Installing fuel pump/sender...help

After a long day of chasing down the proper fuel pump, I stuck it in and hooked up all the hosed/electrical connections, but I left the pump/sender assemly dangling in the tank opening.
After I tried to start the jeep (no dice, but the new pump did pressureize the rail).

My problem is that I cant fit the sender/pump/strainer back into the tank in theproper way to get the lockring back on. Either the sender float or the strainer is smacking into a baffle or a ridge in the tank or something. Is there some trick to putting these back in? Also, now my fuel gauge isnt working. I would like to get all these things straighened out before I button everything up and try the next thing.

There is a cone shaped rubber piece which installs on the bottom of the fuel pump bracket. Your job is to guide that rubber cone into the notch inside of the tank. That piece will sometimes get stuck inside of the tank when taking out the old pump. You are then trying to push the new rubber guide on top of the old one.
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A note about fuel pumps: I have several XJs and have found that some after-market parts are just crap. I have never found a good after-market fuel pump. I ended up getting one from the stealership because the other ones would eventually end up getting loud too.

I found that even when you know there is only one rubber cone there, it still takes a lot of fiddling to get that thing in right, especially if the tank is in place and if there's gas in it. Last time I did this, between the hassle of getting the lockring off and getting the sender back in, it took so long and was so uncomfortable on the concrete floor of my shop in winter that if I ever have to do it again I will save time by dropping the tank. It's not hard to do if you're on top of it. I even practiced on a spare tank, and still had difficulty on the vehicle.

Try inserting the sender with a very slight tilt (top toward front of Jeep) but not too much, and after it's through the hole, hold it a little above the final position. Too much tilt and it won't go in. When it lands in the notch, you should feel it, then push it down and back, and wiggle it some. That sounds easy, so far, doesn't it? It's still pretty hard to get it seated, and to get that [expletive here] O-ring seated right, but it can be done.

I'm suprised, when my pump does finally fail, typical gas gauge problem of the 98's now, and I have to replace it I will probably lift the carpet in the back and use a bi-metal 8" hole saw that they use for speakers. What I am suprised at is that nobody has done that yet. I've never had my tank down so I don't know if 8" is too big or too small. From there it would be no big deal to take a piece of sheet metal with two tabs on one end and two tabs on the the other, pop rivet the metal you cut out to it and using maybe some gasket material or even silicone, make a seal, spray the cut metal. Screw the darn thing on and be done with having to drop tank when they go bad.
I think it was back in the late 80's when I saw a another guy I was in ANOC with change his dodge daytona's fuel pump, dodge already had this in place and all he did was lift an access panel in the trunk, pull the old pump and drop the new one in place.

Great Idea RichP!

Trap-Door! Cool!

Thanks a ton guys, I was under the jeep for almost an hour the other day trying to get that thing back in before I gave up. I checked the thread out this morning and had the unit back in in 15 mins after I felt around for where the cone was supposed to fit. The lockring was a whole different story with that crappy Oring.
I ened up filing the mating edges of the ring into sharp edges (looked like a midevial weapon) and pouned that thing back in. Thanks for the help.