Flathead fuel pump
Post Fiend
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 7,641
Likes: 21
From: Poway, Ca.
Remember two years ago after "Batty Flatty" I told you that you would be telling people how to do stuff and you laughed??????
Cargo Master
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,795
Likes: 129
From: Windermere Valley,B.C. Ca
On a engine that tends to overheat and can be hard to start? 
You will be wishing you had paid $ 100.00 for a new pump after your truck vapor locks on some hot day when you are in a hurry, late for something, sitting on the side of the road getting sunstroke miles from home with a $ 200.00 tow bill and almost got run over when the truck slowed down. It has been my experience (oh?) that rebuilt pumps or kits are useless, please think about buying new.
You will be wishing you had paid $ 100.00 for a new pump after your truck vapor locks on some hot day when you are in a hurry, late for something, sitting on the side of the road getting sunstroke miles from home with a $ 200.00 tow bill and almost got run over when the truck slowed down. It has been my experience (oh?) that rebuilt pumps or kits are useless, please think about buying new.
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 5,776
Likes: 2
From: springfield il
i put an elctric one , 12 volt , on mine , along with a pressure regulatore . run it at 2.5 pds and it runs just fine . old f1 i personally never had an issue with mine running hot , not even when the center water ports in the head gaskets started seeping . i drove it like that for the cruise for charity , and the motherroad cruises and watched all sorts of newer shop built hot rods and muscle cars fall by the wayside overheating , i just kept perculating along . i drove her everyday , ask stu , tim or anyone around these parts , irregardless of weather till i parked it due to wiring and some other things i have been trying to fix for a year now . the only reason why mine became hard to start , and quit once was a lil' problem that drove me batty , was a new 12 volt coil that went kaput ! she's been all over this area too , she just didna care much for the highway with the way she's geared .
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Senior User
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 347
Likes: 0
From: Wilmington Delaware
[quote=Julies Cool F1;8677020]Hey John,
Remember two years ago after "Batty Flatty" I told you that you would be telling people how to do stuff and you laughed??????
Who da thought
I ended up going with electric pump also but I may try to get the stock pump into operation. I think the electric unit is noisy plus I am STILL running a 6V system and any extra draw on it is asking for trouble
Remember two years ago after "Batty Flatty" I told you that you would be telling people how to do stuff and you laughed??????
Who da thought
I ended up going with electric pump also but I may try to get the stock pump into operation. I think the electric unit is noisy plus I am STILL running a 6V system and any extra draw on it is asking for trouble
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Posting Guru
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,616
Likes: 3
From: Sapulpa OK
Thanks everyone for your input. If NAPA has one for sixty bucks, then thats probably the most economical way to go but I kinda got a feeling this pump is the original and I would like to keep the castings if I can. It has the original filter inside the glass bowl and the truck had only 9600 miles on it. It also had the Ford script on the bearing inserts and spark plug wires.
Vaporlock is not caused by the pump, it is caused by heat saturating the fuel and causing it to boil. The boiling temp of gasoline can be much lower than water (100°-400° depending on its formulation) and when it boils it turns to a gas and the fuel pump will not pump a gas. Flathead fuel pumps were mounted on top of the engine and as we all know, heat rises so the engine heat will migrate to the fuel pump by conduction forces making vaporlock much more likely. Thats one reason later models of engines put them low on the engine block. A new pump is subject to the same effect.
I am also concerned by the noise of your standard electric fuel pump, I do not want to hear it. I have hearing difficulties as it is and want things a quiet as I can get them.
Vaporlock is not caused by the pump, it is caused by heat saturating the fuel and causing it to boil. The boiling temp of gasoline can be much lower than water (100°-400° depending on its formulation) and when it boils it turns to a gas and the fuel pump will not pump a gas. Flathead fuel pumps were mounted on top of the engine and as we all know, heat rises so the engine heat will migrate to the fuel pump by conduction forces making vaporlock much more likely. Thats one reason later models of engines put them low on the engine block. A new pump is subject to the same effect.
I am also concerned by the noise of your standard electric fuel pump, I do not want to hear it. I have hearing difficulties as it is and want things a quiet as I can get them.
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 279
Likes: 4
From: Morton, WA
Your post reminded me that I will probably need a fuel pump too. (I'm picking up a '51 F1 w/239 flatheaed on Sunday.) I already have new fenders for it along with new fuel lines, brake lines, master cylinder and wheel cylinders, but fuel pump was one item I am certain I'll need and did not order (truck has not run on it's own fuel system for many years). I was able to obtain the fuel pump at our local Auto Zone store and the price was $43.99 ($47.07 with tax). They will have it by 1 o'click Saturday afternoon. --- They did not have a fuel tank, but I'll wait until I see the truck before ordering one. I suspect I will have to. Auto Zone could also get brake wheel cylinders for the truck and at a price well less than what I paid through one of the catalogs. Their prices were $11.xx and $9.xx for front and rear units (can't remember which was more). They did not have master cylinders however. -- Good luck with your fuel pump adventure!
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PAUL W BEAUCHEMIN
1948 - 1956 F1, F100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
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Jun 28, 2015 09:13 PM
