Couple thangs bout' that in-tank pump muh friend
First off it was almost always the deteriorated wiring leading up to the tank what stranded me. Theyz uh connector within 10" of the sending unit, right up over the axle. Betcha them wires iz gone right there.
I wuz wearin' a white Levis shirt last time it happened and I had to crawl under on a muddy shoulder and twist the broken wires together to git'-a-goin' . Wrote the shirt off and in 3XLT that's right expensive !!!!!!!
I didn't have another so's I cleaned the corrosion out of the connectors, replaced the brass socket and Mcgivered a sealant job onto it and it's been working ev-a since;
Harness was so baffed I spliced a Mopar plug onto it (hasn't rejected it yet) so I could disconnect it as needed.
Here it is all "sealanted up" and installed onto the new sending unit/in tank pump;
Best be aware that for teh same price as an in-tank pump (which you may not need as it's probably a broken wire), y'all kin git yersef both the in tank pump AND the new sending unit.
I mention this because it's VERY likely (on an 80-86) that your gas gauge is totally wonky and reading wrong on account of a baffed sending unit.
Airtex sells both together in one for right around $100.00.
Read up on the install here;
http://www.supermotors.net/clubs/2bigbroncosdixie/users/users/registry/4970/77293
and the tank swap/drop here;
http://www.supermotors.net/clubs/2bigbroncosdixie/users/users/registry/4970/56533
Havin' done all this more times than I care to admit, at the side of the road, in my garage, yard, etc, I'd highly recommend a Steve83 trap door kit !
Gettin' a tank dropped and re-installed in your garage is one thang. Tryin' it at the side of the road, in the middle of the night, in bumf@#k nowhere isn't something you want to do.
His trap door makes life a whole lot easier
Sixlitre