The more I tear into this truck the more I discouraged from upgrading it after finding so much stuff rusted so far that you can't remove it or it immediately breaks when you do. I was on my way to putting a Walbro 450lph drop in in. I got a hole in the floor and when I tried to turn the ring by putting a screw driver on the notch and tapping it wouldn't move. The bad part is I then started to see something seeping around and smelt gas. So it looks like the top thing is so rusted it cracked maybe when I tried to remove it.

So I already know I am going to have to buy a whole new bucket? or is the top piece not part of the bucket? I thought there was a lock you had to undo on here before tapping on the ring? I don't see one?
I thought the top piece was plastic? I guess not, I guess southern trucks can be just as rusty as northern trucks.

Since I already have a walbro pump, wiring harness adapter, rubber grommet to fit in the stock bucket, and tube, is there a way anyone know of I can just order a whole new bucket? or just a top piece? I guess plastic isn't so bad and cheap after all when you see what salt water can do to metal.

 

My real experience is with older trucks (GMT400's) so take that into consideration, the mid-97-up had the plastic bucket style sender and just a large snap ring holds it into the tank. The earlier ones have the metal sender that doesn't have a bucket, the pump just hangs in a bracket; those have a lock ring similar to what you have pictured.

The ring gets tapped around *with a brass drift so you do not make sparks* which would be especially important in your case since the sender is now leaking and you're working around fuel vapors.

Here's a picture of the lock ring on an older sending unit, removed; you look for the upright edges (should be 3 of them around the ring) and tap them each a little bit until the ring turns enough to lift it off the sender.



The plastic bucket senders use a big snap ring, fairly easy to remove with snap ring pliers.


Hope that helps?

Richard

 

Thanks for the help, doesn't make any sense why over the years they've switched so many time, I'm sure has to do with cost cutting.

So I actually was able to get it off, after I put my screwdriver in the place where I drew the red arrow, I was able to get a lot better angle and was able to tap it off with a hammer:


But now I can't get the fuel line connectors off? I have a feeling it may just be better to go ahead and break the metal lines off or cut them with some bolt cutters, rather than risk breaking the plastic connectors on the lines?

 

So I looked through a bunch of fuel pump conversions threads but it looks like everyone is using cheap fuel buckets. Since mine was so rusted I just went out and overpaid and bought the OEM Delphi one, I am trying to put the TI/Walbro 450lph in:

but there is an extra line, and I think this is for the venturi to suck fuel from the bottom of the bucket

I guess there is no Walbro pump that has the suction feature? I was trying to get this thing done but I guess im going to have to order more parts offline, is there any higher flow aftermarket fuel pump that has the suction feature hose?

 

After looking at my stock fuel bucket maybe I could do something like this:
https://www.performancetrucks.net/fo...-539689/page2/
problem is that was with a flex fuel bucket, and I'm not sure exactly why GM had to go with a whole different offset assembly for just the flex fuel and why it mattered.

So I got my stock original fuel bucket out of the tank and the EVAP lines have basically almost broken off completely from the rust. But I noticed my stock bucket does not have this extra line that runs from the pump to the bucket:

So maybe this extra hose from the pump to the bucket on this new assembly is not needed after all? I was almost confident that this extra hose was for when the fuel tank runs low though.