I believe on the 1.3 it is a mechanical pump mounted to the block.
That is exactly my point - if there was some design rule or safety issue governing the placement of the pump - it would not have been where it is.
There is a distinct lag between the time that you turn the key to "IGN" and the engine-mounted pump finishes pressurizing the fuel line. It is a waste of time trying to start the engine if the fuel pump is trying to build fuel line pressure by sucking fuel from the tank. I have to wait about 20-30 seconds before starting after the truck has been standing for more that a couple of hours.
Really? I was under the impression you had to turn the key and crank the engine before the engine mounted pump would move fuel.
Also - we are discussing a carburetted engine here - the engine really should start & run on the contents of the float bowl, at least mine do (I have two, one with a mechanical engine mounted pump, and the other with a low pressure "in-tank" pump), and they both start with less cranking than my EFI one, regardless of whether it's been sitting for 2 minutes or 2 days.
Seriously - if you have to wait 20~30 seconds before you can get a start after the engine has been sitting for a couple of hours, I'd suspect you have a leak someplace - you're probably draining the float bowl and have to wait for it to refill.