98 Ram 5.2 Fuel pump replacement help

[Blutarski]

I'm helping a friend replace the fuel pump in his 98 Pickup with a 5.2. From what I can tell on here and other sources, this is pretty straight forward, but what else should I have to do this? This is a salty road environment so pretty much anything under the truck will be rusty... Should we just buy some parts that we'll have issues with?

Like tank straps, knowing that they'll break?
Is there a lock ring on the top of the tank that holds the pump in? should we buy that ahead of time?
What else is there that we should be looking at? Is there any other zen info you can hand out? And if it comes to lifting the bed off, what should we be looking at for that project?
I just want to avoid the issues I had with my Blazer needing another new part that I didn't know about every 20 minutes, as the parts stores are an hour away.
Thanks!

[MOPARMAN01]

I have replaced numerous fuel pumps inthe dodge p/u. first of all try to suck as much fuel out of the truck as possible. then start letting the tank down. make sure to disconnect the lines on top of the pump before letting the tank all the way down. push the 2 tabsdown on the line pull towards the pump then push back to release.
The pump has a plastic retainer that can easily be taken off with a chisel and a hammer. BUT before you do this blow off the top of the tank with compressed air to keep dirt out!
The straps are my most concern because they do rust easily, especially in a salty environment.

[Blutarski]

Cool, thanks for that info, thoss are the kind of little details I was looking for! This should be a lot of fun!

[WHATDIDYOUBREAKNOW]

I cut access panels in all my vehicles..saves alot of grief..change it..cover it up with a siliconed down plate..throw the bedliner back on and its done