I own an 82. I went to replace my fuel pump because the maximum fuel pressure I could get was 3psi. After much aggravation I got the sending unit out of the car. This is the second time I have done this the first time was a fuel pump issue also. I found that the short hose used to connect the fuel pump to the fuel line on the sending unit had swollen up so much that was my fuel pressure problem. I also noticed that the sending unit float covering was chipped which would allow the float to become fuel saturated. I order a sending unit.

I started putting everything back together and noticed that other rubber fuel lines did not look all that good. I choose not to replace them at this time. As I believe you have to drop the fuel tank to do that. Everything went back together, and car runs great. One issue is the top bold on the sending unit it would not screw down all the way.

Now for the real bad news.

1. Gas gauge shows empty. I know I have 4 or 5 gallons of fuel in the tank. Oil pressure gauge shows low not sure if that has anything to do with why the fuel gauge is not working.
2.  like I said previously the top bolt on the sending unit will not go in all the way. Not good, but not a show-stopper.

I am thinking that if I have to pull the sending unit out again, I should change all of my rubber fuel lines because of the condition of the one that was in the tank and the ends of the outgoing and return fuel lines are cracking a little and I should take care of that top bolt issue while I am at it.

To do all of this means I need to drop my fuel tank I believe.  I know I cannot do anything about the top bolt without doing that as you cannot get a tap lined up correctly. This means I most likely need to drop my exhaust system which is relatively new so I would expect I can get it off without a lot of trouble. Then I need to remove my spare tire and some other items I am sure.

Then I plan on replacing all of the rubber hoses with fuel injection quality hoses. If I am unable to successfully re-tap the screw hole for the top bolt, I will plug it.

Questions:

Am I missing anything? I really would rather not drop the tank and would not if I could fix the fuel sending issue without having to remove the sending unit again. Or at least test it to make sure that was the issue.

Does anyone know the size of the rubber hoses I will need.  I would like to order them before I start this project.  Diameter and length please.

I am 75 year old so I’m not doing most of this myself. I have a person that I pay to help me do things I find too difficult to do myself.

I'm probably not going to be much help other than to suggest replacing all the rubber fuel lines.  If they're the original ones they have long gone past their service life.  And make sure that the replacements are made of fuel grade rubber.

If you have an Assembly Manual I would think that the diameter and lengths of all the hoses would be spelled out in there.

Jim Olson 

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Gilbert, on the fuel gauge showing empty now, you can disconnect the wire for the fuel sender to see if you have a problem in the tank, or gage. With the wire disconnected, the gauge should peg FULL. If it does not, then your issue is most likely something in the gauge cluster, possibly even just a popped fuse. 

Of course, it's possible the sending unit you got is faulty....it happens. Also, check to make sure the bladder in the tank is not deformed, and causing the float to stick/bind.

 As far as replacing the hoses, you MIGHT be able to do them without dropping the tank. It kinda depends on how hard/stiff the rubber is at this point. You can disconnect the hoses, tie a wire, or strong line(fishing line, etc) on the end at the tank, and tie that to the new hose(s). Then from the frame side, pull the old hose(s) out, and draw the new one(s) back in behind. Not sure how much clearance there is between the top of the tank and the body, but there has to be enough for the hoses to not contact the body in that area. If all else fails, you should only have to lower the tank a bit, but not completely remove it.

Iirc, most fuel lines will be 3/8", and 5/16".

hth🤠

Joel Adams
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Gilbert, here are the two pages on the fuel system from the "Chevrolet Corvette 1982 Specifications" manual.

Lifetime Member #58
Our 82CE

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Where in the heck did you get that Chevrolet Corvette 1982 Specifications manual? I have the GM maintenance manual and the Assembly sheets but never new there was a detailed specifications manual. A search on the internet just brought up the standard specifications nothing like what you provided and thanks it does give me the information that I wanted to have.

This is what I love about this site there is almost always someone that knows what you are looking for.

Looks like pages from the Parts Manual... 😃

Joel Adams
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Joel is correct, these were pages 275/276 of the "1953 thru 1982 Corvette Parts and Illustration Catalog".  you can download from this forum under the Research tab.  I errored earlier when I said it was from my specification document (I had printed the two pages and had it in my specs manual).

Lifetime Member #58
Our 82CE

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Be aware, if you wish to download the Parts Manual...it is HUGE....might take a while to get it done. 🥴

Joel Adams
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"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

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