OK so I'm new to the forum as I am a new Camaro owner. I recently paid $1000 for an '86 IROC w/ t-tops. As best I can tell it has the 305 TPI/V8 that was standard for that year. While the previous owner told me the engine has been rebuilt, I cannot get it to turn over. The first problem I had was the engine did not want to start via the key. I pulled the starter, checked it out and it was ok - got the car to crank by running a manual start switch, which will later be converted to a button or something. The previous owner told me the car was running the last time he started it 1 1/2 to 2 years ago, and when you pull the fuel cap, you can smell the gas is older than dirt. I've been advised by a couple of close friends/mechanics that the best thing is to pull the gas tank, drain it, clean it, change the filter and check the fuel pump - problem I have is that it's no easy task. Anyone have any advice - I saw something about cutting through the floor panel - which I'm tempted to try. Also any good ideas on where to get a replacement wire harness? This guy tried to re-wire and umm now I have a confusing mess of spaghetti. Thanks!

 

I recently bought a 1992 RS that had the same exact problem. Im fortunate enough to have a grandpa that owns a shop where i had all the neccessary tools to remove the gas tank but it was definitely no easy task. What we did was we lifted the car onto a rack, unbolted some of the stuff in the way, we also had to cut off the exhaust pipe in order to reach the tank. They make it so difficult for no reason! And menuvering that big tank out took forever because the way they built the car it seems that they dont want you to get the tak out. It took some hard work, and seeing as im a girl and definitely couldnt lift the tank with the old gas, so my dad had to hold it up while i moved the tank around and somehow we got it out. Once we got it we dumped the gas and changed out the fuel pump and sock and welded back the exhaust and put it all back together, poured fresh gas in and the car fired up with no problem after sitting for over a year My dad seriously almost gave up though. He was saying something about your supposed to take the back end off? idk. Ive never heard of cutting through the floor panel and i know for sure i would not wanna cut my baby up like that. But sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Your car will love you when you clean that fuel tank out and put some fresh gas ! Good luck!

 

The fuel supply, return, and vent lines are solid steel all the way from the sending unit to the bottom drivers side of the tank. To take it apart the RIGHT way, the booby hatch method isn't gonna work.
Even though the gas smells old as dirt, it doesn't mean there's dirt in there. You could disconnect the line before the filter, and drain the tank there by hot-wiring the fuel pump. There's a point under the hood where you can do that, don't remember off the top of my head though.

 

Awesome advice. I'm going to try and avoid it all costs by pumping out the tank or whatever else I can before I even ATTEMPT to drop that tank. Thanks again and good luck with the RS - keep in touch!