More than one way to skin a cat.
First and foremost, I?m building a -7, so the modifications that I?m about to describe here may not apply to you. I?m doing my fuel pump(s) and filters installation a little bit different. I?m actually mounting the pumps, along with the filters, directly to the floorboard, with everything being in a straight line. I didn?t want all of that rats nest of plumbing along with that big dog-house to cover everything up. I basically have the pre and post pump filters mounted directly to the fuel pump(s) manifold and have that entire assembly mounted directly to the floorboard. If you use Tom?s small filters, then everything will fit just fine. I had to modify the center tunnel cover a little bit and it gets raised up about an inch over its stock location, but it allows for a nice clean flat floorboard when you?re done. As part of the center tunnel cover modification, I cut it free from where it turns up and becomes part of the heater box manifold. That allowed the heater box portion of the cover to remain in its stock location where it?s attached to the firewall, while allowing me to raise the floorboard cover section up by about 1?. I then just re-attached the tunnel cover plate portion back to the heater box portion with a few nut plates and screws. This also allows me to have easy access to to fuel pumps and filters by simply removing the tunnel cover floorboard section and not having to remove anything else. I'm installing some little 2? tall stand-off angles on the floorboard which are riveted to the floorboard ribs. These run the length of the floorboard ribs (basically from the spar to the firewall) but it gives me the perfect place to screw that center tunnel cover plate back down to. Once the fuel pumps, filters, and fuel lines are installed, and the center floorboard cover plate back on and carpet in place, no one will ever even know that there?s any pumps or filters installed there because the floorboard will remain almost completely flat. I?ll be glad to send pictures of my modification to anyone if you?re interested. I can build an airplane but I can?t figure out how to post pictures on this site.
Mark