getting the most out of your yjs 2 in body lift.
First things first you have to drop your gas tank and factory skid plate this is easiest done when the gas tank is on empty but can be done at any time. To do this crawl under the rear of the jeep and put a floor jack up underneath the gas tank skid until contact is made then start to remove the bolts that holds the tank up. There should be 4 in the rear and 3 up front.
You also need to remove the gas tank filler hoses. To do this you have to take your gas cap off and remove the 3 or 4 screws holding your gas filler neck bezel and the 6 screw that were under your gas cap. this will enable you to remove the bezel and expose the gas filler hoses. on the under side of the back corner of the drivers side there is a plastic cover that needs to be removed to expose where the filler neck and hoses come together. if you can reach these hose clamps loosen them and remove the hoses if you can reach them its ok you should be able to reach them while lowering the gas tank.
With these removed start to slowly drop the gas tank (2 people will probably be need to do this it is a real balance act getting it done)and once you can reach your hand in between the tank and floor board you need to remove the wires for the fuel sending unit and the hoses for the gas return and sending lines, there are also 2 lines one on each side of the tank that vent to the charcoal canister (there may be extra lines on your or fewer lines the fact is to make sure you get them all removed before dropping the tank all the way and ripping them off). Remove all lines and wires and the filler neck hoses and soon as possible. once all line are removed drop tank the rest if the way and pull out form underneath he vehicle. Now is a good time to inspect the fuel lines and vent lines and make sure that there is no cracks or damage that would make them leak if there is now is a good time to replace them. At this time we still have to remove the tank from the skid to do this remove the 2 bolts holding the gas tank straps down and lift them out of the way and slide the tank out of the skid
Now that the tank removed is out of the way it is time to cut some stuff up. First thing you do is mark a 2 in wide section of skid to be removed. I made my mark up high as you can see.
I used a 2 in wide square and it worked nicely the main point is to make the line parallel so that the 2 pieces can be welded together. Mark the skid on both sides and cut with your favorite cutting tool that can maintain a straight line. Remember you have to make your cuts in a section of the skid that is flat so that they can be welded back together. so don't cut so low that the bottom cut is in the rounded portion of the skid this is why I cut mine up high.
Once the pieces are cut out you should have the upper pieces of the skid that attached to the frame in your hand these will have to be welded back to the skid and made to be as flat as possible so that the holes line back up(this is where those straight cuts come in to play). I clamped the 2 pieces back together and tack welded them in place on both sides and then test fitted the skid to make sure the holes lined up and then finished welding it up.
I then went to extending the gas tank straps. To do this I just cut the strap in two and welded a piece of gas tank skid in between the cut making sure that it was the same width as the strap and 2inches long. You also have to ensure that the strap stays straight after lengthening. If it isnt straight one or more of your cuts isn't straight and needs to be ground straight and then welded in. I cut and welded my straps in the middle because in my opinion this is where the least amount of contact is going to be. the welds must be ground smooth so that they don't rub a hole into the tank and you should try to find a thin material to go in between the strap and skid. I had a old piece of rubber that used to be the inner fender wheel of a vehicle that I found out on the trails that worked perfectly for this.
Now that the skid plate and the tank straps are done you need to move your attention to the jeep the rear crossmember of the jeep needs to be trimmed so that your tank can slide up in between the frame rails. here are pics of a jeep that has been marked for the cut and pics of it cut ground smooth and painted.
at this point you are ready to paint your skid and install your gas tank into your newly built skid plate and then put into your vehicle. and enjoy your newly gained clearance. this is a really good project for those of you that cant afford a gas tank skid right now or a just want the extra clearance. .