I hope I never have to do it, but my car is 28 years old and I think the pump is original. Is this about a 6 hour job if you don't have a lift and you have to do it on your back?
Bad enough the tank has to be removed, but I think the rear has to come down also. What's a good OEM pump and float assembly? I don't want Chinese crap and have to do it again
6 months later. 1991 GTA. I guess a factory access panel would have increased production costs by $10. lol

 

It would be a stretch to have an original in-tank pump last that long, but it is possible. Time required to do the job would depend on one's experience and available tools. Technically, the R&R is not that difficult; the main issue is having enough room under the car to be able to maneuver the tank---with it's filler neck---out from underneath so you can work on it.

If the engine is stock, probably your best bet for a replacement pump is one of the name-brands such as Delphi or Bosch. Indeed, this is not a place for a no-name, ebay replacement part.

 

I went with the Dorman brand when I replaced my assembly several years back. It was the same quality as the original and I'm happy with it. As for the fuel pump, well, who knows. The posted experiences vary so wildly. Many companies just rebrand the same pump and for what I've heard AC Delco parts can be the same way. FWIW I've had the best luck with AC Delco pumps meant for the cyclone.

As to the length of the job I would argue an entire 12 hour day with a lunch break. If you're in Delaware then I'm assuming some of the bolts are rusted or heavily corroded. Possibly the exhaust pipes may not come apart. Dropping the rear end might entail disconnecting the brake line to the rear so you would have to bleed the system. The very first time I replaced a pump it was a morning to dinner job. Other than dealing with rusted/seized/corroded bolts the worst thing was finagiling the gas tank out of and back into position.

 

1A Auto carries a good assembly and tank. I have them in both of our cars.
https://www.1aauto.com/chevy-camaro-...=761605&y=1991
https://www.1aauto.com/1982-92-chevy...1011127&y=1991

I use Delphi pumps.

Delco pumps die. They hate heat. Never again.

Easily done on stands.

1) Jack car up high and place stands on frame rails. Remove wheels. Have jack under the diff.
2) Disconnect fuel/brake line clamp from the car. Drivers side. This allows the rear to drop without issue.
3) Disconnect Sway Arm End Links
4) Disconnect Shocks.
5) Remove Pan Hard Bar / Stabilizer Bar
6) Remove Muffler. If it's 100% welded, cut before the rear axle, use a clamp kit to re-attach. You need the pipe out of the way for clearance.
8) Remove heat shields (2)
9) Disconnect electrical connector
10) Drain tank via return line (second to largest line)
11) Disconnect remaining lines.
12) Remove plastic surround/gas cap cover on the side of the car
13) Lower diff all the way, let it hang
14) Unbolt straps and remove straps. Twist the tank a bit so you can turn and remove the straps entirely. Trust me.
15) Lower tank. Have a helper guide it out. Twist tank a bit counter-clockwise and go towards the passenger side
16) Re-support diff for peace of mind.

tada. It's about a 3 hour operation for a rusty car that I have to cut the muffler off before the diff.

Tools. Have good ones, and the right ones. If you don't, any job sucks. My Milwaukee FUEL impacts melt any nut off I throw at them.

 

Thanks. Car only has 60,000 miles and was never driven with brine or salt on the road. Before I do a job I typically spray everything with Kroil the night before.
Sounds like a bear of a job without a lift and exhaust stands. Hopefully i will never have to do it. Car runs fine as it is now. I had to do a pump in our town car last year.
That was a 7 hour job. My BMW was a 60 minute job. There was an access panel in the trunk and a drain plug in the bottom of the tank. The way it should be on all cars. LOL

If I ever had to do the job, I would take 2 days. 4 hours 1 day to take it out, and 4 hours the next day to put it back together. I drive the car sparingly. Maybe one of the PO's replaced it in the past. I don't know. In any case, I have the car for sale. It's on the site.

 

Many thanks. If I was 25 years old I could knock that out in 6 hours with a buddy. Sadly I am in my 50's and don't move like I used to. If it craps out ever I will have my indy do it. He has 2 lifts. Hopefully my pump will hold up. lol

 

Those are great instructions. Thanks, I figured the exhaust needs to come down. I think the previous owner did a flowmaster so hopefully it would
unbolt if I ever had to do it.

 

If you have to cut the exhaust off I would highly recommend that you take it to an exhaust shop and have them weld in a V band flange or a typical old-school 3 bolt flange with a gasket. That way you will NEVER have the problem again. I have V band flanges on my headers, the pipe just before the axle and the muffler which makes disassembly a breeze.

 

Experiences vary wildly. There must be poor Quality assurance or they use multiple companies over time. The pump that's pumping for my 383 is the AC Delco meant for a cyclone (dyno don has recommended those for over a decade) and I've had no issues with it.

Which impact do you have? I have their 1/2" Fuel mid-torque impact that is supposed to be rated at 600 ft/lbs of nut busting torque.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwauke...0-20/300955532
Not too sure about that. I use one of the larger battery packs with it also. I torque the lug nuts to 85 ft/lbs and this impact has to sit there for 3-5 seconds before it turns them. Meanwhile the electric Bauer impact from Harbor Freight
https://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-...nch-64120.html
will zip them off in a second. Yeah the Bauer is more powerful but 85 ft/lbs is only 1/7 of the claimed torque of the Milwaukee. So I'm not pleased with this mid torque offering. I'm tempted to sell it and buy their full size to be able to use the same batteries and charger but BOLTR on YouTube has posted some impressive results with the Harbor Freight Earthquake XT cordless impact
https://www.harborfreight.com/20v-ma...kit-64195.html

 

If you can remove the track bar and it's brace, then lower the rear end, you can just disconnect the exhaust at the cat and pull it out in one piece. Otherwise, the end of the intermediate pipe gets in the way.

It also helps to completely remove the straps, so they don't get in the way while finagling the tank. The more room you can make for yourself by lowering the rear and getting the car high enough off the ground, will make the job easier. That said, I can tell you from experience you can Twister the tank out far enough to change the pump without removing the track bar/brace and intermediate pipe, you'll just be hating life for every minute of it. On the other hand, if the parts will come apart, the tank practically falls out. I only did it the hard way because the track bar bolts were rusted solid.

 

I did mine 2 years ago, yes it was a lot of work but with time its not that bad, I was replacing my exaust at the same time so it worked out well for me. I went with the dorman brand as well, been fine since. Next time I will cut an access panel on the floor pan. Not paying some grease monkey to fix it and I dont want to remove the gas tank again.

 

To cut an access panel and have it come out nice and not a hack job you would need to drop the fuel tank. Myself and a few other members have posted pictures of how we've done it to give you ideas.

 

I was looking at Carparts.com
https://www.carparts.com/details/Pon...EPC670301.html

 

That'll be the same as all of them. I swear theyre all made in 1 place.

 

Your probably right, with shipping Carparts.com was cheaper then A1 Auto.