After all the harrassment you've taken, it did come out nice with the cover held down like that.
Nice job.
Now that it is installed, you know the pump will never go bad now right?

 

When I got my car a couple years ago, I pretty much rebuilt the whole thing. Had the complete exhaust off, rear end out, and all. When I replaced the pump it was still a job to get that tank out of there. I put it all back together with Never Seize on all the bolts, but If I ever have to get at it again I'll definately cut the access hole.

 

My car's on pump three or four right now, and I've personally replaced two. I finally decided to cut the access hole, I'm so glad I'll never have to worry about pulling that tank again.

I'm almost finished with the cover panel. I labelled it, lest I forget what I put it there for.

 

I'm waiting for a pic of one that you don't even have to pull the carpet!

 

Than you want to install an inline pump!

 

I know this is an old thread, but here is my opinion for those just now reading and thinking about cutting a hole:

One of the reasons some auto manufacturers stopped putting gas tank access "doors" in the trunk floor was because of all the heat they got about the ruptured gas tanks in the 70's and 80's. If the door/cover isn't strong and firmly attached , it can provide an avenue for flames and smoke in the event of a rear end collision. And it will vent directly into the passenger cabin.
Check this link: http://bestaccident-attorney.com/carcrashfires.html and many others on this subject. The best position for a rear fuel tank is ahead of the rear axle. This is the opinion of many experts in the automotive industry and government agencies. The Camaro and Firebird have the tank aft of the rear axle and ahead of the rear bumper, in the infamous "crunch zone". Make sure that whatever mod you make is as rugged as possible. Perhaps two .035" sheet metal layers, one below the deck and one above.

 

So what your saying is we should put our gas tanks in the rear seat? I still feel safer in my 3rd gen. than any ford W/rear wheel drive. Have you looked under a 3rd gen. camaro or F/bird? The tank is elevated above the rear axle and has a 2 1/2 ft. crumple zone from the rear bumper. The only mistake GM has made in my opinion was putting an electric fuel pump INSIDE the gas tank. If it wasn't for that, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
More people are killed in alcohol related deaths each year than rear end crash fires yet they still have bar's, and taverns that you have to drive to and back home again. Why don't lawyer's fix that? A person has a better chance of surviving a tour in Iraq than driving a car in the USA. We lose more people in one year on our highway's than we lost in Iraq since the war started. Wanna know why lawyers don't fight to close bar's? A: because there's more money in representing crash victims.

 

My point, in case you missed it was: Make the gas tank access door mod as strong as you can. After I cut mine, I was appalled at what I had done by putting an opening for flames just inches behind the "little loved ones" rear seat. I then used two heavy sheet metal plates (above and below the deck) fastened independently with bolts. Some possibilities are Tinnerman U-Nut or J-Nut Fasteners, or better yet, U-Type or J-type nut retainers. See the attached image. Make the plates large and fasten the top one to the most vertical areas of the floor pan. Anyone who has seen a gasoline explosion knows that the flimsey panels with small sheet metal screws shown in most of the pictures in these forums won't stand a chance of holding up under catastropic circumstances.

As for the "lawyers closing the bars", that has already happened decades ago. It was called Prohibition and lasted from 1920 to 1933. It didn't work because the organized crime syndicates created caused more problems than the bars.

 

so i used to work for volvo which is unoffically known as the safest car on the road. Newer volvos have a fuel pump access panel somewhere through the car. the car has one in the trunk and the suv has one right under the rear passenger seat. So if the safest car on the road can have a fuel pump access panel to cut down the time of a fuel pump job why cant a chevy or pontiac? People are going crazy saying flames are gonna jump up through the car or whatever. I seriously doubt a stupid fuel pump hatch would change your chances of living through a serious accident. Besides, making gm techs drop a rear out of an fbody for a fuel pump job sounds like a good way to make money off labor when these cars were new, especially since the electric pump was so prone to faillure. now most of the cars arent worth crap so people are doing it on their own and are forced to do this without a lift. Modifying the car to have a hatch is a good way to save time and energy when doing this in the driveway. Work smarter not harder. If you know what your doing this total process will be much shorter than cutting out your old exhaust because its rusted together, dropping the heat shielding with 30 screws or however many, dropping the rear, siphoning all the gas, dropping the tank, disconnecting all the old rusted together lines, then doing it all in reverse. Ive done a hatch it was totally worth it. I dont get any exhaust through the carpet, i didnt have any fires in the process, the hatch didnt hurt the rigidity of the frame. the car still handles good for a stock car...its not a hack job plus the carpet hides it well so no one will ever know.

 

 

My car was missing the latches for the T-Top bag to hook to, so I bought some from eBay, they arrived today.

Well, I know why they were not there, seems the whole back area there is butchered up. I knew I was in trouble when I saw masking tape and cardboard.

I am going to attempt to fix this mess.

 

Here is a document I created for when I did my fuel access door. Hopefully it helps!

http://webpages.charter.net/streetconcepts/1.doc

 

Do you have pics of what it looks like?

 

My 1991 B4C had a dead pump when I got it, previous owner cut a hole and stopped when he saw the hard lines. I would not have done it that way, but since he started it I finished the job and it went pretty easy.

Everyone worries about the fuel lines, but my GN has rubber hose from the tank to the hard lines stock, and it runs at up to 60+PSI at full boost. It also has soft lines on the fuel lines to the motor, so I am not too worried about the 38PSI on my third gen.