i have a 89 iroc and i can't remove the gas tank without cutting off the rear muffler assembly. is this necessary

 

Yes it is. And.....you also need to unbolt the shocks from the top, remove the panhard and lateral bar, jack the back of the car way up in the air by the frame leaving the tires on the ground, remove the right spring (it will fall out at this point), detach all the fuel lines, remove the gas door plastic trim, then it's only a small p.i.t.a. to drop the tank.

 

Unbolt the shocks from the rear end. Then you do not need to take apart the interior. Also if you undo the torque arm from the rear and sway bar end links the rear will stay bolted to the control arms and hang from them. That way there is no fun involved in moving the rear around and you should not have to disconnect the brake line.

 

thanks guys, i will do those suggestions, i hate to cut the muffler since i don't have a torch. i guess a good hack saw will do.

 

That's what I meant to say dammit....late night brain fart. I even did mine recently enough to remember....uhhhh...whatwere we talkin about?
I don't know if proper procedure is to remove the brake lines, but I didn't bother (I don't normally follow "proper" procedures anyway)! Just let your rearend swing down and hang onyourarms (no wise-cracks M.M.). Basically, you're about a couple of bolts short of being able to yank the whole rearend out.

 

I had a NAP!

Last time I had to change a fuel pump all I left connected was the brake line, control arms and I think the drive shaft. Car was in neutral so the drive shaft would turn to find a sweet spot to not bind.

 

Its a pain but any one with a little mechanic know how can pull it off. And giving that the cost at a shop can range 250-500 bucks its one well worth doing your self.

 

If its just the pump, you can also use an air chisel and cut an access hole under the rear carpet.

 

Did you happen to do that because these have very long steel line. What them and the sending unit coming out of the tank it would have to be a huge hole.

 

When I replaced the fuel pump on my 91 last year, I started out by trying the access panel way first. I didn't hack at it with an air chisel though, I made a nice rectangle hole with my cut-off tool, and made a new panel to seal it up. And watch out if you're ever cutting that portion of the floor, the top of the tank is only about 3/4" below it.
The sending unit has multiple one-piece fuel supply and return lines that go from the top of the tank at the sending unit, then towards the front of the tank, then drops down, and goes across to the left side of the tank. There's no way in hell that all of that will get out of an "access" hole when you need to lift the sending unit, then tilt it 90 degrees another way, lift it more, then tilt it again. You would need to cut off the whole top of the "trunk" area to make it work. Then you're cutting into the gas tank body mount reinforcement too. Even with the tank dropped down a good portion of the way, the sending unit still wouldn't clear to lift out. I have pictures (exhibit a) if you wanna see.
Unfortunately, there's only one way to do it right, the hard way.