Replacing the fuel pump

I wanted to replace the fuel pump on my 351 Cleveland. Not so much because it's broken but to rule out the pump as a cause for low fuel pressure.

So here we go. Since I don't have a ramp I can't reach from below so I need to dig in from above, where we encounter the first obstacle: the powersteering pump.

The powersteering pump is attached with 2 bolts only, one of them is used to put tension on the belt.
It's not hard to get the bolts out. but you do need to put the pump somewhere though. I didn't want to take off the hoses so I lifted it and "parked" it against the PCV valve.

There it is, ye olde pump ;-) To remove it you need tools in American sizes. I actually had small sized wrenches which came in handy in the little space available.

Don't forget to put a bucket or something underneath. I was afraid of fuel pouring out of the main fuel line so I first cut a new hose to connect the mains to the pump. I clamped a bolt in one end of the new hose (as shown in the picture above) and after disconnecting the the old hose from the mains I quickly connected the new hose. In the end I didn't need to rush things because only a tiny amount of fuel came out... So then I had the main fuel line sealed off which allowed me to continue working on removing the pump.

Removing the actual pump is real easy. It leaves you with a hole like this. You gotta clean it up a bit and make sure no gasket remains are left behind.

Old pump (made in Canada) and new pump (made in the USA).

So after the surface is cleaned you put the new gasket in place.

Then you have to put the new pump back in. Notice that the lever sticking out of the pump is not exactly in the middle. Here's a little tip: When sliding the lever inside the engine, keep it to the left a bit, not in the middle as you'll hit stuff and won't get very far. Point it to the left slightly and it will slide right in.

Finish off by connecting the hose and secondary fuel line (going up to the carb).

All that's left now is to put back the powersteering pump.

When everything was done I had to crank 4-5 times for about 10 seconds to get fuel into the empty system so it would start.