Fuel tank strap - Houston, we have a problem

We have always seated the tanks in with a jack and block of wood. Run straps up without any weight on them so you can wiggle them in to get a straighter run on them and have less stress on the rear pins and T-bolts. Like @Big Road Skateboard said double nut them with a good washer so they don't get loose. I have many tank mounts and straps that date back to the 1960’s and have also noticed that the ones rhat are welded all the way to the end of the fold usually have a little stress crack. The ones like your rear one that leave a1/4” or so don’t. The older 1960’s thru early 80’s 351,352,358,359 straps are a thicker gauge aluminum too.

 

Some ppl will just say screw repairing it correctly

 

I wanted to go from 2 straps per tank to four because I had a strap break on two separate occasions. Peterbilt wanted over $4,000 for 8 stainless traps and four frame mounts. I ended getting everything I needed off ebay used for $350 plus another hundred to Mcmaster for nice hardware.

I removed the tanks and laid out a grid to properly locate the new mounting holes. Borrowed my friends mag drill and bored the holes, chamfered them and bolted everything back up. It was such a great project that has erased any worry of breaking a tank strap for the last 10 years. My 379 is a 97 and looks like it came from the factory with 4 straps per side.

 

I recall a friend of mine complaining about the Pete straps breaking. His had broken, luckily was able to put a ratchet strap on it without any damage to the tank. He’s owned 5 Pete’s that I know of over the years. Said it wasn’t the first time it’s happened. Claimed that’s the reason for the double straps. I thought the T bolt was the common weak point. I wonder why, they look the same as any. I highly respect his opinion. He’s helped me out with correct answers so many times. Things that no one ever heard of. Just ask him. His answer was usually “Oh yeah, happened to me once. Here’s how you fix it. Lol. He’s retired now. Reminds me of a funny story worth mentioning. He once bought a brand new KW cabover. Painted exactly like the BJ and bear Truck. Bobtailing home, not far from the Dealership, the drivers side windshield fell completely out. He drove back to the Dealership in the wind!! Lol. Imagine that!! Still makes me laugh.