Getting closer

After many weekends of not having time to get much done on Ike, I was able to spend a few hours getting some of the last items removed keeping me from taking the body off. The biggest thing I got done today was getting the gas tank off. I figured the gas tank would be the last thing I would take off, but I needed to be able to see some body mounting bolts that were under the tank. I also needed to get to the mounting bolts for the side step.

The fuel tank proved to be less problematic than I had originally thought. After getting what was left in the tank mostly out, the tank lifted (and spilled inside the tub) and was removed without too much trouble. Unfortunately, it also revealed the true extent of the floor boards underneath the tank… or the lack thereof. After cleaning the spilled gas, I realized that much of it had ended up on the garage floor due to the large, gaping holes. It certainly wasn’t unexpected, since I could see them from under the Jeep, but once you see it in the light, it appears much worse than before. In any event, the plan was to repair/replace the floor, so nothing that won’t get taken care of later.

After getting the tank out, I got the driver’s side step removed, and all of the body bolts on the driver’s side. Due to the cold weather coming in, I didn’t get to move Ike to the middle of the garage to get to the passenger side, so I’ll have to get a few more hours in working on that side. The last step will be to remove the rear bolts which are currently eluding me as to how to reach them with the body still on.

Since the weather was coming in and I didn’t want to move Ike from his current spot, I spent some time cleaning the tub out and getting things more ready for tub removal. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be able to break the last few bolts free, remove the passenger step, and then call in reinforcements for tub extraction on Monday.