I'm getting a cover made for the hole cut for my fuel pump, and I was planning on using screws to fasten it. While talking to some friends of mine though, more "experienced" from their age you might say, suggested I rivet it on so there's no chance the end of the screws puncture the gas tank since it's so close to the floor. What do you guys think? Are screws a puncture hazard? And what size rivets if so? 1/8"? 3/16"?

 

I used small 1/2" self tapping screws. Also I used some door P weather stripping to seal the hole (it also was a little insurance so I didn't hit the tank)

 

I did that on my old 3rd gen (pics below), and used screws with a bead of RTV between the panels. You're only going through 2 layers of sheet metal, so the screws don't need to be long at all. And if you use the right length screw, they will protrude out the bottom less than a rivet will.

 

stainless screws,,, if the pump fails in a week youll wish they werent rivets.

 

odds are you'll puncture the tank trying to drill out the rivets.

also craby, i love the weather forecast

 

So probably 1/2" long screws?

 

Yup..

 

That's what I'll do then.

 

Make sure there self tapping or you'll probably have some issues.

 

Measure the clearance you have between the tank and deck. !/2" is way longer than you need, considering the two pieces of metal combined will be between 1/16" and 1/8". Even a 1/4" screw is plenty. I pre-drilled my holes though, just because I wanted to, and used conventional screws. If you use self-drilling instead of tapping screws, be sure to measure the grip range of the screw.