239 engine in my 54 has the bowl up. The pump is designed to filter that way. It will not work down.

 

Hey hey Ed, so you think you can just shut this torrent of response down by saying thanks? No way my friend. This train of talent and opinion is moving. You've got about 100 people out there checking all their Yblock engines to see if the fuel pump is up side down. Thanks for aksing a question that I have been wondering about too. Jag

 

I know I am bringing an old post back to life, but I was researching this as well and came across this post.

I have a 1955 F250 with the 223, and my fuel pump has the glass bowl on it as well, however the bowl is mounted vertically on top of the fuel pump. I looked at the side of the engine and this fuel pump can only mount in this fashion, so you could rotate it downwards so that the glass bowl is on the bottom. Is this weird, or am I seeing things? You can see pictures of it in my gallery.

 

I don't believe that the bowl should be on top. Isn't the mounting flange just two boltholes? Why can't the pump be removed and turned right-side-up? Jag

 

It appears that the flange on the fuel pump that mounts to the engine block can only mount one way such that it is flush with the engine block, thus making the float bowl on top. It doesn't make sense to me though, and I think the bowl should be on the bottom not on top, and I am just confused as to why my bowl is on top?.

 

This may sound stupid but its probably just a design thing. The old pumps were bowl down and the engines and designs changed and the bowl stayed on the fuel pumps even when there was no use since the flange made it to where the bowl only could face up.