After a bunch of phone calls to Summit and Rons PC, and running around town, I was finally able to purchase AN high pressure fittings to mod my IROC TPI fuel system to enable changing the fuel pump through an access panel above the tank [just like a Honda].

As you're probably aware, the alternative is to remove the fuel tank, etc etc...

So now I have the -5 and -6 unions, flanges and nuts. But I don't have the required 37-degree single-flare tool. Normal auto plumbing is double or single-flare 45-degree, so that won't work for AN stuff.

Anyone have this tool?

BTW, the reason I'm doing the mod is to make the fuel pump replacement a "road-side" easy job. I neglected to do this on my '92 Z28 TPI and a couple years ago the fuel pump failed while driving through Death Valley, CA and repairs at a GM dealer in Las Vegas cost more than $1K. That's a bit too much IMHO...

Thanks for any help!

Hey man. I don't have the tool but I found one in Summit. Maybe you can buy it & let me borrow after lol! Nah. Hope this helps.

Modding the 3rd Gen fuel system to allow easy access to the fuel pump and sending unit requires high-pressure AN fittings on both the 3/8th-inch outlet and 5/16-inch return pipes.

Finding AN -5 in the automotive world is just about impossible, I tried all the online resources.

For example I called Summit and their AN flaring took kit doesn't have the die for -5 [that's 5/16th inch]. Summit also doesn't have hardly anything AN-related for the -5 size, sigh.

In HI, the same is true, Ron's doesn't have it either -- but I was able to locate a full range of steel and brass AN fittings, including
-5, at a hydraulics shop out in Waipahu near the Catapiller Tractor Warehouse. Each steel fitting cost about $2-3, which is much cheaper than the anodized NOS fittings.

D&M Hydraulic Sales and Service
94-148 Leowaena St
808-478-3566

D&M also does flaring for about $4 each, but I though I'd check with you guys first, since I prefer to do my own work when possible, especially with simple stuff like this.

Since I had earlier purchased a replacement fuel sending unit [GM 25027221], I'll be able to prepare the modded in-tank unit while driving the '87 around, then swap it at my convenience. FYI the sending unit for my car has been broken for a couple of years, so it will be nice to have a working fuel gauge again, especially when the car is shipped to the mainland for cross-country driving.

When I get it all done, I'll compile a photo How-To on the board for anyone interested in doing this worthwhile mod.

My bad. Didn't realize the tool didn't have the sizes you needed. Yeah man, a how-to article would be awesome since you put so much research & work into this. Oh yeah, you could also try a place I use to use right off of Nimitz Hwy. Might be cool to see if they would work out better than that D&M place. It's around Byron's. The place is called Hydra-Air & have alot of oddball stuff too. Good luck

Thanks for the tip, I called Hydra-Air today and they'll do the flares for about $4 each, so I'm gonna drop off the cleaned and cut steel tubing for flaring and then stock up with a new fuel sock, filter, tank o-ring and fuel injection rubber hose for the other two low pressure lines. Oh, I also need a new valve, 'cause I can hear my car "groan" every night when it vents. Dunno if I can get all the stuff together by Friday, so I might have to wait a week to do the installation. More will follow...

Sounds like a smart project. I dread the day that I have to replace my fuel pump. An easy-access panel would be great!

Laters,
Scott

Just for fun, there are very different opinions on this subject. I personally love the idea of the access panel for easy pump change out. Some others think otherwise. Here are two threads for your reading pleasure about making an access door
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...p+access+panel
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...p+access+panel

I remember reading a few long-winded threads about doing it or not a while ago, and I don't feel like reading any new ones... nor the same old ones, hehe.

I still believe that it's a worthwhile mod to do, for so many reasons and they simply outweigh the reasons not to do it.

Hell, GM should have put something like this in there anyway.

That's my opinion anyway.

Laters,
Scott

Yeah, some guys that do all kinda weird stuff to their car seem to go bonkers on this one, heh.

Here in the islands having a hatch isn't important -- but if you're driving thousands of miles away from home and the fuel pump quits, you will pay about $1,000 to have the tank, exhaust and rear end dropped to fix it This happened in my '92 in Death Valley, CA a couple years ago. Now I have a lifetime parts/labor GM warranty, on the '92, so GM does it free from now on.

I have no intention of going through that again with my '87, so I'm doing the mod so I can do a roadside or simple $100 gas station repair. Besides, I'm convinced GM didn't install an access hatch because the pumps were meant to go at least 100,000 miles, long after most people get rid of a car anyway.

Tomorrow I pickup the 37-degree flared sending unit assembly and still have to get a new fuel pump filter sock and a new O-ring for the tank.

Time for an update on the topside fuel pump access project.

I guess because Hydra-Air is a commerical hydraulics shop and not an automotive shop, they didn't have a clear understanding of what was needed, thereby leading to problems, sigh.

Most people would think the instruction: "these are gasoline lines that must be joined with AN fittings and be leak proof up to at least 200 psi," would be pretty clear.

Not so. First they said there wasn't enough room between the inlet and return piping to use the AN flaring tool and they decided to use AN compression fittings on the feed and return lines.

Unfortunately that didn't work -- one fitting was so loose it just flopped around, the other was iffy, so I had to go back a few days later and complain. If I had installed it as prepared by the lame "machanic" that did the job, my car could have gone up in flames.

I explained to Bobby [shop foreman] that I don't trust compression fittings on flammable liquids or gases, so I had them weld fittings and AN unions so I could separate the the pipes at the joint where the flared piping extends away from the tank.

That's perfect, except when I called them today and they said it was done I drove over to the airport area from Wahiawa, and it really wasn't done -- so it was a wasted trip and I have to wait until next week sometime.

This really would have been a lot easier if I had been dealing with a car fabrication shop. Well anyway, when it's finally done I'll post a how-to.

Also, since there is a chance they could destroy the fuel piping unit in the process of jerking around with it, I took the opportunity to buy two more sending units from Ebay, they'll be coming in soon, so if anyone's interested in this mod, I'll have one or two units available.

Why did they call you out here on a friday afternoon if it wasn't done?

...And I thought I was pissed because the UPS guy took his sweet time delivering my parts.

Keep us updated.

Laters,
Scott

Damn man, I feel bad for recommending them now lol! Sorry things didn't work out smoothly.

Oh don't feel bad about it, I've come to expect this sort of thing when dealing with most businesses around here. If it wasn't so frustrating, it would be funny -- like the previous Wednesday when I brought the shoddy work back to the shop foreman, we were face-to-face and I explained the part was for a gasoline fuel system and both fittings on the pump side MUST be welded, that a compression fitting was insufficient, he said OK, quoted me a price and gave me a NEW job order ticket. Then Friday, when I called to see if the part was ready, I guess the counter person mistakenly looked at the OLD job order.

What really blew my mind was when I went in Friday to pick up the part and saw it hadn't been worked on, the same shop foreman was there and when I asked why I was told on the telephone that it was ready for pickup when it wasn't, he replied, "oh, you wanted it welded?"

I think this happens because businesses are too busy working on the big jobs, and the little ones like mine aren't important enough to focus on.

This kind of stuff happens a LOT in a isolated place like Hawaii because businesses know you're geographically restricted from shopping elsewhere. Sigh, it's so frustrating and a major reason why I'm so motivated to get off the rock.

A few days ago I picked up the fuel tank sending unit from Hydra-Air and talked with the welder for a couple of minutes. He did a great job welding AN fittings on the pipes and this is what should have been done from the start. These have their own internal flares are good to 10,000 psi and won't cause any problems.

The other two sending units arrived from eBay so all the bases are covered if any problems are encounted.

Here's the completed AN unions.

Looks awesome I see another tech article in the making coming to us soon!