RacinLT1

I couldnt bear to read the entire thread...but hasnt ANYONE used an air hammer with a sheet metal cutting bit? or an air nibbler?
When i was upgrading my fuel pump,i was NOT about to try and drop the monstrous 9" and fight the Borla etc to get the tank out.
We have done the hole in the floor mod on quite a few cars,and this was over 4-5 years ago. No problems with structural integrity etc.

x7x7

I recently cut an access hole, pics here:

http://members.shaw.ca/nrfarley/pics...0pump%20hatch/

grendal

I was thinking a nibbler might be the tool to use here too.... were you able to make the hole relatively smooth still? What did you cover the hole with?

Thanks,

Michael

RacinLT1

The hole is smooth,but i used the air chisel which is a little cleaner than a nibbler.
Just fabbed up a plate to cover the hole and screwed it down,i really should get some self adhesive weather stripping to seal it off 100%

simple

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showt...threadid=45659

any of you guys have any ideas on my problem in that link?
i also did the trap door and i'm stuck
all help is greatly appreciated!!!!!

magius231

my $.02

Here is a link to a detailed fuel pump replacement guide where you drop the tank:

http://www.bfranker.badz28.com/fbody/fuelpump.htm

when I did this install on my 96, I did this in my apartment complex parking lot with 2 jackstands, 2 $20 Autozone floorjacls, RV wheel chocks ($3) and a set of hand tools...no air tools, no breaker bars (would probably help though) no torches, etc. I was able to do the shocks at the same time because they were already halfway out, and I could have done springs too. I seriously debated doing the access panel method but decided to go this route, and I am glad I did. If I ever have to do it again I will do it the same way.

And for the guy that doesn't believe a VW could run for 200,000 miles, my family had an 85 Audi 4000S that ran for 217,000 miles before we finally got rid of it...it was by far the best car we've ever owned and still ran great when we sold it. If Audi's and VW's weren't far outside of my price range I would probably own another one (family car)....JMO

Joe Brodman

Yup, I used an air hammer w/ a chissle bit. The bit can't go down deep enough to touch the tank, and no sparks. I also used a die grinder w/ a cutting wheel to score the cutting line, but didn't go through the metal with it.

As for the anit-cutting the hole arguments.....I'm staying out this time; it gets ugly. I've seen too many people do this, racing cars for a long time and racing them HARD w/ out structural problems for me to worry about this. But, that's just me; if someone wants to drop their tank, by all means, drop it. I'll happily cruise in my "death trap."

stevil

I'm still not sure which way I'll choose when I do my pump.

I do know that the corners of the hole make excellent shear points, I imagine in a wreck that section back there is more likely to get torn apart, rather than crumple or whatever. Screwing a plate down isn't going to do jack in that respect.

A 15 minute fuel pump job does sound tempting though.

TCAL95Z

Well,

I went ahead and dropped my tank but 'm starting to wish I hadn't. I had just done this for a guy with a Iroc about 2 months ago and had no problem getting his tank out. I have a 95Z and I couldn't get the tank all the way out.

Then the pump I put in didn't work so I had to drop the tank back down. I was glad I tested it before I put the rear end back in.

I now have the 2nd pump in and it works but when I started the car the fuel guage went past full. I'm assuming that the float is stuck but I allready had my exhaust welded back on so I cannot really cut it back off again

I may have to cut the hole after all

AlexA

How long did it take you? My mechanic says it took him 6 hours to do everything - lift and all the fancy tools.

-Alex

magius231

mine was kinda a special situation, the guy that owned the car before me hammered the wee out of it and must have been doing Dukes of Hazzard style jumps. The exhaust system was frozen/smashed solid and WOULD NOT come undone (even with the bolts out) and most of the really important bolts (I.E shocks) were bent all to hell and had to be cut off...so it took me a weekend of working on it to get it done. I also did shocks while I was under there. After all that though, I would say I could do it again in less than 5 hours. There really wasn't that much to unbolt, and the biggest pain in the *** was getting the tank out (make sure you jack the thing up as high as you can) but most of that for me was the fact that I couldn't get the exhaust I-pipe off so it was in the way all the time.

grendal

LMAO!!!!

drop top steve

Best post in the thread, to each his own. I'm a trap door man.

Chris'SS #2152

Man, cutting up the car to install a fuel pump sounds crazy to me. I just replaced mine a few weeks ago and it wasn't that bad to drop the tank. I did have to cut a small little bit in the inner finder well but no big deal. I just think cutting a hole for a pump is stupid.

DWoodAudio

There are two "tricks" to this tank-droping process that nobody has mentioned yet:
First, when you get the tank almost all the way out, you'll be faced with the dilemma of the filler neck getting hung up in the ridiculously small opening in the inner fender well. The easiest way to combat this is to *GENTLY* pull down on the other end (pass. side) of the tank. This will slightly bend the filler neck enough for the tank to slide out.
Second part of this is while the tank is out, get yourself an air nibbler or a small cutter wheel and enlarge the bottom side of this opening. You can get about an additional 1/2" or so before you get to the double thickness metal of the inner fender. This is enough to make getting the tank in and out *much* easier. And before someone starts screaming about unibody strength, you're not cutting anything structural there. If you start hacking any farther down you will be, but that lip that the filler neck hangs up on doesn't do anything structural.
Finally, when you put the tank back in, the filler neck is going to be way out of line. After you have the tank mounted securely and the straps tightened, get a 2 foot or so piece of 2x4 and a floor jack, this will let you (once again, *GENTLY*) push the neck back in position. Just keep adjusting until the neck lines up properly with the plastic fuel door insert. Move slowly with any bending, the metal of the neck is soft and will bend easily but you don't want to be distorting the tank itself or breaking the seal where the neck is attached to the tank itself.
I learned this trick from a dealership mechanic that I trust as knowing his stuff, and it worked quite well for my tank R&R.
I'd love to know how they put the damn tanks in the car when they built them.
And the obvious suggestion would be to test any new parts you're about to install especially if they're in such a difficult place to get to. The gauge problem sounds like you might have gotten it hung up or jammed when you were putting the sender unit back i. It *IS* a pain because the opening is so small and you're manipulating the pickup sock back in that baffle, but i did manage to give the float lever a small wiggle just before it went all the way in to assure myself that it wasn't hung up on anything.