hi everyone im somewhat new to the site yet not so new to camaros lol.
well what i have is i bought an 87 v6 camaro. it cranks but doesn't want to stay running unless i spray starting fluid, i've checked all fuses and changed the fuel pump relay and still no start. well here's my question, when changing the fuel pump in the tank i know i have to drop the rear end correct? do i have to drop the whole rear end or can i drop one side? and also if i do drop the rear end would i need to remove the springs or could i leave them place and not worry about them?

any help is greatly appreciated. thank ya!

Depending on your level of patience you may not need to drop rear end. You will need to move your exhaust out of the way.

Personally I have changed out a few fuel pumps and it really depends on the car. I have had some that I did not need to drop the rear end and I have had some that I did need to lower it a bit. When I did lower it I did not need to remove the rear springs.

supersquirrel is He must be referring to cars, other than 3rd gens, that he's left the axle in place & pulled the tank.

There is absolutely NO WAY a 3rd gen gas tank will come out from a car, with the axle still in place.

Springs are basically just held in place under compression, so they'll "fall out" when the axle gets low enough.

If you have a 2-post lift to use, the LCAs can stay connected. You can just pull the torque arm, unbolt the shocks & let the axle swing down & hang from the LCAs.

well when i lower the rear end should i worry about the springs popping out? like shooting at me? and will i be able to lower the car on the springs to install them?

No. When the axle is at full droop & the shocks still connected, the springs are barely still under pressure.

I would pull them out like that, then pull the lower shock nuts loose, then roll the axle out.

Of course, your going to have the PHB, e-brake cables, brake lines, torque arm mount (at the tranny end) & LCAs to come loose, before it can actually be removed. Some of that can stay if you have a 2-post lift to use, but that isn't very common for most people.

Stephen has it right, you need to drop he rear axle and the springs will fall out. You will need to turn the tank to get the filler end out. I removed mine a couple months ago and it has to be one of the worst designed tanks out there. It really should have had a flexible filler hose.

awesome y'all are being of lots of help! would anyone be willing to kinda give me a quick list of what to do to drop the rear? i have a floor jack 2 ramps and two jack stands if that would be good?

Stephen hate to disipoint you but you can in fact get a fuel tank out of a thirdgen with out having to drop the rear end.

On the few tanks I have removed without having to drop the rear axle I either jacked the rear of the car up using points in front of the rear wheels or used a lift that allowed the rear wheels to hang down. After removing the muffler and such and unbolting the support straps it was only a matter of working the tank out....granted I had removed as much fuel as possible to do this.

Just because you havent done it or have not been successful doesnt mean it cant be done.

You aren't disappointing me, because I know it isn't possible to do. I've been there a few times already. Springs would be in the way. Wheels in the way. Among other things. No way the filler neck is going to allow the tank to slife out, with everything still there. Springs still in place....That's funny!

As far as exhaust goes, mine wouldn't have to be removed, I have a bullet muffler before the axle, despite the rest being over the axle & out the back. Did my fuel pump 2 years ago & the exhaust wasn't touched.

got it! it wasn't near as hard as i thought and i didnt have to completely drop the rear end. i took off the two bars going across the back then dropped the exhaust which made it alot easier to work the tank. i didnt have to completely remove the tank i just let it hang as low as it could and was able to pull the fuel pump by sitting under the car. thanks for all the help guys, couldn't have done it without ya!

For the OP, doesn't matter now, but for future searchers ...

Maybe there's confusion as what "dropping" the rear is between folks - when I did mine, I had to drop the rear end, but I didn't have to roll it out from under the car. I dropped the axle as far as it would go without stretching the brake line, and I was able to get the tank out without disconnecting the brake lines. So yes, the rear has to be dropped, but no, it doesn't have to be removed in it's entirety.

a mustang owner friend of mine suggested that if i replace my fuel pump i cut a hole in the floor pan that will allow me to do it without dropping the tank. has anyone tried this? im just wondering if a little ford logic might carry over... i suggested that exhaust fumes and tire rubber would infiltrate the car through the hole but he said he covered it with plastic and painted it black lol what would this do to the structural integrity of the vehicle?

Nope, never heard of it before......


https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/fabr...cess-hole.html