want to take the pump out and put pickup on has anybody cut a hole to do this

 

Yes people have, and they look like morons, cutting holes in their unibody cars and patching it with duct tape after, drop the freaking tank it doesnt take that long...

 

well Im no duct tape moron just didnt want to cut my pipe to do it

 

if it were me i would just drop the tank..

 

Unbolt the rear, move it away, unbolt the pipe, and remove it.

 

Comes up every weeek or 2.

Either sodomize your car and help turn it into a lawn ornament on cinder blocks like you see on trailer trash joke sites; or do it right, which really isn't very hard.

Drop the tank, change it, be done with it.

 

Why do the ppl that cut holes have to be morons? The job can be done very effectively that way and not everyone uses duct tape. You can do it nice and neat and make a little bolt in hatch. It's easier than dropping the tank, but there are plenty of ppl that come to my shop looking to save a couple $$ on labor so they ask us to cut a hole. It takes about half the time, therefore, half the cash. Not to mention those who are doing work in their back yard with little experience or access to tools that don't feel up to pulling their rear end out in fear of messing something up. So before you become an a$$hole and go flaming someone because you wouldn't do it their way, why don't you take a little time and think of some other reasons why ppl would do it this way.

 

ZZ28...I just dropped mine this morning. It was the first time I have ever done this in an f-body or any car for that matter. The only one I've ever done before was for a pick up truck and those are a walk in the park because of the room. Anyway, it was not as difficult as you might think. What I did was...on friday when I got out of work I soaked all the bolts to the rear suspension with PB Blaster and let it sit over night. Saturday I got the rear end out in about 3 hours including slacking off. Sunday I pulled the tank. That took about 2 hours. I did it by myself, but an extra pair of hands would have helped quite a bit. There was already no exhaust on my car to deal with because I had removed it before because of the swap I'm going through. Also...I ran the tank almost compltetely dry before I started this project. There may have been a gallon in it. Before pulling the tank, I removed the plastic 'cup' inside the fuel tank door and the only thing that got a caught when the tank was getting ready to come down was the gas cap on the lip inside where the door was. It's your car so you can do what you want, but I'd pull the tank. Good luck.

 

The radiator man said it was 100$ job and he would have to cut my nice dynomax 3'' all welded exhaust, is he jerking me around? he says he done it several times but did not say drop the whole rearend? I was thinking about future mods like going back to injection or nitrous and didnt want to go thru this any more. NASTY BIRD have you made a neat acess panel like this before? Give me a few pointers like how big of a hole for good acess and where

 

as for you rb83l69 would you feel sodimized if I put a cinder block or lawn ornement up your azz I treat my hot rod better than that

 

i just dropped my old tank out and put in a new one out of a 4th gen camaro.....I have no expirence.......no tools that a regular person wouldn't have and i got it done..... you just get real dirty

 

8 posts and already throwing out the insults... wow.

Cutting the floor? I think its the dumbest, cheapest, laziest way to do it. If you are going to cut the floor to gain access to the pump, why stop there? Start cutting up the car. Drill holes for spark plug and o2 access. Those ground wires on the back of the heads are a real PITA, it'd be easier with a hole in the firewall. Put that in too. Ever realize what a pain it is to change the fuel filter? Put in an access panel, it'll be alot easier that way. Am I missing some guys?

People argue all the time that its an ok way to do it, factories do it yada yada yada. Well... I have yet to see a cleanly done 3rdgen tank hatch, they are ALL hack jobs. Some people claimed they made a nice setup, but I havent seen any pics so to me, its all words. And if you want to cut and splice hard lines and bend the metal and seal it to save a couple hours time at best, be my guest. Dont expect someone like me to buy your car though, I will pull the carpet up and check to see if theres a hatch, and if there is, I will not buy it.

 

I asked a serious question, but terms such as moron, duct tape, trailer trash, dumb, cheap and lazy have been used.

Sorry rb83l69, I was seeking advice, and wasn't expecting Alabama trash talk.

Back to my original question..."Has anyone else done this modification with good results?" Does the rear end have to come out? Will my welded tail pipes have to be cut to drop the tank? Will I be better off to cut an access panel?

This is a bracket/street car and I would like to have easy access to fuel delivery changes.

 

ya know if you do cut that neat little hatch, it might be handy for droping oil slicks if you ever try to run away from someone.. just open the hatch and pour some oil out it, and walla! the cop or whoever slides all over the road!!!

I only say this because I went ahead and did it the expensive way... paid someone to take off the rear end, drop the tank, install the new pump, and put it all back together...
THAT WAS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE!

hehe.. a few months later I had the tank replaced as well... dont ask...

Also if your exaust is all welded, I think they will have to cut it somewhere... not really a big deal though I dont think, just weld it back together. The guy that did mine cut it right around the cat. Of course I dont really have fancy pipes that I care about cutting.

AND!! some guy on here I read was saying he did it the cut-the-hole way. He seemed to be bragging about it too, like it was a big deal. So it works, but then again, I really love my car and the idea of cutting holes in it scares me. I woudn't have a clue where to exactly cut it though. Try searching the boards, you might find something (if you havent done that already).

 

I had a $100 craftsman mechanic set, two jack stands, a jack and three hours. The tank was out. And this was the first real wrench turning experience that i had. I just bought a 83 z-28 for $500.
The only thing that was wrong with it was the interior was missing and it needed a fuel pump. (so i was told) So i jacked the car up as far as i could get it, put the jack stands under it. Unbolted the pipes after the headers. Unbolted all the shocks, sway bars and the other bars under there what ever they are called, and the rear end comes down to the ground. Once it is on the ground you can take your pipes out with a little twisting and turning. (no cutting) then unbolt the heat guards and unbolt the tank straps. Then hopefully the tank is empty and you can pull the tank out without hurting your shoulder. You need to unfasten the fuel lines but its no big deal. First time mechanical work in three hours. It was all nuts and bolts.
Why does everyone make such a big deal out of pulling the tank???

 

oh.. unbolt after the headers!! of course! if they're are not rusted past impossible to remove no matter what you do! then you might have to cut... yep

 

Do a search. I believe there was a recent thread in the TPI forum on how someone did it in a day. They didn't even have to cut the exhaust. Just let it hang there as the "slid" the rear out. Sorry, forget the tittle but i cam across it when i was looking for one of the better fuel pumps out there. I plan on switching mine in the spring when i can afford a new 12-bolt. I'm just going to do it all at once. good luck

 

A Z thats wuz funny but i dont need the batman functions, just someone that has cut this hole before and can give me help not to do a hack job . I know most of the replies was about stock stuff but mine is not stock i put the 12 bolt Moser w/discs all stainless lines in myself and paid to have the exhaust welded . thats the reason if i cut anything it will be hidden,

 

I guess that makes it ok... or maybe not.