hey so i decided to change my fuel pump by goin through the floor board (i know alot of u dont like this way) and i ran into a problem i cant get the fuel pump out of the tank because of the hard lines. i disconnected them from above the rear end and it still wont budge and i dont wanna bend them. so my question is how do i get the cap off the top of the gas tank with those 4 hard fuel lines comming out of it? any help would be much aprecciated thank you

 

anyone please i need help!

 

It looks like you went into this blind. First mistake was cutting up your car, oh well each their own. Now since you already made one mistake you now need to make another, the lines all need to be cut. They are much too long to pull out without cutting. Good luck!

 

When you do cut the 4 hard lines, stagger the cuts so that it will be easy to flare the lines as well as install the rubber hose and clamps on them. Make sure you get the high pressure rubber hose for fuel injected engine and not the ones use for the carburetors. I just swapped a fuel pump in my 92 RS by dropping the tank.

 

One of the reasons that you should have done the job right. When you hack that hole in your car, you also have to chop off the fuel lines, and then reconnect them, probably with rubber fuel line. In the end it makes for a nice crappy looking job that you can be ashamed of.

edit: sorry if I sound like I am being a jerk to you. I dont have any thing against you, I just think its dumb for people to butcher a car to save some time. Would you cut a hole in the firewall to change a heater core? Why do this?

 

so whats the proper way,lowering the tank and then removing the pump?

 

what should i cut the lines with? i dont wanna make any sparks if u know what i mean

 

The best way would be with a cutting torch, that way you won't ever have to worry about it leaking, you won't even care what it looks like.
Sorry I couldn't resist. Actually you will need to get a tubing cutter and a flaring tool.

 

This link will provide all the info you need to safely complete the mod.

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...light=backdoor

 

Yes the proper way is to unbolt the rear suspension, undo the two straps that hold the tank in place, and lower the tank.

 

thanks for the link. one more question does any one know what AN size the hard lines are?

 

The lines themselves are not AN, they are standard thread. You will need to change them to AN or flare them and add standard adapters. I would personally go with keeping it standard for ease of assembly and easier to find adapters if they are standard. You can run into problems trying to adapt to AN fittings. It is much easier to go to NAPA than to order through summit.

 

not for me ....... i work at summit ........ let me rephrase my question too if its not AN what size do i need to get for the hose to reconnect the lines? thank you again

 

Please tell me you don't work in the tech center?

 

hahahahahaha hella funny. i know plenty about cars just because i cut a hole in my floor board in my car to get to the fuel pump doesnt mean i dont know jack about car. i work in the wherehouse but have had offers to move up to tech and denied them cause i dont like dealin with people like u. anyways movin on does anyone know the size of the fuel lines? thank you

 

Actually, that you...

a.) cut a hole in your floorboard right above your gas tank;
b.) couldnt' figure out that the hardlines needed cut;
c.) can't measure tube diameter to get hose size;

...pretty much sums up your automotive expertise.

Here's a hint: whip out your open-end wrenches and see which one fits each tube snugly. Or hit Sears and spend $5 on a cheap set of calipers.

Most hacks who do this swap aren't inclined to measure and record the hose sizes they used...gotta remember what mentality you're working with in your new peer group.

 

Thanks kevinc,
I wasn't sure if I was the only one who felt that way. I can't believe the minds of some people. I think that this project was way over this guys head and this is supposed to be the easy way of changing a fuel pump, I think his automotive expertise is very clear. Just remember the next time any of you guys call the summit tech line that he turned down the tech position down.

 

Okay, let's keep this technical and not personal.

I don't have an in-tank pump in the Camaro, so it's never been an issue for me with it. However, I have two Bonnevilles, both of which have required replacement of the in-tank (one of them twice). The Bonneville tank is flat-bottomed but awkward, at least only the exhaust has to be dropped, not the whole rear suspension.

Having said all that...

If I had to do the pump in a 3rd gen, there is no doubt in my mind that I would drop the tank. Something about all those news reports about rear ended Pintos keeps me from wanting to open the passenger compartment to the gasoline reservoir. I may be a hack, but I have my limits. For those who have chosen to cut an access hole, I strongly urge you to fabricate a plate that is secured and sealed as best you can manage.

(By any chance did you pull my order that was shipped last Saturday?)

 

I'm done

 

And don't make yet another mistake to compund the others like this:
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=270681

Thanks for the other giggle too Kev.

 

Now were showing our age arent we....LOL...



Dont we all .






Now look at all the time you saved by cutting a hole in your car to change a pump and trying to figure out which fittings to buy

All the time wasted you could have already have changed the pump and been driving your car

 

thanks to anyone that helped me out i aprecciate it. since thats what this board is for . (not talkin trash on people) and i dont know if i pulled ur order but its possible i pull lots of orders. anyway thatnks again to the people that helped

 

I do feel it is my obligation to steer people in the proper direction rather than just answer the question that have asked. If someone is heading down a path that seems unwise, I'm not going to give them directions for the journey without suggesting an alternative.

In this case, you had already cut the hole before asking your question. In my personal opinion, not the "official" TGO position, that was an unwise path. Since you could not turn around and start over, my recommendation would be to close the hole as securely as now possible. Don't leave it half-way. The donor car that provided the V8 parts for my driver had been rear ended very hard, enough so that the car was not recogizable as a 3rd gen from the rear. Both front seat backs were broken from the force of the driver' and passenger's upper torsos resisting the impulse to move forward with the car. The gas tank was still intact, but barely. This is not something to be triffled with.

End of lecture.

As I hope you guessed/assumed, the Summit order thing was an attempt to lighten the mood and make a "connection". It was for pistons, rings, bearings, rear main seal, etc. UPS says it left Sparks last night, supposed to be at my doorstep Thursday. I'm sure you don't fill one of those kind of orders more than once a month or so...

 

I know ive posted here before about fuel pump access doors....but the majority of the people that say they are installing one of them are usually just HACKING up their car for a job that can be done with simple hand tools....

I could see it if you were running the car as a track only car but for the street it is rediculous you shouldnt be needing to change that pump again for another 10 years at the soonest unless your buying junk autozone pumps...

 

I think we can all agree that whether or not to cut the floor is water-under-the-bridge for Mssr. BADASS91B4C.

For future reference, should someone actually be searching and find this thread, it is the super-majority opinion that the best route is to drop the tank and replace the pump without cutting anything up.

If that has already been done, then do your absolute best to close up that hole against fumes/flamable material entering the passenger compartment.

 

I dropped my tank 3 weeks ago and replaced all the hoses while I was at it. Mine needed 3/8 fuel line, which is pretty standard for GM cars.

BTW, what did you use to cut up the floor? Whatever it was ... throw it away.

 

IF i were to ever do the "trap door" thing to replace a fuel pump, there is no way i would use any rubber hose & clamps to splice the pressure & return lines back together, i would either flare the lines & use flare fittings, or use compression fittings.
properly done either of these are 100 times better than using rubber hose.

 

I started with that idea then gave into my friend's suggestion of going under the trunk carpeting and cutting an access hole. The problem was I hadn't gathered all the parts for him and the pump electrical needed special mating to work, he did this all in about a weekend and you can't see a thing unless you ripped the int apart again... Hey, it simplifies the task of replacing it again, versus doing it as in the manuals, as mentioned above... very time consuming. He got it done for me at the cost of $150 for parts and labor...sure beats the shop and my car is running good!
Bill

PS- I may not be tech savvy, but the buddy helping me is VERY tech minded, he did the job right I'm sure. I was of the mind after asking that enthusiest do like this approach. I'm a little surprised by the negatives shown here. My Cadillac had a replaced pump as well, it was not cheap at all, over $400
Doing it the right way... I have rusted bolts and they were easier to bypass.

 

That's a lot less expensive than the $1,500 + three days hotel room and rental car to have the tank dropped and fuel pump replaced on my Arizona '92 Z28 during an interstate road trip. If I had an access panel and modified fuel piping, I could have changed the pump on the side of the road.

 

I'll add to that because of having to get the additional parts I misplaced, he added the $50 in. It was initially a $100 charge to do it. the pump was about $40 Borg Warner via eBay. If I regret anything later on, you may hear about it on these boards, but I'm happy right now
Bill

 

I have been reading these fuel pump access hole threads for some time. It seems to me that its the same two or three people who ridicule the people doing this procedure. I would like to state that it is true that some of these attemps/pictures I have read/seen, look pretty bad. The heart is in the right place but the ability is not there.
My opinion is this, I have no problem with cutting an access hole. The only thing is if you do it, do it right. That means a nice clean installation. Most people who justify this modification indicate that other cars have access holes. While this is true, I don't believe any production car has a fuel pump access hole that is 8"x 12". Allthough, I could be wrong.
I personally do not want to disassemble the rear suspension and etc, just to get the fuel pump out. And I don't believe any of you guys who say "it only takes me a half hour, two hours or whatever." Give me a break. The car is on the ground and you can get it disassembled in a half hour by yourself with hand tools. What ever!!
I am thinking about cutting an access hole. My desire is to cut a hole in a circle shape over the fuel pump area. I would weld a steel ring under the circle cut out(under the car, currently my car is completly disassembled). The ring would give me a flange area to bolt the access panel to. Yes, I would bolt the access panel in. Then I would proceede to cut and flare the lines. I would install high pressure fittings on the high pressure line. I believe, if it all can work out, it would very much stock. But, if during my trail and error phase it doesn't work out, I ain't going to hack a 12"x12" hole in the floor. As carpenters say cut once measure twice. Meaning I'm not cutting until I feel it will work, and work well.

Just my

 

It sounds like you have a plan to do it very nicely. It should work out fine for you doing it like that. Its just sad to see someone hack thier way in, and leave a pathetic mess when they are done. The first thing I do when I look at one of these cars, is check for that. If I find it, I run away from it.

My biggest problem though, with people that spend a whole day or two doing it this way, is that they could have done it the right way in less time.

Then there is the, "well it will be easier next time" argument. Thats true. But if this is really a concern, take out the intank and install an external inline. No more problems.

Either way, this debate will go on forever, no doubt. Oh yeah, BTW I can do it in 3 hours, thats no . Do it once or even twice, and its a piece of cake.

 

Yes it can ...

 

Ok, I'll give you three hours. I think you get my point. Everytime I read these treads there is some super beer drinking tech who can have everything down in 30 min. I mean it takes me 20 min to change the oil. That's start to finish and I am no rookie.

 

There is always some assclown who will come in here and say that, I agree.

 

I am one of the ones who will espouse on dropping the tank. What I would do if I were to install an access door would take a considerably longer time to implement that would just dropping the tank. There are very few on these boards that would spend the necessary time in order to do it correctly. IMNSHO anyway.

 

EXACTLY

 

I can tell you this. I no longer have an intank pump, and I definately dont have a hole in my floorpan. To me its just better to do it the right way. I mean, who needs an access panel. Someone on here argued that they could change the pumps between rounds at the track, etc. Anyone that is that serious about racing, should be running an external in-line anyway. Its just an unneccesary "mod" (I use that term very lightly).

 

Why does the factory do the intank route? My Eldorado was the same. Either way, I still think the argument holds merit...if you know someone as I do who does ALOT of their own work, has thousands (literally) invested in tools and says they plan to help you in a manner that doesn't require a repeat performance and my buddy is adament about doing something right the first time so you don't waste time and money again, I still think in my case it saved money and made the job easier the next time. At some point various aspects of my own rear suspension will need replacing but I didn't have a way to pull all that stuff in the cold outdoor winter weather. The other repairs were enough hassle all added together in the fall chill. If you live in Texas, Florida, or California, it's not much bother to work year round on repairs.
Bill

 

you got a picture of this mod you had your friend did to your car id like to see what he did with his literally thousands of dollars worth of tools , if it looks legitamate or if it looks like a hack job like most ive seen on here..

 

He towed the car to where he could work on it, and I wasn't there. If I were inclined to pull the carpeting I might take pictures, but he got everything concealed so there is nothing to suggest any work was done...looks the same as before and it's clean. I'm happy with the results... It seems the real concern is fuel leaking in the cabin, vapor or otherwise. That's a legit concern, but I don't have any reason to suspect that in mine. Anyway, I'd ask if he can be bothered with recalling details of course but he's got his own projects too. I think it's fair to warn people asking about it of concerns to doing it, but don't talk them out of it, it can be done. My friend suggested the idea and I also had doubts at first. At some point my rusted underbody bolts will have to go but that also is alot of work and I needed my car up and running quickly
The Cad fuel pump done by a service shop was about $400 to $500 at the time, alot more money then this was.

 

rusty bolts are just part of working on cars the underbody of any car that is around 15 years old will have a certain amount of rust on the bolts ....lol..

I was wondering how he resealed the hole he cut in the floor is all ?