Vitara Fuel Tank lift pics.

[SiKiD_01]

i've finally finished my tank lift and rear x-member.

i wanted to keep a tow ball if i needed to tow a trailer, and the old one was way too low. it used to hit and scrape everything.

so i made a tow hitch reciever as well for a removable hitch. i'm still wondering if it will be ok for recovery/snatching, or if i need a proper designated recovery point.

pics are below. and this is for a SWB vitara, a LWB would be similar, but not same.

[SiKiD_01]

here are some more pics with it finished fitted and painted. also a pic of the clearance too. the bottom of the tank is level with the bottom of the 75x75.

[nicbeer]

I was just thinking of this the other day for the sierra.

Is it the same strength as the original one?

what about running some eyelets or rud points on either side of the bar.

cheers

[Flat_Matt]

Nice welding Job on that buddy Good job

[SiKiD_01]

i used 5mm 75x75 across, and i think its 5mm angle both sides too. so i would say it should be twice as strong as the original.

its bolted underneath with 4 big bolts to where a normal towbar would bolt. i'm going to see if it holds up, and it i think its not strong enough, i'll weld it all to the chassis.

as for the welding, thanks. the good ol' arc, and thick steel, you can never go too bad.

[SiKiD_01]

and for the recovery points, i was thinking of getting some 8mm or 10mm steel plate, and cutting a 20-30mm hole in it and bolting it to the end of the chassis rails. similar design to what a snatch block looks like. i would have bow shackles on these.

i guess if i was using the old tow ball for recovery at one stage, and then the factory tow loop, i guess anything is going to be a bit stronger than those.

i'll see how it goes. the thing is, if the rear x member pull out, its taking my tank too. i dont think thats good in any way you look at it.

[WHITVIT]

hey nice job on the tank lift.Tow bar looks plenty strong enough in design, i like how the safety chain points reinforce the whole assembly.
For a recovery point, have you seen the reciever ones that attach and just have a large bow shackel on them ?
I was looking at my 4 door fuel tank yesterday.Did you have any trouble with the fuel tank seam interfering with the chassis or is it all above the rails on your rig ?? if i only raise my tank 2" i'll have to bend them over to fit. I suppose you fabbed completely new tank mounts??

[SiKiD_01]

hey nice job on the tank lift.Tow bar looks plenty strong enough in design, i like how the safety chain points reinforce the whole assembly.
For a recovery point, have you seen the reciever ones that attach and just have a large bow shackel on them ?
I was looking at my 4 door fuel tank yesterday.Did you have any trouble with the fuel tank seam interfering with the chassis or is it all above the rails on your rig ?? if i only raise my tank 2" i'll have to bend them over to fit. I suppose you fabbed completely new tank mounts??

the recievers with the giant bow shacles are $75 each from TJM up here, i went and had a look this morning. a bit much for my liking.

and yes, i have heard that on the 4 door, you will need to bend the seam/joins down for the tank to fit. i havent seen a 4 dr up close, but i'm sure its not too hard, maybe just a little more work.

i drilled through the forward x members, and bolted the fuel tank to the underside of it. you can always be more careful when cutting the original mounts, and shorten them, then weld them back in place.

the rear of the tank bolts to the x member. i welded nuts on the nside of the 75, you can see in the pics. then a bolt holds the tank on top.

there was also a bit more stuff to look out for if anyone is considering a tank lift. the metal fuel lines will need to be either repositioned, or bent up straight to allow for the tank to be raised.

my vit is a carby motor, so theres not much to worry about. but with EFI, more care needs to be taken due to the high working pressure of the fuel system. and always de-pressurise the fuel system first on all EFI motors.

[sierrajim]

Hey Skid,

Have a look at the Nissan Patrol rear recovery points. You'd be able to bolt or weld one either side of your hitch receiver.

Should be able to get them from your wreckers for $10 ea or so. If your friendly with your local 4WD ship that sells replacement rear bars you may find a couple in their bin.

[A1]

If your after a GQ /GU tow hitch let us know i have 1 here u can have for free ...will post to ya if ya want it ...............



Dan

[SiKiD_01]

If your after a GQ /GU tow hitch let us know i have 1 here u can have for free ...will post to ya if ya want it ...............



Dan

thank for the offer, but i'll try to source some locally 1st. do you by anychance know the measurements between the bolt holes?

i'll have to work out how i can mount them up. i havent actually seen one which was off the car before. i'll have a look around.

thanks for the ideas guys.

[A1]

No worries if no-one posts up tonight i will check tomorrow as mines at work .......




the tank lift looks shweet well done





Dan

[kimclive]

Cant you just take the hitch out and use the hitch pin in the receiver as your recovery point?

Cheers

Clive

[SiKiD_01]

Cant you just take the hitch out and use the hitch pin in the receiver as your recovery point?

Cheers

Clive

this is what i was intending to do/use. but a proper recovery hook may be on the cards also just to be safe.

[EARSEZOOK]

good to see i'm not the only one with a F***ed back door

[SiKiD_01]

well, if you dont make it up the hill climb, make sure you check that you are still pointing straight before reversing back down.

otherwise the spare tyre will make good friends with a tree, and in my case, a big a$$ paperbark.

[SiKiD_01]

here are the front mounts of the fuel tank. original mounts were cut off, and holes drilled so that the tank would be able to bolt up flush under the x member.

[Impulsive]

Indeed, a great job dude.

Thought I'd let u know of an experience I had. Nice strong bar, but the pi$$y chassis rails tore open with a bit too much weight on the towbar.

So, you might find it appropriate to reinforce the chassis rails around where the towbar bolts in. Good thing you can get inside at the end there to weld in reinforcement plates along the bottom, or something like that.

Regards,

Adam

[big vitara]

nice job, i have a 3" calmini body lift in my vitara and have often wanted to lift the tank up and out of the way.

good work

[SiKiD_01]

this is how it all looks today. you can't even see the fuel tank anymore, which is good, because i used to see the lower part of the tank, and it was an eyesore. now its all up and out of the way, and looks clean.

my lil bro has a corolla, lowered and all, and if you're in his car following mine, all you can see is basically the diff.

about the chassis re-inforcing, i have thought about that many times, before and after i did the tank lift. so what i've done is left it as it is, and i dont think i will ever tow (a trailer) or anything thats going to put more than, say, 300kg down force on it.

the 75x75 actually sits up between the chassis rails, and so if i need to, i can weld along the top of the 75, and maybe down the back side or something. all this does, is pretty much holding the two rails together as the old xmember used to.

zooks are light, so i think it will hold if i need to be recovered. i have snatched a 75series cruiser out of a bog, but i think 1st goes are free, only time will tell if it all holds up.

another way to re-inforce it, might be to make a hayman-reese type set up, where there is a plate running about 300mm or so up under the chassis rails. this might spread a bit of weight/force.

[kimclive]

Hey SiKiD,

Great job on the rear end. The new bar, the mudflaps, the lights and the hitch. Top work.

Are you sure the fuel tank was the eyesore? I can still see that tailgate

Cheers

Clive

[nicbeer]

Hey,

just wondering on how many litres the tank holds and with the mounts are they all on the same plain, not like the sierra mounts that are everywhere.

Also - will a sierra sender fit into a vit tank??

cheers

Nic

[SiKiD_01]

i dont know exactly how many litres my tank is, about 35-40 ish litres. and yes, the mounts are on the same plane, but the front mounts are a bit higher than the rear ones, but it is so much easier than lifting a tank in the sierra.

i've been trying to convince my mate into getting a vitara tank to fit in the back, as you can easily mount it with some custom xmembers across the chassis rails, and you can centre the tank so its not to the right anymore.

as with the sender, i have no idea, i have not seen a sierra tank sender before, but i would imagine that they are either very similar, or identical.

[sierrajim]

Hey,

just wondering on how many litres the tank holds and with the mounts are they all on the same plain, not like the sierra mounts that are everywhere.

Also - will a sierra sender fit into a vit tank??

cheers

Nic

If you have a look in my sierra build thread in the zook section i mounted the Vit tank through the rear floor. The bottom line of the tank was just (5-10mm) above the chassis line. The mounting was easy.

The Vit sender connected straight up to the sierra loom and the gauge was accurate.

[Impulsive]

Valid point on the towing the trailer, Sikid.

I have to admit I was tugging nearly a tonne