454 Fuel pump replacement

[Brad Case]

I've got to replace the fuel pump on my big block and have never done it before on a V8 much less a Vette, so I need to know if there are any hints or tips out there before I proceed. Looks like a straight forward bolt on/off job with a couple of hoses and connections to deal with. Need to get this done before Carlisle so if you know of anything that I should do or look for let me know. Otherwise I'm going to tackle this as soon as the parts come in from Zip.

Thanks
Brad

 

[Bullitt]

It's pretty much straightforward, but the close confines will have you busting knuckles. You'll have to play around with the wrench a bit, but if you have a ratcheting-type wrench, that would be great. The fuel fittings are a bit tough to remove, so do those first or prepare so put the pump in a vise to get them out. Of course, flare-nut wrenches are the best for this. I hope you ordered new hoses since it may be easier to slice off the old ones with a razor than try and fight with them.

Other than that, just band-aids.

--Bullitt

 

[Brad Case]

Thanks Bullitt, it seems like you have done this before. What "fuel fittings" are you refering to? From the look of the fuel pump there are just 2 hoses to connect at the bottom of the pump. I did order the hoses when I ordered the pump..... anticipating trouble I guess. Is it better to tackle this from above or underneath the car? My garage has a built in pit so I was thinking I'd take advantage of it and go at it from under the car.

Brad

 

[Bullitt]

Since you got a stock one, there should be three lines. One coming from the tank, one to the return line and one to the carburetor. If you have the stock hard line for the carb, there's a fitting on the line into the pump. That's what requires the flare nut wrench. I did the bolts from the top, but the pump came out from the bottom. Since I have an auto, the cooling lines got in the way, but you shouldn't have that problem with the manual. You might want to tape the A-arm threads that hover over the workspace from the top. I caught my skin an a filing that was there.

--Bullitt

 

[Brad Case]

Well I did it!! Got the new stock pump from Zip and did the installation myself last weekend. Took about three hours all together. I found an article on the net about C3 fuel pump fixes and followed that along with your advice. It wasn't too bad a job. I didn't like getting sprayed with fuel while I tried to disconnect and plug the tank line, that was a bit exciting!! :eek The bugger though was that damn actuator rod and trying to keep it up out of the way while I installed the pump. I used a glob of grease on my finger and plopped it on the rod end, that seemed to slow its decent long enough to bolt on the pump. Yesterday I took it to my mechanic for a checkover and he seems to think I need a better pump, one that flows more. The car is hessitating at WOT, I thought it may be the timing since it didn't do it with the old pump. Anyway he suggested we drive it with a fuel pressure gauge on it and see what it reads. So thats next and then maybe a high flow pump or new mechanic!! It always something!

 

[Bullitt]

You can get a fairly cheap pressure gauge and use it in the rubber line with a tee fitting near the carb. 6-8psi of line pressure should be fine with a Quadrajet, Edelbrock or Holley. I'd look into the tune of the carburetor and the adjustment of the secondaries before changing pumps again.

--Bullitt