FJ40 in tank EFI fuel pump

[B y r o n]

Well, I got a small break in the weather and got to shoot the bottom of the tank. I didn't take any shots of the rust but if any of you have had your tanks out you know that rust was where the pads were. It seems they held moisture and eventually ate through the paint and rust formed.

Here is mine after the rust removal and a whole can of Rust Reformer applied:

I'm going to repaint the top but have to wait for three days of rain to pass.

 

[B y r o n]

So in between the rain we've been having in sunny So. Cal. I managed to get the tank fully painted.

So it was time to put it all together. Instead of the felt pads that come stock on the FJ-40 and always seem to be the center of rust on the bottom of the tank I went with some rubber padding I found at Grainger. It was 2" wide instead of 1-3/4" but approximately the same thickness of 3/16" with adhesive on one side. I cut the padding to 4" instead of the factory 3-3/4" length. It adhered nicely to the tank bottom.

Here is a comparison between the two. Even though the felt looks longer it isn't it is just the rubber is curved from adhering to the tank and the felt isn't.

So first step of installing the new pump was to install the attachment ring from inside the tank.

Next is place the guide ring over the studs and insert the sump/baffle foam.

Work slowly to guide it into the hole without catching it on any of the studs protruding through the ring.

 

[B y r o n]

Once it is all the way through the opening gently push it to the outside of aluminum ring that the studs are mounted in. When everything is properly positioned this is what you end up with.

Now install the gasket.

Clock your pump and slowly lower it into the opening. Make sure the wires leading to the pump don't get caught between the top plate and the gasket. Then you can push down on the pump and start 2 nuts 180 degree across from each other. Wth them tightened down till 1/4" of the studs protrude through the top plate you can then put on the nylon washers and the rest of the nuts. Once they are down far enough you can do the same for the first two nuts you had holding down the top plate. After working around the plate, like you do with lug nuts, this is where you end up.

The new pads really center the tank in the floor recess and even without straps there is no movement.

Once the ground dries up enough for me to get back under the car I'll verify where I'll place the bulkhead fittings and double check the pump clocking to make sure the lines will clear everything.

 

[B y r o n]

Well it finally dried up enough and warmed up enough to get back under the car. The area I had chosen for the AN bulkhead fitting had plenty of clearance. Were I was out of luck was with the seat clearance to the top of the tank or more correctly stated the top of the new in tank fuel pump. I placed some 1/2" nyloc nuts, which measured about 5/8" tall, on the seat supports. That gave me plenty of clearance so I'll be fabricating some 1/2" spacers to keep the seat bottom off the top of the tank.

I also learned that assembling what Russell calls Twist-Lok fittings and hose is not a simple task without the proper tools. I tried to assemble the first fitting by just pushing the hose over the hose end barb fitting, NO F'N WAY!

After several attempts including the use of a hammer I was almost ready to spend the $200 plus dollars for this tool.

Then I figured maybe I could use my lathe/mill multi tool to accomplish the same thing. It worked! I used the 3-jaw lathe chuck to hold the hose. I then was able to push the hose end into the hose using the the lead screw to feed the tool post. I had to use a V-block I had for the 45 fittings but the straight fitting pushed straight in.

Now I just need to find a cap for the original tank feed line and plumb the rest of the fuel and vent lines.

I might get away with a 1/4" spacer if I were to trim all the screw thread protruding though the nyloc nuts holding in the pump top plate but figured the 1/2" isn't going to raise the seat noticeably and if I need to replace the pump for any reason the shorter studs could make the job more difficult.

The two new lines you see are the in and out lines. I'll be plumbing the vent line through the factory fuel supply grommet. Also, they fit nicely under the factory center console.

I forgot to mention but these are -6 AN fittings and although a 45 won't fit through the spindle of the lathe/mill straight fittings will. This means I'm good for building the rest of the lines as long as there is one straight fitting on the hose.

 

[B y r o n]

So in case anyone was wondering what the line assembly looks like here are a few pictures that should clear things up for you.

The chuck it tightened down on the hose just enough to keep it from being pushed back into the chuck.

Feed the carriage into the chuck holding the hose straight when necessary.

I forgot to mention, you need enough hose sticking out so that when you push the fitting in the end doesn't go inside the chuck. I found about twice the length of the barbed end worked fine.

For the straight fitting a block of aluminum against the tool holder worked fine. Once in a while you might need to move the cross slide left or right to help keep the hose straight.

You just push things together until the end of the hose reaches the end of the barb fitting underneath the rubber dressing ring. You just need to bend it back to double check that you have gone far enough.

The hose will have indents from the chuck jaws but they only last a short time before the hose regains its' original contour. I hope these help. As I mentioned earlier this is not something that can be done using your bare hands.

 

[B y r o n]

Although a lot of you that have done this seem to have located your fuel filter either over or along the frame I found a spot that was easier for me. I found an existing hole in the fender that accepted an M6 x 1.0 nutsert. Once the nutsert was set a bolt through the band clamp had the filter held in place. However, not before sliding free and impacting the bridge of my nose and leaving a cut. Seems if your working on your car and it doesn't draw blood you haven't been working hard enough it seems.

If you follow the left fuel line down from the regulator you will see the top of the filter. I did run the fuel feed and return line back along the top of the frame rail though. Next step is removing the old intake and carb and installing the new manifold and EFI throttle body.

 

[B y r o n]

Well I got my new manifold and Edelbrock EFI mounted on the engine so I could make up my last fuel line. I wasn't looking forward to it because it needed a 90 and a 45 degree end so there was no way I could run the hose through the chuck for the last fitting. Then I was struck with another idea. See if I could mount the hose in the tool holder like a bit to keep it from moving instead of using the 3 jaw chuck. Well with the use of a second V-block it worked.

Now the whole fuel system is plumbed and another step closer to getting her back on the road.

Back to ordering and waiting on more parts.

 

[jim land]

nice work

 

[handcannon]

I've been impressed with how you think outside the box. This just adds to that.

Don

 

[B y r o n]

So the rig is on the road finally and I find that the in tank fuel pump does make a high pitch wine sound. I hear it when idling but not while driving as engine and exhaust noise drowns it out. This is the Stealth 340 pump so not sure if the 200 pump would make the same sound or not. I only went with the 340 because I found one cheaper than I could any of the 200's.

Other than that everything is working just great!

 

[mdman]

So the rig is on the road finally and I find that the in tank fuel pump does make a high pitch wine sound. I hear it when idling but not while driving as engine and exhaust noise drowns it out. This is the Stealth 340 pump so not sure if the 200 pump would make the same sound or not. I only went with the 340 because I found one cheaper than I could any of the 200's.

Other than that everything is working just great!

I would be curious to know if it is quieter than an in-line electric fuel pump. Does the engine prime pretty quickly or does it have to turn over a few times?

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

So the rig is on the road finally and I find that the in tank fuel pump does make a high pitch wine sound. I hear it when idling but not while driving as engine and exhaust noise drowns it out. This is the Stealth 340 pump so not sure if the 200 pump would make the same sound or not. I only went with the 340 because I found one cheaper than I could any of the 200's.

Other than that everything is working just great!

you know, it's funny. When i installed my out-of-tank pump, it was really noisy and whined (to the point I was going to change it). It's actually quieted down. Hopefully the same happens with yours. I came very close to doing the same system as you, but I plan on a second tank - so saved a couple bucks by only needing one pump... still, I like your set up a lot.

 

[B y r o n]

I would be curious to know if it is quieter than an in-line electric fuel pump. Does the engine prime pretty quickly or does it have to turn over a few times?

It's been too long since I've run an in-line electric fuel pump to be able to compare noise levels. It may seem loud to me because I'm sitting right next to it where if it was outside the passenger compartment I may not notice it as much. It could also be because I went with a 340 pump (cheaper) instead of 200 pump which puts out less fuel. I wasn't thinking about noise when I made the purchase.

When first started it takes a couple of seconds to prime but after it has been fired once for the day it seems to fire on the first click of the key, like an instant start.

 

[A10Driver]

Any updates? And how did you run the vent line? Thanks,
Mike

 

[B y r o n]

Any updates? And how did you run the vent line? Thanks,
Mike

Still working just fine. It's been so long since I've worked on this part of the vehicle I had to go out and look at it again.

Because it is only a vent and not a pressurized line I hose clamped a UNI filter to a tip over valve and slipped it inside a piece of fuel line and slid it over a hard line I bent. The hard line runs from the grommet for the original fuel line that runs through the floor then over to the frame and then up along the firewall rib.

 

[SteveH]

I have taken stiff fuel lines (like yours) and placed the end in boiling water to soften them to slide over fittings. This was with a Goodyear oil hose. But, your lathe method obviously worked nicely - good job!

 

[jhodro]

for those looking for an easier and reversible EFI system, I'd recommend the Edelbrock EFI fuel sump. I mounted mine on my firewall and it's fed by a low pressure pump and works sort of like a carb with internal floats shutting off the fuel feed and has an internal EFI pump & regulator. Also means that the pump is always submerged, lessening the risk of fuel starvation at inclines one might get with converting an unbaffled tank.

 

[FJ40SBC]

for those looking for an easier and reversible EFI system, I'd recommend the Edelbrock EFI fuel sump. I mounted mine on my firewall and it's fed by a low pressure pump and works sort of like a carb with internal floats shutting off the fuel feed and has an internal EFI pump & regulator. Also means that the pump is always submerged, lessening the risk of fuel starvation at inclines one might get with converting an unbaffled tank.

Jhodro, what are your experiences with the sump pump offroad? Looking at getting the pro flo 4 for my sbc 40 and I found out that Edelbrock doesn't recommend using the sump for offroad purposes if the user will be at any 45 degree angle for extended periods of time. Where I live there lots of trails that aren't necessarily hard core but have steep climbs, though I do participate in the harder trails lol.. also looking for any info on how it handles mud and deep water crossings but Google hasn't really helped me much