is this a straightforward job that can be done with regular hand tools in a couple of hours by a regular dumba$$ like myself? or should i get a shop to do it?
is there a fuel pump that is installed outside of the fuel tank so you don't have to take the old one out?
nope... you gotta drop the tank to get the fuel pump out. Its a pretty straight foward swap... Take off the two braces that hold the tank up, and unbolt the filler neck, unhook the feed/return lines and any connectione, slide the tank out (MAKE SURE ITS ALMOST EMPTY) it'll make life a lot easier take out the old fuel pump, remember what position it was when it came out, assemble new pump, put it back in. The hardest part will probably be dropping the fuel tank if your doing it by yourself.
Very easy to do just drop the tank disconnect the fuel lines/electrical plug. Slide the tank off the filler tube. The fuel pump is right there on top just twist off the top (you'll need a screw driver and a small hamer to tap it off) and it slides right out remove the old one drop in the new one and reinstall it that's about it. Very straight foward you'll see.
Its in the tank, Get a new tank gasket as you will tear the stock one getting out the fill tube. The tank comes down easy, get a few jack stands and a jack to help lower it and hold it stable while you remove the pump.
I did not totaly remove the tank, but droped it just enough to get the pump out and badk in.
THE TANK FILL TUBE IS A PITFA, who ever designed that thing needs to die pure and simple, the most annoying thing ever. What the 90+ year old design of a metal nipple with a rubber hose and a clamp was not good enough for him