artinist Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 ok, so you wanna have quick easy access to the pump and the surounding area? this is how it should have been done in the first place. here is the teaser of an access panel. http://home.earthlink.net/~antimpower/images/pump/1.jpg next grab some aviation snips and start chumping. the largest practical hole is about 20"x5" , you can't make it wider than that easily for the following reasons.1. the surounding material beyond that is double layer and hard to cut2. you need some material on the side of the spare tire for the new cover to sit against.3. you don't need a bigger hole http://home.earthlink.net/~antimpower/images/pump/2.jpg the edges at this point are going to be pretty sharp and dangerous. take a pair of channel locks or something similar and flatter the edges then get a grinding bit of some kind and put it on the drill and grind down all sharp edges. finaly get a 100 sandpaper and make sure no sharp edges are left or else you will end up cutting yourself at some point. http://home.earthlink.net/~antimpower/images/pump/3.jpg you will notice how much easier it is to work in the area now with all that space available. so now its a good time to inspect the in-tank fuel filter and also check for rust in the tank. read the service manual if you don't know how to do this safely. http://home.earthlink.net/~antimpower/images/pump/4.jpg now put a piece of cardboard on the cover and tap on it with a hamer so the opening will leave an indentation of the outline on the cardboard. cut the cardboard 1/2" larger than the opening and then transfer that into some kind of metal cover for the top. i used a thin piece of aluminum.anyone wanna use plexyglass? lol get some kind of weatherstriping from the hardware store for the buttom side to prevent dirt and sound from coming inside the car. http://home.earthlink.net/~antimpower/images/pump/5.jpg drill some holes and use 1/2" long sheet metal screws to fasten the cover http://home.earthlink.net/~antimpower/images/pump/6.jpg :wink: [/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sully Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 very nice.... never could figure out why they made that space so small Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoFastBeater Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 I only pulled one gas tank. The next two cars this is exactly what I did. Much easier and faster! ADAM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boosted_One Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 great writeup Art, I'm gunna throw this in the FAQ later... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrTurbo Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 Very nice Art...glad to see my question motivated another piece of beauty out of you I took your advice on the front grille...came out sharp, I'll have to post some pics later. Take it easy,Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shogun Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 well done!!!! I like how clean of a job you did!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAinsworth Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 I did basically the same thing, but used Dyno-mat to cover the metal plate.Jimmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiplee Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 I did the same thing about 7 years ago and never covered it with anything. I almost never drive in the rain. A drain hole in the bottom of the spare tire area would fix any water problem though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontyTSI Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 good job art!! pm your address and/or paypal concerning the items we pmed each other on so i can get the money to you. take care,monty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YELLOWHELL Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 I've been debating doing this very thing. I didn't want to hack it all up though. It's nice to see a finished product that I would put in my own car. Looking good man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelby Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 lets look at this way the factory want'd you to drop the tank so cleaning and inspecting it would be a normal thing to do,,with these cars seting for many years some times , cleaning the tank is unavoidable , and if you neglect doing it,, clog'd injs and will result ,or fuel starvation while this may work just how often will you be changeing the fuel pump,,once every 18 years or so,, hardly a reason to cut holes in the floor of the car huh , get over it guys , it won't kill ya to do a little work,, 30 min at most to drop the tank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey_L Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 We have changed the fuel pump in my friends rx-7 multiple times, its so easy to change it on thoes cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcrasta Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 Another unneeded surgery whats next? female chest appendage implants? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artinist Posted June 1, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 my car has 200k miles on it and the tank was clean as an 18 year virgin. its not really that the tanks rust when they sit around. they rust when they spend most of their life empty. when the tank is empty, moisture builds on the inside wall, especially in cold weather. a tank thats kept with fuel in it will not rust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazarin Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 I love Dremel. Pardon my ignorance, but instead of sniping, can I use a dremel or is there a safety issue w/ that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelby Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 a full tank may have work'd 15 years ago but you better beleave leaveing this junk they call gas in a tank full or not , will result in the tank being useless , rust is not a problem acid will eat that away in a heart beat,, it's the seperate'd fuel that is the real problem,, almost pure tar is seperate'd out of the gasoline , and that my firends we did not have in the old cheap gas ,i guess adding it is what makes the cost so high for distilling todays gas ( or not takeing it out hehe ) way over 50% of todays gas will not burn alone , so what about it is so espensive if it's not the gas what is their useing to make a filler for it ,truth be known they are skiping distillation steps and adding in non burning fillers,,to increase their proffet from the sales why cause they can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiplee Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 lets look at this way the factory want'd you to drop the tank so cleaning and inspecting it would be a normal thing to do,,with these cars seting for many years some times , cleaning the tank is unavoidable , and if you neglect doing it,, clog'd injs and will result ,or fuel starvation while this may work just how often will you be changeing the fuel pump,,once every 18 years or so,, hardly a reason to cut holes in the floor of the car huh , get over it guys , it won't kill ya to do a little work,, 30 min at most to drop the tank yeah, actually the factory access panel is meant for access to the electrical connections, and for pure visual inspection. for leaks and such. I don't mind having a cut trunk and when I was 18 I didn't know any better so I cut it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoFastBeater Posted June 2, 2006 Report Share Posted June 2, 2006 I love Dremel. Pardon my ignorance, but instead of sniping, can I use a dremel or is there a safety issue w/ that? I did once, but won't again. Sparks + fumes = ugly. Just ask freebird. Buy yourself a cheap set of tin snips for $15 at harbor freight. ADAM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZPI28 Posted June 2, 2006 Report Share Posted June 2, 2006 I used a dremel to cut mine open, but I didnt use a cut off wheel. I pulled the tank on my first pump, car sat for 11yrs and had to clean the tank. Then on the second,third,and forth fuel pump I used the access hole. Then I decided to put in another tank, because the rust was killing me, and I dropped it again and replaced it with a clean one from richie rich. 2 weeks ago I got a Walbro and replace my master E8000 with it. I used the very convient access hole, but I hope its done now. I also used some aluminum tape to cover the seams with> Steven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kellydahman Posted June 2, 2006 Report Share Posted June 2, 2006 Nice cover there Art. I'd cut the hole in a milisecond before wasting 30 minutes of my time dropping a fuel tank just to replace a stinkin pump... Here in Cali there are plenty of gas tanks at the junk yards to if it's bad it's no big deal.. CUT. CUT. CUT..... :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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