Anyone had sucess with in line pumps?

Hi, I have a 97 GMC Sierra with the 5.7 liter engine.

Has anyone ever tried installing an after-market in line fuel pump on a vehicle similar to mine?

I was considering it as a means to cut cost, but I have no idea if it would work.

My thinking was to either disconnect the in tank pump all together, or leave it hooked up as a supply pump.

Would the in line pump be able to draw through the in tank pump?

If I leave the in tank pump hooked up, could it somehow over pressure the line or the in line pump, if so are there any after market regulators available to regulate the in tank pump between the tank and in line pump?

I know it sounds like I'm opening a can of worms, but I can't help but wonder if there is a more economical solution to this, than pulling off the bed, paying $500.00 for a pump, and risking damaging the lines etc., in the process.

Like so many post I have read, I am having very weird problems with the fuel pump.
It bleeds down overnight when its cold outside.
Then even after purging the line, it won't pump enough pressure till the pump warms up. Lately I've had to jumper the pump so it will run long enough to warm up before even trying to start the engine.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
If you think I'm nuts, feel free to say so!
Thanks, Nick

you have to remember that the pump in the tank is a high pressure pump. it is nothing like the inline pumps that were used with carburators. if you do not have alot of gas in the tank, you could remove it without removing the truck bed.

An in line pump will work but you really should remove the one in the tank. If you want to put an inline pump you have to redo some fuel lines anyway so it won't matter if you disturb them or not. I've never done it on the truck you have but I have on plenty of other vehicles that I modified with bigger engines. It's not to hard. You have two options on the replacement: 1) lift the bed off to access the pump.
2) drop the fuel tank (my personal choice) just make sure you don't have the tank really full or it is a bitch because of the sloshing weight.
inline pumps work just as well if not better than the in tank models because use have so many options as far as the size of the pump. $500 for a pump is highway robbery. You can get aftermarket fuel pumps in the $200-$300 range unless you're looking for a top fuel dragster pump.
Check out your local speed shop or even an advanced auto or autozone, Napa or whatever. it shouldn't be more than $150 for a stock fuel pump.