I finally got around to swapping in my Carter high-flow fuel plump (M6622). The last time I messed with a fuel pump was on an old Chevy pickup. The bolt in the block front made life easy. This time I couldn't access the hole, if there is one, sooo, I tried the hacksaw method of keeping the push rod up, which turned into an exercise in frustration.

Next I removed the fuel pump mounting plate and push rod, slathered the latter with wheel bearing grease (after bumping the engine several times to get the rod as high in the block as possible, which required trial fitting between bumps), and stuck it back in. It stayed "up" the entire time I fiddled with maneuvering the pump into place which took a while. That the motor was cool probably helped.

As a side note, as part of the replacement, I decided to bend a 4 1/2" x 3/8" fuel line to a 90 degree angle. I borrowed a bender from AutoZone. Yeah, ok, I'm getting old, but goodnight! I managed a small bend, looking like the Hulk—hell, I think I even turned green—but had to finish with a massive vise.

JamesC

 

I just recently went through this. Murphy's Law says that the cam will always end up so the pushrod is extended. The hacksaw blade trick worked for me but I did have to get the 2 screws started with pump sitting out from the block. Maybe if you kick the engine over some you'll be able to move the pushrod further up so the pump is easier to install.

 

So how is the pump performing for you James? Btw, I used the hacksaw blade with no problem.

 

No issues.

JamesC

 

While this thread is going, I should mention that it's important to follow the instructions and hold the square port on the fuel pump with a wrench when tightening (or loosening) the steel fuel line. I needed to disconnect the steel line to do my head gaskets and didn't take this precaution. When I connected it back up and started the engine, I had a severe gas leak from the pump, which is why I needed to replace it. Loosening the connector, which was very tight, twisted the square port and broke where it was brazed to the pump body.

 

As a second example, when I was removing the old pump, I only put a wrench on the fuel line nut and broke the pump as in your pic.

JamesC