Page 4 of 5 FirstFirst 12345 LastLast
Results 76 to 100 of 106

Thread: PSA: Replace your fuel tank straps

  1. #76
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    CT, USA
    Posts
    4,161
    My Cars
    e28, e34, e39
    Thanks for the pics. How much was that strap?
    demet

  2. #77
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Saskatoon, SK, Canada
    Posts
    441
    My Cars
    1994 525i touring
    Awesome, thanks. I wonder how hard it would be to reuse the original ends and use some kind of cheap generic strap.

  3. #78
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Northern Virginia
    Posts
    70
    My Cars
    1994 e34 525i
    Quote Originally Posted by dgoodsy View Post
    Awesome, thanks. I wonder how hard it would be to reuse the original ends and use some kind of cheap generic strap.
    I think you could make your own if the ends are still good. Someone mentioned bolting the ends to a new strap but I think welding them would be better.

    Bmw parts dept priced it at $153 but they said they could discount it to $111 so maybe ask then what the best price is they can give you.

  4. #79
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Northern Virginia
    Posts
    70
    My Cars
    1994 e34 525i
    Quote Originally Posted by extremebimmer View Post
    I think you could make your own if the ends are still good. Someone mentioned bolting the ends to a new strap but I think welding them would be better.

    Bmw parts dept priced it at $153 but they said they could discount it to $111 so maybe ask then what the best price is they can give you.
    Wow, I got up under the car today to check if I would need the other rubber cushion parts or if I could reuse the original ones. To my surprise I found the fuel tank strap on the passenger (right) side is all rotted out and broken too. Previous owner must have done this. I found that a regular black rubber bungy cord had been placed there. Right now that is all that is holding my tank up!

    Now I need to get the paasenger side strap before I can repair this. I was looking online today and found some other options. I really don't want to pay $120 for the strap...

    What about this universal strap that is 42" ?
    https://m.summitracing.com/parts/tnk...FYWCaQod_S4G3Q

    I am going to order this and see if I can make it work for the right side strap. What do others think? Will it work with the side that is a hook? Or will I have to do something like bolting or welding the hook piece from the old strap onto it?
    Last edited by extremebimmer; 10-23-2016 at 03:35 PM.

  5. #80
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Northern Virginia
    Posts
    70
    My Cars
    1994 e34 525i
    Quote Originally Posted by extremebimmer View Post
    Wow, I got up under the car today to check if I would need the other rubber cushion parts or if I could reuse the original ones. To my surprise I found the fuel tank strap on the passenger (right) side is all rotted out and broken too. Previous owner must have done this. I found that a regular black rubber bungy cord had been placed there. Right now that is all that is holding my tank up!

    Now I need to get the paasenger side strap before I can repair this. I was looking online today and found some other options. I really don't want to pay $120 for the strap...

    What about this universal strap that is 42" ?
    https://m.summitracing.com/parts/tnk...FYWCaQod_S4G3Q

    I am going to order this and see if I can make it work for the right side strap. What do others think? Will it work with the side that is a hook? Or will I have to do something like bolting or welding the hook piece from the old strap onto it?
    I measured the driver's side (left) strap and it is 36" in length. I am not sure if both straps are the same shape and lenght, but they do have seperate BMW part numbers.

    Here are two photos of the length of the new driver's side strap I got:



  6. #81
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Madison, WI
    Posts
    1,228
    My Cars
    1994 530i
    Just looked at pelican parts today. The left side is $100 and the right side is $127! Yah right...these should be easy enough to fabricate or even jury-rigged.

  7. #82
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    CT, USA
    Posts
    4,161
    My Cars
    e28, e34, e39
    Quote Originally Posted by SwissCheeseHead View Post
    Just looked at pelican parts today. The left side is $100 and the right side is $127! Yah right...these should be easy enough to fabricate or even jury-rigged.
    Agreed. I'll either buy a set of universal straps or fab some up in galvanized strap steel for less than $20.
    demet

  8. #83
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Madison, WI
    Posts
    1,228
    My Cars
    1994 530i
    When you guys do this, can you do a DIY with pics? Earlier posts (5mall5nail) indicate taking off the rear bumper and a couple of bolts, but a visual would be greatly appreciated!

  9. #84
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Northern Virginia
    Posts
    70
    My Cars
    1994 e34 525i
    Quote Originally Posted by SwissCheeseHead View Post
    When you guys do this, can you do a DIY with pics? Earlier posts (5mall5nail) indicate taking off the rear bumper and a couple of bolts, but a visual would be greatly appreciated!
    Would others be interested in buying new fuel tank straps that are custom made exact replicas? I have access to a fully equiped machine shop with every imaginable tool at TechShop, and I was think about fabricating replica straps. There is also a power coating booth so I should be able to make them just as good if not better them the $100+ OEM straps.

    Currently I have one brand new left side strap I managed to find for $50, and then I found two decent shape but rusty straps on a parts car today. They are still in tact though. I just need to be able to use the OEM straps as a reference to build new ones. Get the design and shape exactly right.

    Can others please chime in and help me guage interest from the community? I think these fuel tank straps will become more and more needed as it seems they rust and rot out on all the e34's.

    Also, what is a fair price to sell them for? Can some of you please let me know what you would be confortable paying for them?

    I bought the universal 42" straps from Summit Racing but I really don't feel confortable using them as is, without fabricating a hook and welding it on like the eom straps. These universal straps are also wider than the OEM ones so that might cause an issue if they do not sit properly into the groove in the tank. Having too wide of a strap could eventually saw into the tank!

    As others mentioned the full e34 fuel tank is about 160 lbs. so these two metal straps have to hold up a lot of weight. I figure if I am going to go through the trouble to frabricate one then making 10, 20 or even 50 of them would not be that much more difficult for me.

  10. #85
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Madison, WI
    Posts
    1,228
    My Cars
    1994 530i
    I would be interested. $40-$50 shipped would seem reasonable enough, I think, given the time and materials. If the straps are sturdy and powder coated, I think that would be reasonable.

  11. #86
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Macon, GA
    Posts
    1,224
    My Cars
    '94 530iT/A|'95 540iT/6
    Quote Originally Posted by SwissCheeseHead View Post
    I would be interested. $40-$50 shipped would seem reasonable enough, I think, given the time and materials. If the straps are sturdy and powder coated, I think that would be reasonable.
    +1

    Sign me up for two sets if you go through with it.

  12. #87
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    CT, USA
    Posts
    4,161
    My Cars
    e28, e34, e39
    Quote Originally Posted by extremebimmer View Post
    Also, what is a fair price to sell them for? Can some of you please let me know what you would be confortable paying for them?
    Unless your time is freely given, with time and materials, $100 for a set would be reasonable.
    demet

  13. #88
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Northern Virginia
    Posts
    70
    My Cars
    1994 e34 525i
    Hello,
    I got pretty busy around the holidays. If anyone is still interested than I can fabricate more fuel tank straps. I repaired mine on my e34 after both of the original ones rusted out.

    If others think $100 is a fair price for both straps then I think that is reasonable. They will be heavy duty galvanized aluminum, and powder coated black. The straps will be just like the OEM ones from BMW that now cost $130-160 but for less than half the price. If I get enough orders then I will put them up on a website with photos. Shipping will be through FedEx Ground service and I will only charge what Fedex charges to my corporate account that gets the best discount possible. I am happy to ship anywhere in the world as long as buyer covers shipping costs.

    The reason I decided to make these and sell them is because I have access to TechShop.ws in Arlington, VA and I was frustrated that these used to cost $10-20 just a few years ago. I can also powder coat them any color you want, if you request a custom color other than black. I will do 2-3 coats and bake them in the oven. TechShop has a really well equipped metal shop, welders, and a full powder coating room with a big booth and oven. I can also powder coat wheels and other parts for people but it might not make sense for heavy objects. If your in the D.C. Metro area let me know if you need any parts powder coats. It is durable enough that the instructor in the class I took said he powder coats his parts on his Jeep that hit against rocks while offroading and it does not scratch the coating. There is also a sandblasting booth so I can refinish pretty much any parts. The process is to sandblast the parts first to give the powder coating a good surface to adhere to.

    I can take payments via PayPal. PM me for more details and shipping quotes. I will make the straps on an as ordered basis within a few days and ship them out. After I take a few orders I will make a couple dozen of them to keep on hand.

    Also, where is the best place to post this offer?

  14. #89
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    06478
    Posts
    2,983
    My Cars
    2 e30's and an e34
    Sorry for bumping an old thread.

    Can anybody measure how wide these are? Don't have my car available at the moment.

    Thanks,
    -Chris

  15. #90
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Wisconsin
    Posts
    525
    My Cars
    '95 525it
    I've replaced the fuel tank straps on two E34s. For the first one I bit the bullet and coughed up $200 plus for the factory straps. On car No. 2 I went to my local parts shop and bought a universal strap kit. I salvaged the ends of the old straps and bolted them onto the universal strapping. The cost per strap with new Grade 8 bolts was about $10.

  16. #91
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    06478
    Posts
    2,983
    My Cars
    2 e30's and an e34
    My plan is to fabricate new ones from stainless but I need to know how wide the strips should be.
    -Chris

  17. #92
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Virginia
    Posts
    978
    My Cars
    95 525, 93 M5, 05 X5 x2
    Do you need the strap dimensions?

  18. #93
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    New York, NY
    Posts
    2
    My Cars
    2004 325XI, 1995 525i
    I am interested in a set for my e34. Please let me know how I can order one.

  19. #94
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Northern Virginia
    Posts
    70
    My Cars
    1994 e34 525i
    Hello anyone who might need the e34 fuel tank straps. I am going to be fabricating some this week for Kalbmw so please let me know if anyone else wants some. At this point there was not much demand so I have to make them special order and it would save me a lot of time to make more at once. My custom handmade straps are better than the bmw oem ones for half the cost. $75 per strap plus S+H.
    Detailed specs:
    -Galvanized metal sheet material slightly thicker than the originals.
    -TIG Welded to metal brackets to bolt on just like stock.
    -multi layer Powder coating with bake and cure between layers for extra corrosion protection.

    Essentially my aftermarket straps will last longer than your car or I will guarantee to send you new ones at no cost. Yes, I am offering a lifetime limited warranty for the life of your e34 bimmer! Exclusively only to the bimmerforum. Over a decade ago I operated www.xtremebimmer.com which was an Esienman exhaust reseller and also sold very specialized aftermarket handmade e30 parts such as some headers that are still on many e30 that were restored/upgraded to not original ie. Turbos

    I shut the site down during college and after I enlisted in the Army as a Forward Observer. Now for the last few years I have been getting hooked back on bimmers. ;-)

    Have a good day.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

  20. #95
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Northern Virginia
    Posts
    70
    My Cars
    1994 e34 525i
    If I can get more than 20 people to buy these straps then I may relaunch Xtreme Bimmer. Although the web store was one of only about a half dozen back when I started in in 2003. I did not have any competitors for the customer niche parts and just focused on a few items that were really needed. Let's see what happens. I have a full machine shop now with welders, powder coating room, grinding room with a sandblaster large enough for a full sized motorcycle frame or engine, CNC, and a waterjet cutter the size of a dump truck.
    Any feedback on what parts might be going EOL or have already from e21 to e34 and e36. Every model in between but not up to e46. Ideas, another custom header, aluminum rugged miltary grade skid plates!!! Haha I am serious because I cracked my Z3 oil pan on a speed bump! Grrrrr

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

  21. #96
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Virginia
    Posts
    978
    My Cars
    95 525, 93 M5, 05 X5 x2
    This is a great service to our members, so thank you for this offer. For the moment, my straps are good. Also, I was lucky enough to get a set before they went NLA and resellers grossly marked up the remaining stock. If you need exact dimensions I can take them off the new set I have in my parts inventory and send to you. Another option: as I am about 100 miles south of you I could let you use my set as templates. Glad to help you out so just let me know.

  22. #97
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Alexandria VA
    Posts
    36
    My Cars
    99 M3iC 98 M3/4 88M3

    e34 Touring gas tank straps

    Quote Originally Posted by extremebimmer View Post
    If I can get more than 20 people to buy these straps then I may relaunch Xtreme Bimmer. Although the web store was one of only about a half dozen back when I started in in 2003. I did not have any competitors for the customer niche parts and just focused on a few items that were really needed. Let's see what happens. I have a full machine shop now with welders, powder coating room, grinding room with a sandblaster large enough for a full sized motorcycle frame or engine, CNC, and a waterjet cutter the size of a dump truck.
    Any feedback on what parts might be going EOL or have already from e21 to e34 and e36. Every model in between but not up to e46. Ideas, another custom header, aluminum rugged miltary grade skid plates!!! Haha I am serious because I cracked my Z3 oil pan on a speed bump! Grrrrr

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
    Strap on my 93 525iT broke on the highway yesterday. Luckily I had the windows open and the radio low My cart for dealer parts (Tischer) sits at $257 for the straps and associated rubber and mounting hardware. YIKES!

    You still making these? I assume they will accept all the OEM rubber bits and hardware? I'm in Alexandria and I need a set.

    Cheers
    -John

  23. #98
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Baltimore, Maryland
    Posts
    4,727
    My Cars
    2016 640i, 1990 535iM
    maybe AngryAss can make some
    2016 640i Coupe'
    1990 Bmw 535i Turbo 600whp

    1999 740iL: Sold
    1997 740i: Crashed and Parted
    1988 535i: Crashed and Parted
    1988 528e: Crashed and parted
    IG- @Rogetta_Stone

  24. #99
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    NH
    Posts
    5,614
    My Cars
    E34 540i 6sp 1995-03-28
    a couple of years ago Binjammin replaced my fuel tank.. we did use new straps but did not install the plastic slip over protectors.. I still have them if anyone might be interested but I wonder if they actually do more harm than good perhaps preventing moisture from drying out promoting rusting... I had worried about abrasion between the straps and tank from which they would protect but I can see no evidence now after putting on over 200,000 miles since in New England.

  25. #100
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Carrboro, NC
    Posts
    365
    My Cars
    '91 525i (5sp)
    I was thinking about using generic stainless straps, but luckily, I found a used set in excellent condition; my plan is to give them (and also the tank per se) a coat or two of POR-15, just in case...

Page 4 of 5 FirstFirst 12345 LastLast

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •