Gas Tank Splash/Skid Plate Quesiton

[alice]

The straps that hold up my gas tank on my 2g AWD are shot and the skid plate is completely gone. The mounting location for the rear of the straps rusted out and I have nothing to mount the stock straps to however, the studs for the front strap mount are still perfect. I have strap steel to make some new straps so I am alright on that part. My issue is that I think I need to make a new gas tank splash/skid plate because the tank is plastic and the driveshaft and the exhaust go right under the tank. I am worried that the exhaust will melt the tank. Anybody have any suggestions on this issue or anything about making a new shield? Thanks for any help.

 

[hereitcomes]

A hardware store will most likely have a variety of materials to choose from.
A good choice can be HVAC sheet plating, since it is durable, lightweight and withstands heat. Some cutting/welding might be in your future if you need any sort of customization and fabrication of something like this.

 

[alice]

Does anybody have any issues not running any splash shield at all? I think I might just skip it entirely. My only concern is that, since the gas tank is plastic, it might melt from the exhaust. I don't think I would though.

 

[dfootedsm]

Alice did you have any luck I am in a similar situation doing a full swap

 

[DogWhistle]

Although the shield will help against heat, it would probably only deform the tank as worst.

The big reason for the skid shield is road debris. Even a flat object doesn't stay on the pavement when you run over it at speed. How many times have you seen small objects lodged into a tire?

Although HVAC sheeting is plentiful at hardware stores, the plating will not hold up to road chemicals. I would suggest aluminum diamond plate. it is easy to cut and bend, plus the diamond pattern gives it surface strength.

 

[Paul@RTM]

Does anybody have any issues not running any splash shield at all?

I've been running without this shield for a few years now. No issues to speak of. It's function is to guard against road debris.

 

[dfootedsm]

@paul-rtm how often is your car used? this is going to be a summer and warm weather car not an all there round vehicle so when snow comes out it goes up. @DogWhistle If the concern about why we chose the material as HVAC sheeting is due to salt as a corrosive agent I will disregard that and find the material that will be least expensive. All the shielding will be sprayed with undercoating before it is installed.

 

[Paul@RTM]

how often is your car used?

It's a summer only car.