I'm not sure if this is where this goes but here it goes anyway
This is a write up I did on another forum and thought it might be relevant on this site. This is also to show if this is worth doing or if it is better to buy the prefabbed raised crossmembers that are floating around out there.
First you will want to remove the bed to get to the gas tank crossmember. You will want to have the truck jacked up on jack stands as well. Now you will want to remove the straps from the front tank bracket and the rear crossmember to drop the tank out of the way.
To remove the crossmeber you can use whatever method you prefer to remove the factory rivets that hold it in. I prefer to use a grinder to remove the rivet head and then use a center punch to pop the rivets out. Once the rivets are you just remove the crossmember.
As far as the front bracket goes, just remove it and re-drill your holes an inch higher and then re-bolt the bracket back in. This does not have to be done b/c the front of the tank is slightly above the frame. It just give extra clearance.
I raised mine an inch and a half. I will get into the problems with raising it more than an inch later.
Ok now for the crossmember. I chose to section my crossmember rather than cut out an inch and weld plates in. This way I would keep the factory angles and strap mounting points. So I cut the bottom piece out and then removed how much I wanted to raise the tank.
After I cut out what was needed I welded back in the bottom piece. Now keep in mind you don't have to use the factory piece. You can just plate in at this point and redrill the holes for the strap.
As you can see from the photo above, there is a gap that needs to be plated in. So here it is with the gap filled.
I know. My welding is not the greatest. It is welded on both sides. I should have welded another bead to fill in the groove the curve of the factory piece created but oh well. This will be under the bed unseen.
Before the tank is bolted in, You will have to cut the bottom edge of the back of the cab. That lip is about an inch from the bottom to the bottom of the cab. You can see where I cut in the next photo.
This photo also shows the crossmember bolted back in and everything else strapped and tightened up. Yes I know I should have plated in where I notched for the drive shaft but I drove it for years like that with no problems.
An that's it as far as raising the tank. Now for the problems I faced. I would recommend only raising the tank 1 inch. I raised mine 1.5 inches. Raising the tank more than 1 inch puts the tank sending unit lines above the crossmember.
The bed sits right on top of the crossmember. The humps in the tank will also be to high. The bed crossmembers will hit the tank. Here is a pic of what will need to be notched on the bed. This is a stepside bed so it may vary a little on a fleetside bed.
And that is it. Here is a photo of how far my tank sits off the ground with the back layed out and the front 2 inches off the ground. It's a little blurry from the not so good camera I was using.
This is a write up I did on another forum and thought it might be relevant on this site. This is also to show if this is worth doing or if it is better to buy the prefabbed raised crossmembers that are floating around out there.
First you will want to remove the bed to get to the gas tank crossmember. You will want to have the truck jacked up on jack stands as well. Now you will want to remove the straps from the front tank bracket and the rear crossmember to drop the tank out of the way.
To remove the crossmeber you can use whatever method you prefer to remove the factory rivets that hold it in. I prefer to use a grinder to remove the rivet head and then use a center punch to pop the rivets out. Once the rivets are you just remove the crossmember.
As far as the front bracket goes, just remove it and re-drill your holes an inch higher and then re-bolt the bracket back in. This does not have to be done b/c the front of the tank is slightly above the frame. It just give extra clearance.
You must be registered for see images attach
I raised mine an inch and a half. I will get into the problems with raising it more than an inch later.
Ok now for the crossmember. I chose to section my crossmember rather than cut out an inch and weld plates in. This way I would keep the factory angles and strap mounting points. So I cut the bottom piece out and then removed how much I wanted to raise the tank.
You must be registered for see images attach
After I cut out what was needed I welded back in the bottom piece. Now keep in mind you don't have to use the factory piece. You can just plate in at this point and redrill the holes for the strap.
You must be registered for see images attach
As you can see from the photo above, there is a gap that needs to be plated in. So here it is with the gap filled.
You must be registered for see images attach
I know. My welding is not the greatest. It is welded on both sides. I should have welded another bead to fill in the groove the curve of the factory piece created but oh well. This will be under the bed unseen.
Before the tank is bolted in, You will have to cut the bottom edge of the back of the cab. That lip is about an inch from the bottom to the bottom of the cab. You can see where I cut in the next photo.
You must be registered for see images attach
This photo also shows the crossmember bolted back in and everything else strapped and tightened up. Yes I know I should have plated in where I notched for the drive shaft but I drove it for years like that with no problems.
An that's it as far as raising the tank. Now for the problems I faced. I would recommend only raising the tank 1 inch. I raised mine 1.5 inches. Raising the tank more than 1 inch puts the tank sending unit lines above the crossmember.
You must be registered for see images attach
The bed sits right on top of the crossmember. The humps in the tank will also be to high. The bed crossmembers will hit the tank. Here is a pic of what will need to be notched on the bed. This is a stepside bed so it may vary a little on a fleetside bed.
You must be registered for see images attach
And that is it. Here is a photo of how far my tank sits off the ground with the back layed out and the front 2 inches off the ground. It's a little blurry from the not so good camera I was using.
You must be registered for see images attach
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