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My 5.3 swap thread!

Really hacking it to cut a giant access hole in the floor compared to just dropping the 2 bolts holding the tank straps up and disconnecting those rubber hoses on the passenger side in the back there.
 
Really my main motivation for wanting to do it this way was last time, the fuel pump died on me in mini mart parking lot in a small town far from home and all my tools. If i just had an access panel that i could remove with 4 screws it wouldn't have been a big deal. You guys might talk me out of it, but it sure would be nice!
 
You could cut a hole, but it is not hard to drop the tank. I have had mine in and out several times. 8 bolt and pull the rear bumper off, that will make getting to the bolts on the strapes much easier and gives you a lot more room to get to everything.
 
Ohi know, i have done it before. Just dont know if i wasnt to keep doing it or nip it in the butt and make life easier for myself in the future.
 
I didnt even have to take the rear strap bolts out for mine:dunno: I took the ones on the axel side out let the skid plate lower then when I had enough room I reached over the top and undid the lines. the tank sat at a 45 degree angle and gave me more than enough room to do what I had to.
 
I'm kinda surprised by all your replys honestly. I figured no one would want to drop one of these tank more then once. I'm still up in the air on what i want to do but the thought have having the fuel pump go out in the woods with a full tank of gas really makes me like tys access panel idea!
 
cut it

Man you know my vote. After pulling the tank once in the woods then a second time not 12hrs later in the mini mart, I'm cutting mine for sure. I think that if you went to upull it and cut a floor section out of a burb, bigger so you can trim it down, you could make a nice panel and nobody will ever know! Hell all the imports have been doing it for years and I, as of right now I would rather do a pump in my honda than my burb any day.
 
Yep. Thats what makes it a tough call. i like my perfect floor and while dropping the tank isnt a huge deal, its certainly no fun!
 
y5mgisi said:
I'm kinda surprised by all your replys honestly. I figured no one would want to drop one of these tank more then once. I'm still up in the air on what i want to do but the thought have having the fuel pump go out in the woods with a full tank of gas really makes me like tys access panel idea!
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I'm with you man, dropping a full tank sucks!
there is nothing sacred about the floors of these things. its just a truck bed, easily replaced if you change your mind, and everyone and their dog sells patch panels (not to mention it's identical for 30+ years of parts trucks).

if you can do an access panel correctly, I say go for it.:thumb:
 
y5mgisi said:
Yep. Thats what makes it a tough call. i like my perfect floor and while dropping the tank isnt a huge deal, its certainly no fun!
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I vote against it. Although having to do one in the woods would suck, if you go with a quality delco pump, most are lasting 100-150k. Chances of failure aren't really that high.....
 
I know but im pretty sure im going to do it. I also dont want to be 50 years old and have to dick around with dropping a tank when i could simply un screw an access cover. We'll see. Im still undecided but i think its not worth messing around with when i could make it a thing of the past. Regardless i assure you it will not be hacked.
 
Cut it. Why would you not? Murphy will get you with a dead fuel pump at the worst possible time, and four screws from the top is way easier. I would make sure your access hatch is strong enough to not buckle under hauling stuff in the back, but go for it! Pulling the aftermarket tank in my K5 is a beotch when it's empty with the body off the frame!

Quick internet search shows gallon of gas weighs ~6 lbs and a 91 Sub tank is 42 gallons = 252 lbs if full! Stock tanks don't have a drain, can't drain a tank electronically when pump is dead, and personally, I don't like sucking on the end of hoses!
 
Definitely not doing an external pump. If I was doing the swap on an older truck and just wanted it on the road, maybe. But seeing as mine came witg an internal pump and the replacement high pressure unit is a drop in deal. I'll stick with that. Can't deny the ease of replacement with an external unit though! Anyway, I'm going to cut the floor. Today I just went ahead and pulled the two rear strap nuts so that I can gain more clearance so I don't cut the lines and stuff. Went to gety grinder and realized that when I let the last person borrow it I didn't get my spacers and stuff back with it... So i gotta do some running around now and pick that stuff up too so that tomorrow I can chop up my pristine floor...
 
Well, i got everything all wired up. Now hopefully tomorrow i have time to mess with the fuel pump.
 
Fuel pump access panel cut! Hated to do it but now that It's done I couldn't be happier! What a relief. Anyway, here's a pic. Obviously I have some cleaning to do too.

IMAG0503.jpg
 
Thanks! Works out perfect to cut between the two floor supports that run from side to side. You can see the spot welds in the pics where the supports are. Now you can do it to yours with no fear! No measuring required, just stay inside the spot welds and your good!
 
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