A 'Lil Bling

I thought I would update the story of Big Orange. So here's the progress so far...

Yep. That's it.

I've had few chances to work on the big orange beast lately. The weather turned wet, and then cold, and then cold and wet. I have a thing against laying on my back in a three inch deep puddle of freezing water while rust particles fall into my face, so I have not spun a wrench on the Jeep in a while.

So instead of actually working on the Wagoneer, I have done small tasks, like add some new bling. I love decals (every decal adds 5HP and 2MPG!) and I have begun to treat Big Orange like a rolling billboard: alright, a stationary billboard!

I am in the process of replacing a rear brake line. Like everything else on this Jeep, fixing one thing requires fixing another. In order to repair the brake line properly I have to lower the gas tank. The gas tank is held in place by a skidplate. The skidplate was poorly designed and holds dirt and water against the frame which leads to rust. The rust leads to complete failure of the gas tank skid and sometimes the failure of the frame as well. All are repairable but of course those repairs cost money! The replacement skidplate/gas tank mount goes for about $600. That's $200 more than I paid for Big Orange!!! So the search for alternative repairs and replacements continues.

A simple fix would be to rehang the tank with standard gas tank mounting straps but that would leave the tank itself quite vulnerable to off-road hazards when wheeling. I might be able to fab something out of a sheet of diamond plate and some threaded rod that will mount the tank and protect it a bit. Or I could remove the stock tank assembly and put in a fuel cell where the spare tire used to sit. Decisions, decisions....I'll have to find a solution so I can enjoy driving Big Orange.

Good thing it's still cold and wet outside!