Canman’s LX450 resurrection (2 Viewers)

[canman]

Forgot to mention that I still need to remove some of the original fuel tank strap mounting bolts. Hoping they don’t give me much trouble as I cut the straps back when I pulled the tank as they were not budging. Also, I need to mod one of the straps to support the e-brake cable as it was secured to the factory tank strap. That e-brake bracket is a rusted mess, so still need to disassemble it.

 

[canman]

Lines connected in the engine bay.

 

[canman]

Got two of the three strap anchor bolts out (one was loose, and the other took my extending ratchet to get out). The third above the frame rail is being a bugger. Heat, PB, loosen. Rinse & repeat. Almost out. Also got the e-brake bracket off (had to grind off the bolt head). Drill and tapped the old bolt/hole. Ground off what remained of the strap. Will now blast and paint (maybe). Will likely plug weld it to the LRA strap. Just don’t know where yet.

 

[canman]

 

[canman]

Blasted the e-brake bracket and shot it with rust converter but I think it is too far gone, plus being on an angle it is likely not good for aligning the cable. So, will make a new hat section out of 14 ga. with a rivnut.

 

[canman]

Think I finally figured out how the tank is secured to the body along the outboard side (next to the DS frame rail). Although it is not explicitly spelled out, you’re supposed to reuse the factory strap section that bolts to the body and remove/discard the strap section. Unfortunately for me, mine are completely corroded and cannot be used. As such, I will fab up this section from some 14 ga that is the same width as the supplied LRA straps. I have a small bender so it shouldn’t be too difficult to fab up. I have the rear DS orig strap intact for the section that matters, so copying that is easy, but the forward DS strap has been cut before the factory bolted joint, so that will require some head scratching. It’s still bolted to the body. Called the insurance company and asked that it be taken out of storage on Friday. Would be nice to get in it and drive this Friday.

Factory rear strap section that bolts to the DS body.

 

[BILT4ME]

DAMN! And I thought the Midwest USA has bad rust issues. Holy cow!

 

[BILT4ME]

Added an adapter for the drain as the threads on the tank didn’t look too good. Didn’t want to be using those threads ever again if I ever have to drain the tank.
Used some Permatex high-temp thread sealer I had left over from my flathead build.

View attachment 3336941

Make sure that the sealant you chose is compatible with fuel. Some definitely are not.

 

[canman]

DAMN! And I thought the Midwest USA has bad rust issues. Holy cow!

Yeah, but I neglected it over the last 6-7 yrs That section of strap was about to let go. A couple more bends back and forth and it would spilt in two. I remember when I brought it to the local garage last year to have them install the new fuel lines, they mentioned that I would likely need new straps. I can see why now they weren’t too interested in doing the job. Think it was for the best.

 

[canman]

Make sure that the sealant you chose is compatible with fuel. Some definitely are not.

Did check, and it is. That stuff was not cheap either.

 

[canman]

Picked up the 2nd vent hose for the tank at the dealer this morning, and ordered two more metal brackets for the fuel lines. Also ordered a pinion seal and shaft seal for the rear axle.

 

[canman]

Found another factory tank strap that is not rusted which has the hinged anchor bracket. Will use this instead of making a new strap. Still have to clean up and reuse the factory formed L-shaped brackets. Hoping that one of the other factory hinged joints will clean up so that so can reuse it. Of course, this just means more fiddley f$ck work. Have to grind off the old remaining straps, drill out the bolts, grind off the old weldnuts, media blast, weld on new SS nuts, and then weld onto the hinged strap sections.

 

[canman]

Got both of the seized hinge sections loose, but only need one more. Also, cleaned up one of the L-shaped pieces and almost finished the second. Next is to put them in the blast cabinet.

 

[canman]

 

[canman]

 

[canman]

 

[canman]

Pulled the rear driveshaft. Got the tank into position. The fuel pump flange on the tank does not line up with the access opening in the floor. The one return line is hitting the floor support. The supply inlet will hit the access cover due to the factory angle which has it pointing upwards. Minor issues, but you pay what these things cost (retail) you would hope for a bit better. I can see with the tank design they couldn’t line up the pump flange with that of the access cover, but this means you now need to drop the tank of you have an issue with pump. Not a welcoming task. The tank cannot be moved longitudinally since there is a notch in the tank for the floor support. There is virtually no clearance between the two.

 

[Malleus]

I had the same rusty looking straps, and my truck has never been outside of Charlotte, for any length of time. That was the only place on the underside that had any rust on it, and it looked like it had been soaked in acid. I replaced the entire tank mounting system with new parts. It took forever.

 

[rdcnj]

Amazing work and attention to detail. Thanks for sharing your journey.

 

[canman]

Forward strap mounting brkt near driveshaft. Will weld to floor support plus factory bolt to locate it.