1960 mechanical to electric fuel pump

[scott scearce]

Hi all,

I have decided to replace my mechanical fuel pump with a simple electric one on my '60. My question: Is there any real advantage to placing it near the fuel tank compared to putting it under the hood near where the present one is?

It is a lot simpler to put it under the hood but I have heard that electric fuel pumps work better pushing the fuel (fuel tank position) as opposed to pulling the fuel (hood position) and I was wondering does anyone know how much difference it really makes.

Thanks,
Scott Scearce

[Mike M.]

Re: 1960 mechanical to electric fuel pump

what you've gathered is correct. the electric pump likes to push, and will do so better, than it will pull. i'd stick with the mechanical pump as its a long liver(more so than the electric pumps i've installed in hot rods/street rods), is cheaper and you won't have the hassel of becoming a part-time plumber/electrician back by the fuel tank. mike

[John H.]

Re: 1960 mechanical to electric fuel pump

Agree with Mike - electric fuel pumps are a PITA hassle to mount, plumb, and wire, need to be fused, are noisy, and need an impact safety shutoff; the good old engine-mounted mechanical pumps are extremely reliable and perfectly adequate to supply fuel needs unless you have more power than an L-88.

[David M.]

Re: 1960 mechanical to electric fuel pump

Ditto the last response. Noisy as hell unless you go for the newer gerotor style pump. Bubba put one on my 68 327 before I bought it and I plan on putting the correct mechanical back on later this year. The car didnt come with the spare or the tub(bubba put that in the dumpster!)and its mounted behind the license plate. Even with rubber mounts the whole back end buzzes & vibrates, irritating to say the least! It does make a nice theft deterrent with the on/off switch though.

[Christopher R.]

Re: 1960 mechanical to electric fuel pump

1. Don't know how bad it is to put it under the hood. Everybody will tell you that the pump should be mounted near the tank. What happens if you mount it away from the tank? Don't know. These things aren't very reliable to begin with. Don't believe you want to overstress them.

2. Make sure you can limit the output pressure to around 4 1/2 pounds. Your WCFB doesn't want more than that.

3. When you mount this thing (God, I hate putting more holes in my fiberglass.), you need to try to isolate it. Mount it on rubber pads. Many reports of these things being very noisey.

4. You have to wire it so that it's switched on and off with the ignition.

5. Then you need to also wire in a device that shuts it off when the ignition is on, but the engine has stopped running. This is usually done through the oil pressure switch, which your 1960 doesn't have. So you're going to have to figure that one out. Very important safety device. You don't want the pump running and pumping gas into an engine that's shut down even though the ignition switch is on. If you were in an accident, the engine would probably stall, but the ignition switch is still on. You don't want the pump running in that situation. Most electric pumps are switched on with the ignition switch, but are interrupted if the oil pressure switch senses zero oil pressure, such as when the engine stops running.

6. Summary: Unreliable, noisey, complicated, and dangerous.

7. Good news is that an electric fuel pump can serve as an anti-theft device. Wire in a secret switch that kills power to it.

[scott scearce]

Re: 1960 mechanical to electric fuel pump

Goodness gracious. I definetly do not want to put in an electric one. I just put on the mechanical about 3 years ago and it seems to be failing as the gas coming into the filter is not very consistant.

Thanks for everyones honest opinion.

Scott

[Clem Z.]

the additives in the new gasolines are hard on

the older materials used in carbs and fuel pumps. if your carb rebuild kit still has a black accellerator pump cup or a black diaphragm it will not last long with the newer blended gasolines

[Mike M.]

Re: 1960 mechanical to electric fuel pump

try replacing the fuel filter or better yet, rig up a pressure gauge to measure the pressure on the outlet side of the filter. if the filter is severly clogged,by visual observation, the tank may need removal and a boil-out at the local radiator shop. mike