my fuel pump died this afternoon. i have the car on ramps and jackstands but looks like i still dont have enough room to tackle this job. i may end up bringing it to a garage. anyways my q's are:

the car is about 3 feet off the ground. i stuck in a small hose thru the filler neck. only about 2 gallons came out. any other better ways to get the fuel out? (of course the tank just happens to be about 3/4 full)

also i noticed what looks like a fuel leak coming from the corner of the tank. is it safe to say i need a new tank? i attatched some pics. also notice it seems to be leaking on to my exhaust tip. the stain isn't wet but it's kinda damp. sorta like a dry oil leak.

 

2

 

ok......

emtying the tank isn't a problem anymore, i ran power straight from the battery and it moved the pump, so now it's working. i can use it to quickly empty the gas outta there.

still wondering about that stain

new problem. my exhaust is one piece from the cat to the muffler. is it possible to remove the tank by disconnecting the exhaust at the cat and moving it around, or will i have to cut it somewhere?

 

I just got finished doing this. It wasn't any fun, especially when I had it back together and found a wiring problem that was to blame.
I had to cut my exhaust since the entire thing was welded and I didn't want to remove the rear end. I cut it behind the cat in the middle of the long straight length. I cut a long piece of 3" tube to use as a sleeve and clamped it in when I was done.

 

how hard is it to get the tank outta there and putting it back in. any problems with the filler neck? assuming the exhaust isn't in the way.

 

I unhooked the panhard rod on the pass side and removed the other brace. I kept getting caught on the rear so I had to jack it up even further. I had it up on stands about a foot and a half or so back by the fuel filter, and had the drums about 2 inches off the ground. Watch the brake lines. The tank is awkward, especially if there is gas in it. Mine was about half full. You have to kind of tilt it and swing it toward the rear then drop it. The neck is what gave me the most trouble. Once you do it it makes more sense. The fuel sloshing around doesn't help. Its like doing a bench press for an extended time. Sucked. I was paranoid about cracking the weld around the neck. Putting it back is easier.

 

I was able to disconnect my cat and move my exhaust enough. I had to take the tire and drum off to get the access thought.

This was back in the 305 days. Now I have no cat or anything. Now I have a hooker catback so If I had to drop the tank again I can disconnect the muffler from the pipe If you've never seen a hooker catback its nice. The intermediate pipe has a 3'' 3 bolt flange that bolts to the muffler. I guess they know about the fuel pump situation.

If you suspect a leak...get a new tank...better to change it now while the tank is out. Would be a shame to get it together then relize it was leaking bad.

 

ok tank is out. wasn't too bad of a job. just a lot of **** to remove. no need to remove torque arm or driveshaft or cut my exhaust.

i uploaded a new pic showing where the gas is leaking from. i know it's probably fixable but i'd much rather get a new tank. where would be the best place to get one? so far no info with a search.

thanks

 

When I did mine (a few weeks ago) it took 6 in all to get the tank out, 6 more to get it back in (and everything back together). EXTREME PROBLEMS with the filler neck. But Discountgastanks.com has a two-piece tank that they say fits, so does ABP in Sharonville. I put another one-piece back in mine, because I'm afriad to try a different one. While I had it out, we found out it wasn't the fuel pump, it was the sending unit ($200) so we went ahead and replaced the whole deal...and got a new tank because the old one had rust and a bent filler neck - oops. Anyway, to put the tank back in, I got truck jack stands (taller) and took more of the back end loose, and still darn near killed myself twisting that stupid tank around. I also ended up holding the tank up while my boyfriend and my dad knocked the little wall next to the filler opening out of the way so we could get the tank in without bending the neck (again.)
So I guess my best advice is, get the car as high up as possible, get as much stuff out of the way as you can, and be sure you have a gas cap that fits the new tank if you get one. Have fun

 

how would the sending unit not make the car start? i checked for power and ground at the connector at the tank. everything checked out ok.

the crack isn't too big, so i'd rather fix it than spend money on a new one. is there anything i can put on the crack to seal it that will hold? or am i better off having it welded? i dont wanna take it down again soon if the leak doesn't stop.

Edit: decided to just JB Weld it since it's not really a big crack. hopefully i'll be done with the whole job tonight.

 

I got my 83 z28 at a junk yard. It had a bad pump and was sitting for years. After I got the tank out i noticed that it had many leaks. The inside was a rust nightmare. I got a tank out of an 86 camaro for 20 bucks at another junk yard. they even got it out for me. It fit like OJ's glove. perfect. only had to change a few little wires. All third gen gas tanks are interchangeable. It was much cheaper than getting one through the mail. So i would suggest getting one at a junk yard and saving about 180 bucks.
Plus you might find some other parts your car needs refreshed.

 

Advance sells them for around 180$ brand new with a lifetime warrenty. Im gonna pull mine when I change the rearend and switch the pickups for a 84 model. That way I can just run an external pump and never worry about it again.

 

well i finished the job finally. hopefully the jb weld will hold for a while. my tank actually looked brand new after i cleaned it, except for the small crack.

it wasn't too bad. the neck of the tank didn't give us too many problems going in. hardest part was probably trying to line up the strap bolts with the holes while holding the tank.

thanks to everyone who replied.

 

I also had a crazy time tring to get the strap bolts back in. I finally went to the hardware store and got bolts that where about 6 inches long then tightened them up. It pull the gas tank right into place. Then i removed the long ones and replaced with the original ones. I dont think i would have gotten the tank to line up if i hadnt have gotten the longer bolts.