Joe's Garage open for business

[Kevin - Blown 95 TA]

I did the trap door too - never really considered any other way.

[Joe 1320]

You guys almost have me sold. It sure would be handy knowing that there is an access door for later pump changes.

[Z Ya Later]

ITS PURPLE!!!

I've been considering the trap door as well, since I get the inkling my fuel pump on the Z may be going out soon.

Good to have you back in the garage Joe. And good to know I'm not the only one wrenching on a GN.

[Joe 1320]

You guys have convinced me. It's trap door time. I've done it the other way before and it's not too much fun, we'll see about this mod.
It sure will come in handy after the motor swap.

[Steel2686]

Good decision, Joe. That was the next project on my to-do list for the T/A. Unfortunately, it never got that far.

Take some pics of the finished product.

[BrdWAtti2d]

Good luck with the project Joe, good to hear you have the "bug" back

I couldn't find a how-to on Shoebox's site for the trap door mod but here's one I found. Thought someone else might find this useful. Seems to be a pretty complete write up.

http://www.geocities.com/formulapower2/fuelpump.html

[Joe 1320]

That's helpful, many thanks!

[Joe 1320]

I'm going this route but taking the right side cut an inch from the measuring point and not an inch and a quarter.

[BrdWAtti2d]

Yea I was kind of wondering why he didn't make them even. Hopefully there isn't some reason for it. Let us know how it goes.

[Joe 1320]

Using my Air chisel, cutting the access panel took all of 3 minutes. Disconnecting the fuel lines took a minute, changing the pump took another 20 minutes tops. I buttened everything back together, connected the battery, said a prayer and gave the key a twist. The fuel pump made is whirring musical sound and the car fired right up.

That beats the living snot out of a typical fuel pump R&R. An Air chisel with a sheetmetal cutting chisel is the ticket here. No grinding wheels with a myriad of sparks, 3 minutes including drilling the pilot holes in each corner.

All that's left is to fab a new panel and secure in place.

[Black97]

Cool ! Glad to know it's really that simple.

How much does a dealer charge for the work to change one?

[Black97]

Kevin

Is the hose over the corner / edge for protection stock or did you add it?

I did the trap door too - never really considered any other way.

[Joe 1320]

No, that hose protector is not stock. The factory cross brace is just bare metal.


After thinking about this last night, I can't believe how easy the modification was. There was also no reason to go 1 1/4" on the right side, I made it 1". there is a brace under each side, more like a bend in the metal to form a brace. It wasn't an issue with my air chisel, I don't believe it would be an issue with a cutting wheel either. I temporarily covered the opening while I get another hatch cut from sheet. A few rivets and some ultra copper and we're done.

[Trash man]

joe -

maybe you could make a lil hinge on one side and a slide type lock on the other to seal it tight and make it easier to remove in case it goes ka-put again? idk just something i thought of

[Joe 1320]

joe -

maybe you could make a lil hinge on one side and a slide type lock on the other to seal it tight and make it easier to remove in case it goes ka-put again? idk just something i thought of

Nice idea, the purpose of not having the hatch in the first place is to contain fuel/fire in the even of a rear end impact. I'm afraid a hinge and hatch could pop open far too easy. I think that rivets are simple enough, all it takes is a drill and a few minutes to get the panel off. Heck, it would easy to make a panel and use Dzus fasteners, I just want a little more rigidity. I'll have to put a little thought into the idea of having it secure and easy to open. Maybe a slider.......