not to hijack my own thread, but are there any F-Body meetups here in central Florida?

 

Also, since the fuel pump is being replaced, the shop wanted to know if I wanted to have them cut out an access hatch or to leave it be? They said the car is too nice but wanted to give me the option, they did it on their F-Body's as well since it saves time/money to swap fuel pumps or make modifications.

 

Not really just Fbody per se but I know that they have the cars and coffee meet up in the lake nona area.

 

If they don't cut the access panel then the whole rear will need to be dropped to get access. That's a personal preference. Search here, there are pictures of members having it done.

 

Believe me they want you to do the trap door modification.

I ended up going this route after seeing how much work it was removing the aftermarket exhaust and having to lower the S60 down in order to get the tank out but if it's all stock then dropping the tank down is no biggie. I will say that it's nice to just break the seal and open the trap door to replace a fuel pump though.

 

yeah it's all stock, I just don't know how often I will be in the tank. I guess the access hatch to me isn't a big deal, I plan on owning this car until I drive it into the ground. As long as it doesn't introduce any new rattles/cabin noise I don't mind.

 

 

That looks good, will have them move forward with this, I saw the main forum post regarding how you can do this, so that was a good source of knowledge. I'd rather have it and not need it, than try to get back into there next time in case I want a different fuel pump or replace the current one.

 

Plenty of vids on youtube as well:

 

FWIW, I would/will cut the access hatch on my own 19k mile show car if/when it needs a pump. This is not a high stress point so there is really no structural integrity concern, and you can seal it with something like rope caulk or HVAC tape for easy re-entry (silicone works too). IMO, this is no different than cutting access holes in the interior door structure to access the window motor for easier swaps (which is a very common process on these cars, harmless, and totally invisible once the door panel is reinstalled). Some folks get hung up on cutting in this way, but you will never see the work underneath the carpet OR underneath the car (as the tank is blocking it), so even the most extreme judging inspection would never reveal this modification.

I've been very careful with storage techniques and fuel treatments to keep my pump in good working order for 24 years in a limited use role, but low mile cars that were not stored with careful attention to the fuel system often need a pump at this point (or sooner). I wouldn't expect the current market offerings to last as long as the original pump, so the access hatch is going to come in handy going forward (especially for folks without access to a lift).

 

Thanks for the responses, I am having the mechanic cut the access hatch. Seems like a useful mod and I could go in and swap a fuel pump in the future (no lift at home unfortunately). So I see this as a win win.