This is where the hole should be. DO NOT CUT everything out lik…

This is where the hole should be. DO NOT CUT everything out like this pic shows - I'm harvesting the floor from this body to make cover plates. Trace around your replacement plate, and cut INSIDE it so you have room to screw it down, which should be approximately the size of the white rectangle. The front edge of the hole can be an inch or so behind the welds to avoid the lip of the floor support channel. You can always cut the hole too small, and then enlarge it as-needed. But if you cut it too large, the plate won't cover the hole, so always start small. To maintain floor strength, the plate should overhang the rear of the hole, and the screws should be positioned close to the hole and as far as possible from the plate's rear edge. So cut the rear edge of the hole as far forward as possible to give access to the tank.

If you're unsure, cut LESS out than is necessary. Once you can see the target, cut more in the direction you want until you have the smallest hole positioned just where you need it to disconnect the lines & pull the pump assembly out. Never cut more than 3 ridges wide, or longer than 3/4" SHORTER (front-to-back) than the cover plate.

Along the front edge, the screw tips MAY contact the beam's lip under the floor. To avoid that, position the plate slightly rearward when marking the cut lines so there's enough good floor between the beam lip & the hole for the screws to catch.

Owner caption April 2006 · Photo 1249 of 5000