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In Tank Fuel Pump Install - My Notes


DonH

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Hello Hybrid Z! I’m here to document my process of installing the Tanks Inc. Universal In Tank fuel pump. This has been done before numerous times BUT is somewhat elusive to track down quality pictures, notes etc. 

 

This is not a thread to discuss In tank VS external w/ sump etc. but I will mention my reason why I went with this setup. 

 

***Disclaimer - I’m assuming you understand there’s is a risk involved when welding / cutting a old used gas tank. There’s a reason why I left mine out for almost 6 months while I worked on other parts of my build. PLEASE BE CAREFUL / make sure your tank has ZERO fuel particles / fumes leftover in it. Proceed at your own risk***

 

 - Weld In universal sump hung to low on my lowered Z. You can imagine the issues! 

- External pumps are NOTORIOUS for noise... my build is a mid canned LS swap with AC etc.  

- Reduces the “clutter” under the car in the rear area

 

Now for the what you will need parts wise :

 

1. PA series universal Kit from Tanks Inc. - MAKE SURE TO BUY THE FLOW RATE THAT SUITS YOUR BUILD 

http://www.tanksinc.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=84/mode=prod/prd84.htm

 

2. 240Z or 280Z tank - Clearly the 240Z has one terrible baffle and the 280 has a few more. Baffling is not the Z Cars gas tanks strong Suite. With the PA kit it comes with a nifty little In tank sump that works amazing for MOST applications. 

 

3. Tanks Inc PA-REC - Surprisingly very nice piece with a great 

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/tnk-pa-rec/

 

4. MIG Welder - I use the Eastwood MIG 135 and it does everything I need for this job and any other job in the Z! 

https://www.eastwood.com/mig-welder-110vac-135a-output.html

 

 

First step is I measured up the top of the tank where I was going to chop! Here’s the great part about this process - you have a MASSIVE HOLE to get inside and clean / add baffles if you want! 

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The recess fits nicely in the hole I just created :) 

56FFE06A-8DFE-497C-ADEE-CAEEAB788A73.thumb.jpeg.261e33f136b2744e17f85129b8167d6e.jpeg

 

In order to keep my stock fuel gauge I heated up the plunger am and bent accordingly to clear the Tanks Inc. system once installed 

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I then used all 16 screws to since right the locking rig UNDERNEATH the recess and tack welded at and between each screw hole - 32 rack welds total 

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after this I measured the Vertical portion of the tanks Inc arm with the recess mocked up - I measured a total of 9 15/16” so I cut to 9 7/8” for a little extra room - I then used a square to tack weld the tray instead of using ONE screw that’s supplied 

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stay tuned for more tomorrow :) 

 

-Don 

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I did mine in very similar fashion. Keep in mind that the factory used fairly low temp solder to attach the hose barbs and sending unit flange. I got mine too hot and had some solder run out. Which was a bit of a pain to fix. 

 

I ended up fitting the Tanks inc sending unit in there as well. It was tight and I am not sure I gained much from it. In hindsight I should have just fixed the factory one. 

 

Do you plan on sealing the inside? I would be happy to share notes on that. I got good at it after I had to completely strip and re-do it a second time. Don't be like me, do it once. 

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  • 8 months later...
On 8/23/2019 at 11:16 AM, LLave said:

Do you plan on sealing the inside? I would be happy to share notes on that. I got good at it after I had to completely strip and re-do it a second time. Don't be like me, do it once. 

 

How did you seal it?

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  • 4 weeks later...
21 hours ago, takeuchi said:

Any tricks to not messing up and having to redo like you said?

 

Yeah two important items. 

1. Get ALL the excess out. You have to keep rotating the tank and draining off the excess. For me there was a little lip that made it extra hard to get it all out. If you leave any excess, it will puddle, the top will dry first. This creates a sink over liquid sealant, trapping in the solvents, it it will cause a pealing adhesion problem 

 

2. Heat, for the same reason as above. I did mine in the winter and thought I needed to warm up the garage to help dry. I got the tank too warm, this made the material dry too fast, trapping in solvent under a dry skin. You want the sealant to dry at the correct rate. 

 

Both of these points are covered in the instructions, you just have to actually listen. Heh

https://www.kbs-coatings.com/tank-sealer-directions.html

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  • 1 year later...
On 9/17/2021 at 3:57 PM, mutantZ said:

Is it necessary to mount the unit that high up since it picks up from the bottom? I was looking at this install mounted on the lower part.

 

 


That’s how mine is currently. I haven’t really tested it yet because I’m in the process of changing out the old fuel rail and injectors.
 

Reason why I went this route was because I was going to cut out an access hole in the spare tire section so that I can get to the fuel pump if needed rather than dropping the tank. Also, the cut out hole will not be seen since it’s in the spare tire area. The hole cut out from the spare tire section is not left open. I can close it back up with screws just like the same concept of how now the fuel pump system is mounted on the gas tank. 
 

Also, while it was all out I used POR15 to clean and seal the inside of the tank. This is also on my IG @ideation_z along with other mods I have done to the z. 

In the pictures, I intentionally have the fuel pump in that angle because the fuel strainer is also slightly angled. So with how the fuel pump is angled, the fuel strainer is now sitting parallel with the tray. Also, it avoids creating a 90 degree bend on the supply hose from the fuel pump. 
 

Warning!! I’m not sure if you will have an easy time finding that type of strainer. I contacted Walbro and they don’t offer it anymore. I was lucky enough to find what the guy suggested in the YouTube clip as a secondary at Napa Auto Parts (local auto parts store) but they only had one and it was at their main warehouse and I also found another one on ebay.

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Edited by mainboyd
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Awesome, thanks for the info. I'm going to steal your idea for an access panel in my spare tire well. As for pickup, I'm going to try the Holley Hydramat. It seems to work really well- like it will drain your tank literally dry from some accounts.

 

FYI I heard there was a recall with that pump. I don't know when you bought it, but they seem to have a leak right where the fitting meets the plate at the top. Apparently a bad batch that was misthreaded. If you get a mysterious leak when you start it up, thats probably what its going to be.

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