Fuel Pump

I read someplace that if your fuel filter is a bit clogged, it can cause
the
pump to overheat and shut down. I've been dealing with a very intermittant
problem for a few years on a 318 van and I'm thinking that it might be due
to the pump shutting down. I tracked down a few other intermittant
electrical problems and up untill yesterday the truck had been running
perfect for about a year. I wasn't getting fuel at the engine so I
eventually pulled the fuel line off of the filter input and ran a direct
12
volts to the fuel pump to rule everything else out. The pump didn't pump.
But after sitting all night, the pump works. I guess the pump had enough
time to cool down? My question is, if the pump overheats, does it normally
take that long to cool down or do you think that my pump is intermittant?
#2 - If I have to drop the tank, do I have to buy a special tool from
dodge
or is there some other deep drive socket out there that can reach the
nuts.
tia bg