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Fuel sender for LS swap- K5 tank in k30

tonytheplumber

tonytheplumber

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Hello, folks. New to the site and looking for tech advice on which sender to use for a rear tank conversion in the 77' K30 my son and I are building. Somewhere I happened upon a posting where there was mention of a very common aftermarket fuel sender which has a yellow plastic terminal housing on the sender which apparently is prone to melting and causing a short?? This style sender appears to be all over Amazon as the common replacement listed for the EFI K5s. As a note, yes, I do know I cannot use the low pressure TBI style pump on the LQ4 we are going to be running. I'm just looking for a good quality sender for which I will likely source an Aeromotive pump for. Thanks in advance for any wisdom you guys (and gals) can share.
 
I swapped in a fuel pump from a '92 Trans Am. Worked awesome, and was a direct fit on a TBI sender for an 87 up K5
 
If your engine is returnless, you can use the corvette regulator/filter like I posted. If your engine has a return line off the rail use a regular filter.
 
@tonytheplumber

Didn't you say LQ4? So you do need 58 psi at the rail and 255LPH, which the EP381 is not rated for.

You will need a 255 Walbro or use the Aeromotive external pump. If you use the external pump, the setup in the tank will be different to make up for the pump not being the pick up point.
 
Bent77 said:
@tonytheplumber

Didn't you say LQ4? So you do need 58 psi at the rail and 255LPH, which the EP381 is not rated for.

You will need a 255 Walbro or use the Aeromotive external pump. If you use the external pump, the setup in the tank will be different to make up for the pump not being the pick up point.
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I missed that
 
What brand sender are you guys using? The thing I'm getting at is the common (only one I can find in a quick search) aftermarket sender sounds like it's prone to issues with the yellow terminal connection on the top of the sending unit having a habit of melting. I do not recall where I came across some posting somewhere stating that issue. Unless this is an isolated incident and not as common as stated? Does someone have a Delco part number for sender, if it's still available? Is it worth chasing after a delco model?? Rock Auto lists a GM Restoration Parts sender but says it's out of stock. Oddly enough, their listings for available senders from an 87 K5 are different from a 90'.
 
tonytheplumber said:
What brand sender are you guys using? The thing I'm getting at is the common (only one I can find in a quick search) aftermarket sender sounds like it's prone to issues with the yellow terminal connection on the top of the sending unit having a habit of melting. I do not recall where I came across some posting somewhere stating that issue. Unless this is an isolated incident and not as common as stated? Does someone have a Delco part number for sender, if it's still available? Is it worth chasing after a delco model?? Rock Auto lists a GM Restoration Parts sender but says it's out of stock. Oddly enough, their listings for available senders from an 87 K5 are different from a 90'.
Click to expand...
Correct I’m assuming the Aero pump is a frame pump?

@Fastereddie did you guys use any other senders without a tank pump?
 
Bent77 said:
@tonytheplumber

Didn't you say LQ4? So you do need 58 psi at the rail and 255LPH, which the EP381 is not rated for.

You will need a 255 Walbro or use the Aeromotive external pump. If you use the external pump, the setup in the tank will be different to make up for the pump not being the pick up point.
Click to expand...
Thank you for catching that! I just figured Aeromotive sold an in-tank pump for my requirements. Looks like only the Phantom setup would work and I'm not going that route. I'll get ahold of a Walbro.
 
tonytheplumber said:
I definitely was to stay with an in-tank style pump. I just don't want a problematic sender.
Click to expand...
I used a factory sender that I acquired for the low price of a cheeseburger.

Freola (sp?) sells 14mm and 16mm adapter fittings if you are using AN style fuel line. Let me know if you need those part number


Make sure the Walbro pump is the operating pressure you need and not just the max pressure. The max pressure on the Walbro you want is in the 108 psi neighborhood
 
Bent77 said:
I used a factory sender that I acquired for the low price of a cheeseburger.

Freola (sp?) sells 14mm and 16mm adapter fittings if you are using AN style fuel line. Let me know if you need those part number


Make sure the Walbro pump is the operating pressure you need and not just the max pressure. The max pressure on the Walbro you want is in the 108 psi neighborhood
Click to expand...
Fragola?? They manufacture high quality aluminum fittings (AN, ORB, etc.). I just found the adapters on pg. 31 of their online catalog. Available in black :waytogo:

I got a little hung up on Walbro pump selections. The 5CA400HP sounds like it's rated at 43PSI. The GSS340 doesn't really state an operating pressure, just that it can/will operate at higher pressures without much volume decrease. Will the regulator (either rail mounted or integrated into the fuel filter) not control the higher pressure capability of the GSS340?
 
tonytheplumber said:
Fragola?? They manufacture high quality aluminum fittings (AN, ORB, etc.). I just found the adapters on pg. 31 of their online catalog. Available in black :waytogo:

I got a little hung up on Walbro pump selections. The 5CA400HP sounds like it's rated at 43PSI. The GSS340 doesn't really state an operating pressure, just that it can/will operate at higher pressures without much volume decrease. Will the regulator (either rail mounted or integrated into the fuel filter) not control the higher pressure capability of the GSS340?
Click to expand...
Gimme a bit or ask @Shawn
 
Bent77 said:
Gimme a bit or ask @Shawn
Click to expand...
No rush here, I've got a lot of work to do. I did order the tank, straps, and sender (hopefully it doesn't melt down).
The bigger and more immediate issue at this point is that since K30s have inboard rear shocks, I now get the pleasure of relocating shock mounts since the upper mount on the passenger side is in the way of the future tank mounting. I'm thinking about moving them to an outboard position unless someone can tell me why it would be a bad idea.
 
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