I starting noticing a lot of fuel smell in the garage, the smell intensifies after the car has been driven. after a day or so the smell almost goes away. I found a little dampness around the fuel pump, so this must be the culprit.
I am not a mechanic by any means, just a hand tool(bolt on bolt off kind of guy). Is this a project that can be handled with simple hand tools in the garage ?
I called a friend who said that the fuel pump is a pain to replace and said he would replace it for about $350.00
please help! Thanks 79' L-48

It's not a big pain in and of itself to replace, but if you're on your back instead of using a lift, it can be tough. $350 does sound high. The pump should cost $40-60, more if you get a Holley or Edelbrock, and using a lift is maybe a half hour job.

Is there any advantage to using an aftermarket fuel pump as apposed to one from NAPA? The engine is bone stock.

Also, The spring on the secondary on the q-jet is broken causing it to remain open at all times.(making hard launches impossible) is there a way to replace the spring without completly removing the carb? working on a tight budget and can't afford a complete carb. rebuild....it appears that the carb. has never been removed. (95k original miles)

The fuel pump is not that hard to do. NAPA is an aftermarket pump, and will be fine. Even the ones from Autozone will do the job. The price you were quoted is way too high. Once the lines are off, there are only 2 bolts holding the pump on. When you pull it out, the fuel pump push rod may drop. If it does, remove the remaining 2 bolts holding the plate over the fuel pump hole, and pull the rod out. Coat it with a thin layer of grease, and put it back in. That will hold it up in place. If the rod does not drop, don't worry about that. You may find a lot of tension on the pump lever when putting the pump back in. If it's too much to allow you to line up the pump, turn the engine slightly. The cam lobe that pushes the rod to operate the pump could be on the high point. Turning the engine will move the cam to the low point, and relieve tension. There will always be some tension.

As for the carb, the easiest way to replace the spring is to take the top of the carb off. You don't need to take the carb off of the car to do this. Then just remove the screws from the air flaps, and the spring locks, and the shaft will slide out, allowing you to install a new spring. The screws are staked in and don't come out very easily. Take care not to mess up the screw heads. Make sure the screwdriver fits properly in the slots. Be sure to look up the adjustment for the new spring. You may need a new carb top gasket. You can do this with the top on the carb, but it is more difficult and you risk droping the flap screws down into the carb/engine.

Ken Styer