you used is pretty secure, but there's no "safety" on it that I can think of. But on Steve's latch you could drill it for a safety pin like is used on a trailer hitch, and be pretty sure it won't open. Thoughts?

I never had any trouble with mine coming open. But if you are concerned, I think most latches like that probably could be pinned. Because it's an "over-center" clamp, that means the "U" does move past a pivot point for the handle. I think you could probably drill and pin the handle so the "U" couldn't swing past it. And some are probably already set up that way.

Gary Lewis wrote

.... There's plenty of room and it is just a matter of finding the largest tank that'll fit easily. I have an 11 gallon that would fit, but it'll hang down a bit, so I need to find a different one....

There are pros and cons to a large tank. I don't know what size I would think was ideal, let alone what you will like. But I'll give you my experience.

My Bronco has a 2.5 gallon air tank and 33/10.50-15 tires. I air down to about 15 psi on the trails and then air back up to 30 psi on the roads. If I start with the tank full (100 psi) I can air the first tire up pretty fast, but the tank is down to about 30 psi at that point. So it drops down pretty low when I start airing up the second tire, and now I have to wait for the compressor to air up the tire AND the tank.

If I had a large enough tank I could air up all 4 tires before the tank was empty, but if I didn't make it, that last tire would take FOREVER.

In my case the air system is mainly for the "toad" brakes (when I'm flat-towing the Bronco) and the air tank is a good size for that (and about the biggest I can fit). So I'm not planning on experimenting on tank size for airing up.

Gary Lewis

Re: Rear Bumper/Spare Tire Mount Thoughts

Administrator

The pics helped a bunch, thanks.

On the air tank size, I understand the tradeoffs of too big of a tank vs too small of a tank. But I didn't have a good idea of how much air it takes per tire. Basically you are saying that 2 1/2 gallons did one tire. So, since your tires are roughly the same size as mine, a 10 gallon tank is about right to air up 4 tires.

The 11 gallon tank I have is just a bit too big, physically, to go in the spot I'm looking at since it hangs down more than I want it to do. Perhaps I won't find one that size that has the right dimensions, but a little bit smaller wouldn't be a bad idea.

Thanks, that helps.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Gary Lewis

Re: Rear Bumper/Spare Tire Mount Thoughts

Administrator

Did some more work on the bumper. And need your thoughts, please.

First, Here's the new "bumper", and it is 4" x 7" x 3/16" tubing. That size makes it essentially the same size front/rear as the top of the old bumper, but it doesn't have the piece that extends under the tailgate to prevent yuk from coming up there, so may need to have a piece added. The top back/right corner of the tubing is in the same spot as the original bumper, but it extends down 1 1/2" from what the original bumper did - you'll see why in a bit.

Also, I've increased the height of the tow eyes to 3 3/8" so their bottoms will be flush with the bottom of the frame. That allows me to use pieces of 2 1/2 x2 1/2 x 1/4" angle welded to the bottom of the eyes as well as to the bottom of the hitch cross piece (in blue). And the angle will bolt into the front two holes in the bottom of the frame, the red lines, where my hitch currently bolts. All in all, that significantly strengthens the hitch and the bumper.

Then comes the receiver part of the hitch - the tan bit added in this illustration. It has a piece of 3/16" plate (dark gray) bent and welded to the front of the cross piece and to the bottom of the receiver. And it has a piece of 2 1/2 x2 1/2 x 1/4" angle (dark gray) welded to the rear of the cross piece and to the top of the receiver. That's exactly how the hitch that is on the truck was made, so should be plenty solid.

An issue I need to consider is the height of the tow eyes. I don't see any reason to carry the 3 3/8" height all the way through the bumper, but it may be easier to leave them that size instead of cutting them down.

Another idea is to raise the bumper 3/16" to get gap above the tow eye and below the receiver to be equal. But that depends on the height of the tow eye where it comes through the bumper, so that will have to wait until I decide on the tow eye height.

But, for the moment I can turn my thoughts to the spare tire carrier and await your collective input.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Nothing Special

Re: Rear Bumper/Spare Tire Mount Thoughts

If it were me (and once it was!) I'd definitely cut the eyes down. I think they look better if the "wall" is more even, so I'd go with the distance you have the hole center back from the end of the stock and just swing that radius to the top and bottom, and take that height through the bumper. It means making more chips, but it also means carrying less steel all the time.

Also when it was me, I aimed to center both the eyes and the receiver in the bumper. I was really trying to protect my departure angle. An F-250 has a much worse departure angle than an early Bronco, but it might not need it as much either. But still, if I were you I'd try to keep the bumper from hanging any lower than stock. Doing that would raise the receiver (also a good thing in my book) and would require some rethinking on the way you have it mounted in the front, but still shouldn't be too hard to do.

All that said, it's not me this time, and your plans certainly look like they'll work out well.

Gary Lewis

Re: Rear Bumper/Spare Tire Mount Thoughts

Administrator

Are you saying you liked the original tow eye height? Meaning 2 1/2"? That's what I was thinking I'd cut them down to, but I'm asking just making sure I understand.

On the hitch height, I see what you are saying. And if I come up with another way to secure the cross piece in addition to butt-welding it to the tow eye, then I can move the hitch up about an inch. That would probably let me go with 4 x 6 tubing, meaning the bottom of the bumper would go up an inch from where it is shown in today's drawing, and only be 1/2" lower than the stock bumper.

However, today's design already has the hitch about 5" higher than it currently is as it hangs way below the frame. And even if I raise it another inch I'll still have to figure out what rear tank I can use to have the bumper and not the skid plate be the limiting factor. So I have more work to do, both drawing and imagining as well as figuring out how low the 3 different tanks will hang.

Anyway, thanks bunches for the input. I really need all the help I can get.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Steve83

Re: Rear Bumper/Spare Tire Mount Thoughts

Banned User

In reply to this post by Gary Lewis

Why is the bumper beam a tube? It looks too small to put anything useful in, or to get into it if you did; but bigger than necessary to bump. And why wouldn't you extend the green angle back to the bumper beam, to be welded there, too? As it is, if you hit something with the bottom rear outboard corner of the bumper (the most-likely place for a hit), it would roll under & bend at the recovery eye bar. But if the angle came back with the bar, the bumper would be substantially stronger. Another advantage would be that the hitch cross bar could come down in front of the hitch, giving you a more-useable space between the fuel tank crossmember, bumper, & recovery bars.

Gary Lewis

Re: Rear Bumper/Spare Tire Mount Thoughts

Administrator

Steve - Good questions. The bumper is a tube because I was working on the tow eye and hitch plans and wanted to see how a tube would work. I thought that once I got the infrastructure worked out I could then explore different bumpers. But I'm starting to see that these aren't independent decisions.

Yesterday, before drawing the above, I briefly looked at using a piece of channel, but the thickness of the edge and the placement of the tow eyes and receiver were such that it required a very tall bumper so we didn't have to cut the angled side. But maybe once I work out how to get those pieces pretty much in line with each other a piece of channel would be an option. But, channel wouldn't provide the 4" top surface that makes standing on the bumper to get into the bed easy/comfortable.

On the angle, I see what you mean about taking it back to the bumper to provide extra support - for a tube. But, if I go with a piece of channel, I'm not sure that will be necessary, especially if I get things pretty much centered up in the channel?

As for the hitch cross bar coming down in front of the receiver, I think I see what you mean. But, wouldn't another option be to take the receiver up instead of bringing the cross bar down, bringing the receiver and tow eyes closer to being in line? That would allow the bumper to be shorter, and increase the angle-of-departure, although that assumes that the gas tank doesn't become the limiting factor.

I realize that taking the receiver up uses the space between the fuel tank crossmember, bumper, and tow eyes. But I'm still on the fence about creating storage there, so I'm just exploring options.

Anyway, thanks for the input. Please keep it coming.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Gary Lewis

Re: Rear Bumper/Spare Tire Mount Thoughts

Administrator

Here's the next iteration, but the bumper isn't done by any stretch. I'm just trying to incorporate most of the suggestions to this point. However, in this pass I'm still using a tube for the bumper, although it has been reduced 1" to a 4" x 6".

Also, I've reduced the height of the tow eyes to 2 1/2" as they were originally. And I've extended the angle to the bumper. Last, I've added fishplates for the cross piece/tow eye interface.

And, here's the receiver added. (Yes, the tow eye is still there.) I've raised the receiver to the height of the cross piece and added fishplates for the cross piece/receiver interface, top and bottom.

At this point I think the evolution of this approach with a closed tube bumper is pretty well done - unless y'all have further refinements, to which I'm fully open. It looks really strong to me and at 6" high the rear bumper is only 1/2" lower than the original bumper.

And, I think it is stout. What do you think?

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Gary Lewis

Re: Rear Bumper/Spare Tire Mount Thoughts

Administrator

Next, I need input on "angle of departure". The drawing below represents my feeble understanding of the subject.

The upper red line is off of the differential and the lower line is off the tire. My understanding is that the angle of departure is the angle of the lower line. In this setup the bumper and the receiver hit about the same time, but the bumper hits first. So, I think this says that if I make the bumper shorter, meaning that the bottom of the bumper goes up, then the receiver will be the limiting factor. Right?

As for the upper red line, my thinking is that anything that doesn't hang down past that line is fine, although it may well need a skid plate. And I've drawn in the 38 gallon fuel tank that I have. It looks like it'll be fine with a skid plate as it is within the line that a rock that clears the differential would take. Do I understand that correctly?

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Steve83

Re: Rear Bumper/Spare Tire Mount Thoughts

Banned User

This post was updated on .

In reply to this post by Gary Lewis

Gary Lewis wrote

But, channel wouldn't provide the 4" top surface...

My bumpers started with channel, and they have flat surfaces to stand on.

Gary Lewis wrote

...I'm not sure that will be necessary, especially if I get things pretty much centered up in the channel?

I don't see the advantage to having their centers aligned. It certainly won't strengthen the bumper, or prevent the bending that I described before. The strongest simple arrangement is with the forces (impact & vehicle's CG/momentum) in line with the structure (bumper & its connections) between those forces. That would mean the bumper ABOVE its attaching structure (assuming the impacts come from lower, like rocks & most cars); i.e.: receiver & tow eyes at the BOTTOM of the bumper face.

But the strongest for the weight is with half the structure at the top of the bumper face, and half at the bottom. That resists impact anywhere, and torque FAR better than having all the attachment centered (like a hinge, which resists NO torque). That's why there's an advantage (especially for F-series) to add structure below the frame - you don't have access to the top of the frame like Broncos do, due to the bed's overhang.

Gary Lewis wrote

...bringing the receiver and tow eyes closer to being in line?

I don't see any advantage to that, either. You'll never be pulling or pushing between the receiver & eyes, so having them aligned doesn't affect strength or functionality.

Gary Lewis wrote

That would allow the bumper to be shorter...

In which direction?

Gary Lewis wrote

..increase the angle-of-departure...

Assuming your required angle is that precise, but you could also accomplish a greater angle by moving the receiver forward into the bumper, or moving the axle back. What angle do you need?

Gary Lewis wrote

...the line that a rock that clears the differential would take.

No, a rock will not follow a line, unless the truck is on level ground, in which case "angle of departure" is meaningless. A rock will follow some curving, irregular path relative to the moving truck, depending on its position, and the truck's suspension. It's really "MAXIMUM angle of departure", meaning the greatest angle between 2 flat surfaces that the vehicle can drive squarely through. Obstructions that stick up from either surface, or driving at an angle across the break between the surfaces is too unpredictable & complex to calculate or design for.

This is a cleaned-up version of a Ford diagram:

And to some degree, those numbers are moot. My truck doesn't have the approach or departure angles to take many of the trails I've driven successfully. Look at the first 2 pics & last 2 videos in this album:

BTW
I think your fish plates & gussets are largely dead-weight. My bumper has none, and it's almost strong enough to lift the 3-ton truck. The forward tubes for my receiver, and those under the frame are 1/8"-wall.

Gary Lewis

Re: Rear Bumper/Spare Tire Mount Thoughts

Administrator

So many thoughts, where to start. (And I'm sure I won't address all of them.)

On the placement of the tow eyes and receiver for the strongest bumper, with your recommendation the angle is already extended back to the bumper at essentially the bottom of the bumper, and in line with the frame. So there's as much strength at the bottom as we are likely to get, and it is close to the corners.

And, the receiver was moved up to gain departure angle. Not that there is a magic departure angle, but the current receiver is 6" lower than in this plan, so this is much better. I don't expect Big Blue to be like a Bronco, but I might as well make the angle as great as is reasonably possible. And I think we are there.

As for aligning the centers, it was just what happened when I raised the receiver up like you suggested to tee with the cross piece. I really like that idea since it makes strengthening the welded joints much easier by using fishplates top and bottom. And, I like the fishplates because I like overkill. A piece of strap 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 x 1/4" doesn't add much dead weight, but it will add a lot of piece of mind.

The bumper could be shorter up/down by an inch, making it 4" wide and 5" high. But, to keep the angles coming back to the bumper the reduction in height would need to be at the top. However, that would let you see into the innards under the bed, and I don't like that idea. So I'm happy with the 4 x 6 size tube - if I stay with a tube.

As for the rock, I take your point about it being complex. And maybe I'm not explaining my thinking very well. But the idea was that if you were to start a climb with a rock in the middle of the road then if the rock clears the differential it'll clear the gas tank. Does that make sense?

But I think I'm ready to move on to the spare tire mount. No, I'm not saying I'm done with things to this point but, as I've found, working on the next part frequently changes the previous parts. So I need to take the next step and see what happens.

Last, this is going to be a slow process. My friend at church, the one with the metal fab shop, has a form of cancer. He's going to be undergoing his third round of chemo/radiation, and this one doesn't have a finish date. He was gung ho to help on this, but I suspect his attention will, and rightly so, be elsewhere. Given that, I'm not in a hurry to get the design done.

Also, I think now is the time to turn to 3D CAD. So I need to make the existing parts three dimensional and get them into the right position with respect to the z-axis. And that is going to take some time.

Having said that, y'all please don't stop sending ideas. I really appreciate them.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Steve83

Re: Rear Bumper/Spare Tire Mount Thoughts

Banned User

Gary Lewis wrote

So I need to make the existing parts three dimensional and get them into the right position with respect to the z-axis.

I can say from experience that it's far more important to get the TRUCK drawn first, than any of the parts. If you don't have the truck's shape accurately, no bumper you design will fit the way you want. So spend some time re-re-measuring the truck, and then comparing it to your drawing.

When I drew mine, I found I needed to draw the truck past the closest body mount bolt on the top of the frame, and almost to the axle on the bottom.

Gary Lewis

Re: Rear Bumper/Spare Tire Mount Thoughts

Administrator

That's good advice. I've done a bunch of measuring, but I know it needs to be dead-on, and surely I've missed some things. So when I draw it up in 3D I'll remeasure.

But, is it important to draw the truck forward where things are going to attach? I can understand measuring to ensure that the frame rails are parallel, but why does it need to be drawn?

The reason I ask is that the frame isn't straight. It is only straight for maybe 18" before it bends up, and than comes back down farther forward. So drawing it accurately past the first bend is going to be a pain. And, since nothing I'm doing on the bumper will connect up there, I'm trying to understand the need to do so. But if it is needed I'll do it.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Nothing Special

Re: Rear Bumper/Spare Tire Mount Thoughts

In reply to this post by Gary Lewis

Gary Lewis wrote

.... As for the rock, I take your point about it being complex. And maybe I'm not explaining my thinking very well. But the idea was that if you were to start a climb with a rock in the middle of the road then if the rock clears the differential it'll clear the gas tank. Does that make sense?....

The gas tank is pretty well protected, but I can imagine driving off a ledge with a high spot between the tires and having that high spot hit the fuel tank before it gets hung up on the bumper.

And getting hung up on the bumper will happen if you get serious enough about what trails you run. I've had both back tires of both my CJ5 and my early Bronco hanging in the air with the bumper sitting on the rock the tires just drove off. And those vehicles will drag their tail less often than an F-250.

So if you can, I'd suggest a skid plate under the fuel tank. But if not, you'll be OK on most of the trails you are likely to do.

Gary Lewis

Re: Rear Bumper/Spare Tire Mount Thoughts

Administrator

I do plan to have a skid plate. I have the factory one off Dad's truck, but if I remember correctly it is a flat plate. Instead, I think I need the skid plate from the Bronco with a 32 gallon tank, which is D8TZ 9A147-A. Then I can shim it off the frame a bit to clear the 38 gallon tank.

Bronco Graveyard has it: https://shop.broncograveyard.com/1978-1979-Ford-Bronco-Skid-Plate-33-Gallon-Only/productinfo/20254/. But I don't know if it will fit a pickup. Does anyone know?

Another option would be to shim the one from Dad's truck.

Thoughts?

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

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