my31buick Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 Hello guys, Its been a long time since I have been on here.. I am considering putting an electric fuel pump on my 31-57.. Has anyone done this? the reason I wish to do this is because it is often 1-2 months at times between drives. It takes forever cranking the engine to get the fuel pumped up to the carb with the manual fuel pump. I think electric, Although not original would pressure up and fill the carb bowl quickly allowing for faster start and less wear on starter and battery. I have a 6 v fuel pump. Any ideas on what the pressure should be set at on the early buicks? Also does anyone have any ideas on turn signal kits for the early buicks.? I often take my wife and 2 yr old daughter for drives in the ol girl and would feel a lot safer with led turn and stop lights up front and out back. Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks to all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maok Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 If you wish to just prime the carb before starting then you won't need to worry about the pressure. Just trigger it with a momentary push button switch. Also have an inline fuse, 5 amp should be okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraso Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 I think that adding an electric fuel pump would help with your starting issue and others have done what maok have suggested. I did something similar on my car but used a relay (from Daniel Stern Lighting) to only run the electric pump during starting. See HEI Ignition Upgrade for photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Engle Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 Be sure to put a pressure regulator on the electric pump. The Marvel carbs don't like pressure over about 2 #. Be sure that the air cleaner has the drain tube that makes sure any flooding does not drip fuel onto the exhaust pipe. Bob Engle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmg1959 Posted June 29, 2018 Share Posted June 29, 2018 I have an electric fuel pump 6 volt back by tank on my 1932 56S. Mine sets for long periods between starts and it fires right up after letting pump run for 15-20 seconds. I have a hidden switch for it and I don't always remember to shut it of, but never has caused any problems. I do not have a pressure regulator either, and my Marvel seems to handle it alright, but I am sure would be better and safer with one. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuicksBuicks Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 I don't know if your carburetor has it, but my 37 has a brass sight plug on the side of the bowl. With a squirt bottle of gas I was able to fill the carb very quickly and avoid the cranking. I realize you are probably talking about an updraft and mine in a down draft. Just an idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my31buick Posted July 3, 2018 Author Share Posted July 3, 2018 On 6/29/2018 at 10:17 AM, bmg1959 said: I have an electric fuel pump 6 volt back by tank on my 1932 56S. Mine sets for long periods between starts and it fires right up after letting pump run for 15-20 seconds. I have a hidden switch for it and I don't always remember to shut it of, but never has caused any problems. I do not have a pressure regulator either, and my Marvel seems to handle it alright, but I am sure would be better and safer with one. Brian Ok , so do you let your electric pump push fuel thru the manual pump? and after start up you shut electric pump off and let manual pump suck thru electric pump that is not on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my31buick Posted July 3, 2018 Author Share Posted July 3, 2018 So put on electric pump with regulator near tank. use a switch to run it temporarily to prime the carb. I assume this electric pump is pushing fuel thru the manual pump without cranking the engine? and after start up I shut electric pump off and let manual pump suck fuel thru the electric pump? The electric pump had a warning that running it in conjunction with a manual pump can fill the oil pan with fuel? any thoughts on that?? Thanks again guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraso Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 I think the "manual" pump is actually a "mechanical" pump. A mechanical pump is usually driven by an eccentric cam on the camshaft and uses check valves to control the direction of flow. If you install an electric pump at the fuel tank, it will push gasoline through the mechanical pump where any vapor would then be released in the carburetor. Not all electric pumps allow gasoline to flow freely through them when not running. In this case, you would need to install a bypass around the electric pump that has a fuel check valve. See Vapor Lock. I suppose if you installed an electric pump that has a high output pressure without using a fuel pressure regulator, the diaphragm in your mechanical pump could rupture to flood the oil pan or the fuel pressure could overcome the float(s) in the carburetor to flood the intake manifold (and then the oil pan). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 I'm a big fan of electric pumps for priming and to fight vapor lock on hot days. I install them on most of my cars and all the advice above is good. I use the Airtex E8902 (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/atx-e8902), which is 6-volt and 4 PSI. It is also a draw-through design so you can shut it off and your mechanical pump should be able to pull through it easily. Easy to mount, easy to wire, doesn't take much juice to run it, and it's quiet (I can't hear it running if the engine is running). I have installed about a half-dozen of them and have yet to have a failure, but they're so cheap (less than $35), that I keep a spare in the trunk just in case. In fact, I'm installing one in my '35 Lincoln as I write this (taking a break--man it's HOT today). I'll have photos in my '35 Lincoln thread later today or tomorrow. Easy to install and solves a lot of the problems you're having. Also do a search for my threads and article on LED lighting, which I'm using in the tail/stop lights of all my old cars, 6 and 12 volt. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Engle Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 Mechanical fuel pump would need to have a rupture of the diaphragm to let fuel into the oil sump. Gasoline with alcohol will damage the original rubber daiphragm. In any case, whether using an electric pump or not, the fuel pump should be rebuilt with a modern material daiphragm. Bob Engle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETE JANNOTTA Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 Hi, I have an electric fuel pump operated by a momentary switch, hidden under driver's side dash, on my '31-57. Works like a charm for me. My turn signals are non-LED and are terrible so, sorry, no suggestions there. Best, Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my31buick Posted July 6, 2018 Author Share Posted July 6, 2018 On 7/4/2018 at 10:05 AM, Matt Harwood said: I'm a big fan of electric pumps for priming and to fight vapor lock on hot days. I install them on most of my cars and all the advice above is good. I use the Airtex E8902 (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/atx-e8902), which is 6-volt and 4 PSI. It is also a draw-through design so you can shut it off and your mechanical pump should be able to pull through it easily. Easy to mount, easy to wire, doesn't take much juice to run it, and it's quiet (I can't hear it running if the engine is running). I have installed about a half-dozen of them and have yet to have a failure, but they're so cheap (less than $35), that I keep a spare in the trunk just in case. In fact, I'm installing one in my '35 Lincoln as I write this (taking a break--man it's HOT today). I'll have photos in my '35 Lincoln thread later today or tomorrow. Easy to install and solves a lot of the problems you're having. Also do a search for my threads and article on LED lighting, which I'm using in the tail/stop lights of all my old cars, 6 and 12 volt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my31buick Posted July 6, 2018 Author Share Posted July 6, 2018 How do I find your threads on the led lighting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 1 hour ago, my31buick said: How do I find your threads on the led lighting? Here you go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinneyhill Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 6 hours ago, my31buick said: How do I find your threads on the led lighting? Top right of forum screen, look for Search box. Enter "LED" in the search box and click the magnifying glass. When the results come up, click on More Search Options below the search term. Click on Search by Author just under the Content Search label. Type Matt Harwood and select his handle with the logo. Click on Search Contents lower right. Look through results. The one Matt referenced above is a little way down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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