^^^^^what he said......i used a large drill bit to start my hole....and used large sheet metal cutters to get started ..the cut wasnt very smooth but i didnt want any sparks...and ur not gonna c it later on anyways.....as for sealing teh hole u can make ur own door or just use sheet metal with rtv sealant and very small sheet meta screws

like transam9585 said teh only problem will be getting teh quick dissconnect lines of......if u need any other help im here....i jut did this about 3 time in the lat month so im pretty knowlegeable on replaceing teh pumps through the trap door on f-bod

 

Thanks again everyone!!! CamaroSS30thAnn..i will keep you posted on my progress!! i just gatta get the new pump from autozone. i will start as soon as i can!

 

^^^^autozone?? stock pump?? if so do not get a stock pump....for that same price u can get a walbro or granatelli 255lph, which are more reliable and efficient when adding mods

 

I just dropped the suspension and lowered the tank. Very difficult. But replaced pump (OEM @ www.rockauto.com was $180. Dealer wanted $293 for same pump) and the car is back to life. Get a mechanically inclined friend and have a complete hand-tool supplies and you can do in a afternoon. It is a real PITA but you are not weakening the unit body structure by cutting a access panel. I wish GM engineered an access for the job and calculated the stress around a fuel pump portal.
Thanks everyone who helped me and encouraged me to do this job myself. This forum is a wonderful place to gather info and encouragement to maintain our vehicles ourselves at home. Oh yeah, It saves a lot of money. Shop estimate with tow $575. My cost $280 (gave my son $100). A saving of almost $300!!!

 

^^got proof that he access hole weeken the uni body ??? it been asked on the board b4 and no-one said that it weakens the body or anything.....also if it does ..hey thats what u got subframe connectors for

 

This was just mentioned to me by a GM technician when we were discussing the poor accessiblity of the fuel pump in f-bodies. He mentioned that because of crash test certification that re-enforcement was probably needed around a portal and the cost of re-tooling and re-certification if redesigned with a portal, was not in GM's favor ($$) to do so. The question of the stock sub-frame connector and its ability to compensate for the added workload is dubious. If the subframe adds strength laterally to frame but it appears from looking at its positioning adds little to longitudinal (rear-end collision) rigidity and strength.
Would this portal create any problems under "real world" situation. Probably not. Will this alteration create a loss collector value status (see sig) 10 to 15 years down the road. Probably yes.

 

Since the car is stored, I would visually check/test the wiring under the back of the car (there is an electrical plug on the bottom of the floor pan). Varmints might have had it for a snack.