Percolation? Heat soak? Don't drive during summer??

DentalDart said
Here are the lines from the tank. I don't know if they have ever been replaced.

I don't see anything too close to the fuel lines, by the time the exhost gets to the kick up over the rear end it is pretty cool.

The photo you have the red circle on might be an issue but you drove it this way for a year and no issue.

DentalDart said
My fuel guage works just fine, so that shouldn't be a fuel sending unit problem right?

The fuel sender to the fuel gauge will not tell you if you have plugged lines ( which I doubt you have) in the sender / pickup. The gunk in the old fuel filter is troublesome but not overly concerning for its age.

DentalDart said
I dont know if my fuel pump has ever been replaced and if it was I don't know when. I have a rubber line that feeds from the metal stock line to the fuel pump, where the line crosses from the frame rail over to the pump

.

That's normal you could change that cheap and easy, but if it is soft and supple probably not the issue.

The only thing in the photos that is troubling to me is the photo that shows your fuel sender and the wires and shock. Maybe it is the photo but it looks like the fuel line and sender wire are touching the shock. If so that could over time rub through causing issues.