so i started pulling the carpet out of my camaro today, which i had thought to be un-molested. to my surprise, ive got a fuel sending unit hatch..yay....not really, kinda pi**ed me right off actually.

what do you guys suggest i do? i am rebuilding the car and will be dropping the tank, weld the flap shut or...?

 

Bend it back down nice like it was, seal it all around with duct tape to keep dirt, etc. out of the car, and put the carpet back over it - it didn't bother you before, it's a done deal, and you'll have easy access to the tank when the pump goes out again (because you know it will)! No one but you will ever lift the carpet up, and thus will never know. In fact, I already forgot about it!

Forgot about what?

Yep!

 

or since its already cut....

turn it into a door and you might actually like having it once your tank leaks or fuel pump goes. just a thought

beats dropping the axle and tank to replace the pump

 

I'll agree with the above. I wouldn't do it this way myself. But hey since its already done finish it off nice.

Check this post out.
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/fabr...cess-hole.html

 

was thinking about that, thnx boys

 

That would bother the crap out of me. In fact it does. The previous owner of my 1985 Trans-AM did some ghetto **** like that.

 

I never understood why people cut the access door. Even after the hole is made, the hard lines have to be cut to get the sending unit out... then you need to somehow install appropriate high-pressure fittings on the lines. I'd rather drop the axle and keep my fuel lines and hatch floor intact. I think dropping the axle would be easier and cost less than messing with the fuel lines. To the original poster, I would weld it shut while the axle and tank are out if i were in your position.

 

I don't think that cutting the hard lines are that big of a deal. However aside from that I've got to say that there is a right way and a wrong way to do a job and hacking holes in your car and patching them up badly is the wrong way.

 

I didn't say it wouldn't bother me - I'm about as **** as it gets and I hate things done half-a$$ed - but there's not alot can be done unless it's rewelded after the tank is out of the way like suggested. And it's pointless to lose sleep over something that you can't do anything about. That's what they make Celexa for!

 

I'm going to fix mine by welding new sheet metal in place. It bothers me that much.

 

Dropping the rear axle to get the tank out really isn't that big of a deal.

IIRC, when I did mine back in '89 just unbolting the lower ends of the shocks was enough to get the axle out of the way.

 

The one in my 87' came out fairly easy once I dropped the axle down but my new 86' was a PITA today. I had the axle on the floor and it was STILL not coming out, I had to bend the fuel filler neck a bit to get ot to come out. While it's out I'm enlarging thath inner fender hole. That was my only hang up. My last 4 never had a problem, this one, SUCKED! Honestly if I count the hrs I have into it people would probably love to get theirs done that fast but to me Its still a pita. Now back to original question, I would weld the hole shut. I don't see the point in cutting the lines, now if you installed some quick-disconnect fuel fittings (some an fittings even? flare the tubes?) wouldn't be so bad. I contemplated this for all of 2 seconds on my 86', and it really is unmolested and 60K miles, I could never bring myself to hacking it up. Good luck with it, sorry that you found that out but it should be fairly easy fix and like previously said, never bothered ya before so don't sweat it, just fix it. If I WERE to do it (cut hole in floor), I would do it like this guy did:

 

So here is the ugliest question of the day...

How do you cut the lines without making alot of sparks and burning down your car?
Wouldn't tin snips just squish up the lines?

 

Offset shears: http://www.shoplet.com/Irwin-Offset-...862073211/spdv

Electric shears: http://www.eastwood.com/electric-met...ng-shears.html

Air nibbler: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=46061

Hand operated: http://www.eastwood.com/supercoup-nr...er-shears.html

I'm sure I've missed a few other items that would work just as well.

 

All those would be good for cutting the floor, but useless for cutting the fuel lines.

 

Haha.. I'm a dumb-ss. I interpreted 'lines' as... lines marked for cutting... the sheer metal. I failed to read the second part about them squishing...
Good catch on my reading fail

Cutting the fuel lines, a small tubing cutter would work good: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=92878

 

I found a much larger and uglier hole in my '88 when I pulled up the carpet, and there was a very large section missing. I cut a new "access door" from a parts car, then screwed it down with some very short self-tapping screws. Then sealed it with sealing tape, and covered that with masking tape to keep the carpet from sticking to it.

 

My car was also a victim of the "fuel door" evil. The shop that built my swap initially used a LS2 fuel pump on my car, which failed (or so I was told, LSx pumps are totally different though 0.o). They then decided instead of dropping the tank again, to just cut a hole in the rear. Now it smells like gas after sitting. Time for me to do the full door/hinge setup with a nice seal. I wonder how long I have before their lines start leaking and burn my car down...

 

Check the seal of the pump. If the seal it bad, you'll get fumes.

If the exhaust is bad, you'll get exhaust. Almost 3 years later (after the hole was cut) & despite having NO gas door, I get ZERO gas fumes nor exhaust inside my car.