Glad to hear you've got her running again (at least for the present)!
Anybody claims they've never had a no start from low gas is either fibbin' or darn lucky!
Do you still figure you need to change the pump? I know the feeling of having one vehicle to depend on, and worrying that I'm going to get it stuck somewhere and then be, well, stuck. At as you say 5 hours away, I'm hopeful; you might have just run her low enough she sucked fumes and was too quiet (????) for you to hear. If I was you and I didn't have a choice, I would try it on short drives til I got some confidence the pump was gonna keep turning, carry a small gas can and soft hammer or beating stick (see above) just in case the pump did act up. Of course if it is near end of life, the tank thumping trick is only going to work so many times, and if you know for a fact that the pump is dying you probably do want to change it before the truck leaves you walking. Just be nice if you could buy a little time into nicer weather.
I'm not a mechanic, just I guy that grew up on the farm, and likes to mess with vehicles to keep myself rolling. The 'shade tree mechanic's tricks" I've shared is stuff I've picked up hanging out with a mechanic buddy, and confirmed some working on stuff myself. I'm sorry I'm not available to work on vehicles for hire - don't have an inside place to work right now, and these days I make a real point out of trying to get through a winter without freezing fingers and/or toes. Also I'm too slow and lazy...
I have changed out a fuel tank on my 91 ranger- pulled the replacement from an 89 in the junkyard, and salvaged the 91 pump sa a spare (out on the farm in Manitoba, interestingly about 5 hours in that direction). If I had my hands on that pump and you were next door, you'd be welcome to it, but I sure wouldn't warranty it (91 had about 300k on it, though the pump was working good - changed the tank b/c it had a hole in it). I've also in the past changed the tank pump on my 88 ranger - similar setup but steel tank not nylon (got the pump from the Weyburn wrecking yard, in the days when STC freight was still a thing).
Changing the pump is pretty straightforward once you have access. Access is gained by undoing the bed bolts and raising the bed. The remove the bolts part is entirely dependent on how rusty your bolts are, but you should probably count on breaking at least a couple of bolts and the j-nut clips on the frame they thread into. In the past, I went to the junkyard (Bucks) to get replacement bolts and clips, and was amazed at the variation in how rusted the bolts were - had little to do with how old or new the truck was, more to do with the life it had lived. If I was you, I'd try to pick up a few spares (short and long) before tearing into my own truck, in part to get the experience and to gain confidence in the process.
Next step is to get the bed raised enough on the driver's side to get at the top of the tank and pump. Open the gas filler flap and undo the three screws that attach the top of the filler neck to the box. Also if you're going to be moving the box entirely off the truck, undo the wiring harness connector at the back of the box underneath.
If you have two reasonably strong people you can lift the box up and walk it back enough to access the pump (wear gloves so you don’t tear up your hands on rusty edges like wheel arches, which is pretty much where you want to lift to get a balanced load). I have also run chains/straps from the 4 inside tether points to lift the box with a cherry picker hoist. In the junkyard, to get access to salvage bolts , clips and filler hoses, I would lift one side and block it up – probably don’t try this if you have a choice – if something slips you could bend your box side or worse yet have the box fall on you! Just telling you some of the things that have worked for me.
Once you have access, you need to undo the wiring clip and the fuel hose/return line. Then there is a retaining ring that needs to be loosened then turned off like a giant nut (all the usaual cautions about avoiding sparks around the pump opening but the tank etc are nylon and plastic on a ’89-92 so not a big worry. Then the whole pump/strainer/float assembly lifts out, and you put the other one in and snug up the clamp ring and reconnect fuel lines and wiring harness and drop the box back down (replace any wonky J-clips first) and line up the fuel hose and put in the screws, and put the bolts back in the box and reconnect the rear harness if you disconnected it and you’re done (hopefully).
I would suggest doing this in at least two stages – first weekend start trying to get the bed bolts loose and see how that’s going to go – you can probably drive the bed unloaded with less than 6 bolts if you break one or two but try to be sensible about it.
I get what you’re saying about it’s one thing for somebody(s) telling you it’s not a bad job and another to do this yourself, specially if you’re working outside by yourself and its’s your only wheels and it’s this insanely cold outside. I’d say it’s not a bad job if it’s summer or you have a place to work and everything goes right. Where I’d say you might anticipate trouble is i) getting the bed bolts out (usually it’s not completely bad getting them loose but getting the relatively long piece of rusty thread to wind out all the way through the J nut can be problematic – if it starts going hard and creaking – thread it back in a bit and try again. If you can put WD-40 or even transmission fluid on the exposed threads underneath) ii) getting the bed out of the way and SAFELY blocked so you can work on pump replacement – try to get a second pair of hands for this and moving the bed back afterward.
Sorry I don’t think I can be any help in person on this. (I think I saw one of your older posts that mentioned a location – are you towards Regina?) But you’re welcome to any advice, and my best wishes.
Bill