If you take out the tank first, so you don't start a fire should the o-rings be leaking gas or the vent decides to burp, you'll go through the pain once and have the handy door down the road.
My tank straps required new rubber tank rub protection. The cardboard composite crap was ruined and close to ruining the new tank the PO installed before I got it. My fuel fill hoses were shot out and hard from OEM days of old too. All the hose clamps were bad. The tank seal was full of dirt. The top 3-1/4" x 1/4" o-ring and all the other's required replacement. Then the bolts at the bumper holding the straps were rusted and required cutting to the pivot and welding fresh clean threads long enough to actually re-install the tank without a helper. Think I welded them 2-inches longer than OEM strap threads?
Way easier to re-install.
The hole in the deck is very handy.
Because the rear deck had been subjected to heavy loads by the previous owner(s), I also covered the small patch plate shown above, with a top cover screwed to the top corrugation and then another much wider stainless steel cover over them all. So the entire deck is actually flat again, wheel well to wheel well.
I used wide stainless pan head screws for all the layers. The floor was warped from spare tires bouncing around in there and ranch tools before I got it.
After it was completed, I had concerns about tank safety.
There's a few areas needing some small welded patch metal over the hitch mount blocks.
My new rivet nut tool just arrived along with a nice assortment of McMaster Carr Rivet nuts.
The pointed pan head screws are being replaced with rivet nut fasteners.
The 3/4 pan heads don't even come close to hitting the tank, however if there ever was a collision, they might puncture.
So the access hatch, spare tire bed mounts, shovel, HD Bumper Jacks, recovery equipment, Goldenrod Fence barbed wire tools...
Will all get mounted to the side of the inner bed walls with Rivet nuts.
The cover plate hardware will be shallow with rivet nuts.
Lot less likely to punch through.
If you go with Pan head screws through the deck, you might want to just grind the points off?
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The deck will get coated with bed-liner.
The Stainless 1/8" plate makes a huge difference.
There was years of dirt and rust under there, caked onto the frame and sub-structure.
It's a lot of work and worth it, if you take your time and do a quality job.
Don't forget to use all the fuel before you plan the tank removal.
Even 1/4 tank of gas makes it tough to pull out without a mess or getting gas in your face.
You'll have to drop the tank towards the bumper, so after removing the fill hose and vent line, all the gas will pour out when you angle the tank downwards, (towards the fill port), when you slide off the straps. If you put the truck high on jack stands, you can use a floor jack and a square of plywood to assist with lowering the tank.
Or you can bench press it with a half tank and wash up later, like I was forced to do in a parking lot with Police watching.
The pump went out and there was no deck hole in my 1998 S-10 Blazer.
I'll never forget that night, because the parts store gave me the wrong fuel pump, with 42psi and the S-10 required 70psi pump for the Vortex V-6.
So I had to bench press and eat gas twice in the same parking lot, after asking a stranger for a ride twice, with gas all over my chest.
AutoZ was open till midnight and I swapped out the 42psi for the correct unit at 11:59PM.
Didn't get home until 3:30am. The second time out/in that night, was a lot faster. About 45 minutes faster?
I started the fist attempt at around 7:00PM, when the truck wouldn't start.
So I have done it both ways.
The jack-stand method using the floor jack is a lot less exciting, in my opinion.
The cops who watched me for four hours, after wearing a twice soaked gasoline shirt, would probably disagree though.
You have my vote for The Hatch F/P Access hole.
Just don't blow yourself up cutting it open with a grinding disc?
