The shop is saying about $300 for labor in order to change my fuel pump over to the Walbro one I bought!

Does that sound correct? They're saying that they're going to have to drop the rear end?

Can anybody else confirm this?

Thanks guys.

 

Sounds about right.... it's not a fun job at all.

Get under the back of your car and look up, and you'll see why it takes 4½ hours. Alot of stuff has to come out to allow the gas tank to drop out.

 

That is most definately true. I helped a friend of mine reinstall his fuel tank and it took us almost 2 hours just to put the stupid thing back in. That job really sucks...that is why i am thinking about an access panel

 

Yeah but when yopu help your friend, are either of you mechanics. You dont have to drop the rear end to change the gas tank, its tight, but it comes out. no more than 2 1/2 hours for a shop, otherwise they are screwing you. I could do it myself in like 3 and that is without a lift.

 

Thats a tad on the high side. I just happen to have installed Real time labor guide here at home to check the free trial. This software tends to be on the high side over Chilton or Mitchel. High 4.30 , Med 4.0 and low 3.60. Ask them what thier labor rate is and how much thier tacking on since your bringing in your own part. Of course you could install it yourself it isnt that hard.

 

Ther rear end definetly does not have to come OUT. It does, however, have to be dropped down out of the way (unbolt shocks & sway bar) and the exhaust has to swing down as well. Everybody on here (ok not EVERYONE, but a lot) says that it is smarter to do an access panel. This is crap. It sounds hard as hell, and like it's going to require a Masters degree in engineering to do it the right way, but it is really not that tough. Sure it takes a while, but it's not too tough. If you can change spark plugs on one of these with headers, you can do the fuel pump. Just take your time and don't force anything.

 

The first 2 times I dropped my gas tank it was a nightmare getting in and out. Plenty of sharp edges, lots of funky turns and twists... not fun. But now, I can probably do it in less than an hour. I'd recommend doing it yourself ...its not hard its just time consuming and mildly frustrating at times ...but once you do it you'll be able to do it twice as fast the next time.

Cutting out an "access panel" is a horribe idea... Sure it may make it easier but I'd never buy a car that had a huge chunk of its factory metal cut out of it cause someone was too lazy to do the job properly.

 

We didn't take the rearend out of the car...had to take the panhard and upper panhard brace out. getting it back in the car was the problem...as a matter of fact, i didn't even help take it out just put it in.

 

$300 is a bargin. Most GM dealerships will charge upwards of $900 bucks to do it. Small shops will do it for much cheaper than dealerships but I think you got a good price.

EDIT: Even guys in our local club will charge $200 for labor.

 

When i did it, it was a PITA no doubt. When i went to put it back in I had to bench press it into place and then (while laying on my back on a creeper) hold it into place with my knees while using an air ratchet to reatach everything. It definately sucks. But it does beat paying 4.5 hours labor. that sucks too.

 

I dont know about you guys, but I do everything on my car. Although my brother is a mechanic, if I cant do it, he'll help. I just dont want anyone but me to work on it. I havent had to pull the tank, but I know I could do it. I think anyone with half a brain and a set of tools could too. Even if you have to buy a repair manaul, and go step by step. It feels good at the end of any project. It feels better when you do it. It also feels good to spend $300 on mods., instead of some jag off.

 

never taken mine to the shop either. Well, for exhaust.

 

The only thing mine has seen a shop for is exhaust...i have done everything else with a little help from my brother and a friend

 

i completely removed my whole motor with a chiltons manual and a 74 pc toolkit from craftsman... borrowed a couple extensions and swivels from my dad, and of course the lift.. but even that seems overpriced for upwards of 1500 for labor... me and two friends had 1 floor jack, 2 jackstands and 3 brains and we got that engine out cleanly in 8 hours... and my only previous mechanic experience was changing oil and rotating tires... changing out that fuel pump shouldnt be much of a task... besides... the feeling you get after doing it yourself is SOOOOO much better than the feeling of a lighter pocket after some seasoned mechanic does it in 2 hrs and charges you for 5 ;-)

 

 

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...&highlight=gas

My post from last summer.

 

I installed my fuel pump in the better part of a day two years ago. At this time I had no idea what I was doing. Not the slightest clue. I had a crappy Haynes manual and managed to do it myself. I could do it again pretty quick I think. I wouldn't pay someone more than 150$ to do it. It isn't THAT bad.

 

Been there! That was my first car, 84 Z28. Swapped out the 305 HO for a 350. Chiltons manual, Craftsman 96 piece socket set, and a tree with a chain on it! And the feeling is amazing! Expecially when it starts after

 

I am in the process of replacing a fuel pump in my friends 86 FireBird. It needs all new hoses coming from the fuel pump, all of them are brittle and when I touched them they crumbled, but I don't know what they are.

 

More than likely they are the rubber fuel lines.

 

thats what I was thinking but when I went to advance auto parts they were saying something about me needing to know the parts numbers or something when I told them I needed the hoses that go from the fuel pump in a 1986 FireBird. So I am assuming the guy behind the counter was just a dumb@$$, right?

 

I have all metal lines; from the fuel pump to the throttle body...

 

fuel pump burned out within 2 hours of me buying my car from the previous owners... of course i bought it as is.

Took about 6 hours for me and a friend (ok... dads friend). You dont have to drop the rear end, but it'll probably end up saving you time when u try putting it back in so that's the route that we took. You also have to disconnect the exhaust. After that it's just a matter of getting the fuel tank out and back in... Getting the neck of the fuel tank back through that hole was a struggle

BTW - NO ACCESS PANEL!! Dont do a scrap job, just do it the way it was meant to be done.

 

I found that if you remove the gas door and the plastic liner in there, it's a piece of cake, both getting the tank out and back in. The funniest thing about the last time I did my fuel pump was my wife. She is a mechanic, a damn good mechanic, and she was looking at the situation back there. She says to me, "we don't have to drop the rear end (or the exhaust I can't exactly remember which one she thought wasn't in the way) out of the way, it'll come out, no problem".
Well a little back and forth, you know what I mean. "Shut up woman, I've done this before". "It's got to come out".
"You shut up jackass, it's fine". So I let her try it her way. More cussing. "Ok you were right, it's in the way". Well guys, I hate using up my one time to be right for the year on something like that, but that is how it goes.
Actually it was all good natured joking between us, and I would never demean her by seriously talking to her that way. She is, without a doubt, one of the best wrenches that I have ever seen or heard about. I thought of a new one next time she starts telling me I don't know what I'm doing. "Get me the wrench, wench"!

 

It took me about 4 hours to get the tank out, working all by my lonesome self. Of course, I was working on a nice buffalo car, where almost every bolt was rused beyond beleif, but didn't break. no air tools. I wish they would have though. Takeing the gas door assembly off definatly makes it easier. the whole panhard assemble needs to come off, alonfg with the sway bar and shocks. Its a good idea to take the braek line off so the rear can drop far enough. Once the rear is out off the way, its a walk in the park...

 

Changed 2 of these this week...it gets easier the more you practice..lol

 

Can you prove to me that cutting an access door has ever compromised the structural integrity of the F-body? I think not!
I think you are another victim of the GM engineer's in Detroit trying to support the dealership mechanic's. What I mean is, it wouldn't pay as much if it was easy, would it? I don't want to argue the pro's and con's, but it worked for me and honestly, I can't tell a bit of difference either way, and I auto-cross the hell out of my 88 formula and the rear end of my car hasn't fallen off yet!

 

Had it done on my T/A. They had to drop the rearend and cut of my exhaust to get the tank out. Total with the cost of the pump was $500.

 

if you unbolt the i pipe at the converter and undo the hangers on the muffler then swing it out of the way to the passenger side you can get it out without cutting it up then drop the rear bars running along the rearend and with the car raised in the air the rearend will stay on the ground and you can unbolt the tank and lines and unplug the pump and you will have to work with it but it will definately come out and you might even have to remove the heat sheild right behind the tank above where the exhaust goes over the rearend but its not that involved of a job if you have sockets and wrenches you can do it in about 3 hours from dropping the tank to bolting every thing up ive seen people do em in alot less time than that so its not all that difficult to do id say do it yourself ......and dont drop the rearend completely out from under the car its not needed .......you may have to unbolt the torque arm also

 

Gunny, too much money. Try and find the time to do it yourself.

For the access door:
thread

As you can see, it still isn't a walk in the park, by the time you get done with the lines, you would have been done the regular way. It doesn't take that long if you have some experience doing it, may take a wile longer for your first time, but then you can take the bills and go buy a nice TV for the bedroom.

"Hey hon, I got this estimate from the shop, gonna drop it off and go to Bob's after."
You then show up with your nice little 'present'. And she can't bitch... well she can... but you always bring her something too right?