New owner of all original 1951 Special

[Julien Abrahams]

Dear all, 
As I am new to this forum, let me quickly introduce myself. My name is Julien Abrahams, 40 years old, living in the Netherlands. I own a couple of classic cars ( a '54 Cadillac series 62, a '67 Cadillac DeVille and an '69 Austin Healey Sprite. 
Quite recently I purchased a 1951 Buick Special from my great uncle who was the second owner and had the car for 35 years. The Buick has its original paint and the interior is in excellent original condition.  The car has about 38000 original miles, so it has not been driven alot (especially the last couple of years it has been sitting most of the time). 

Last year, the previous owner rebuilt the carb and I just had to tune it (slightly richer and increas the idle from about 300 to 450 (factory spec). I also have the shop manual. 
Today I wanted to take the car for a drive, but after taking it out of the garage, I noticed the smell of fuel. Turned it of, and found the fuel pump to be leaking in an unusual place (for me at least). The fuel seems to be coming out of the square opening, that has two small holes on either side, just above the fuel part of the pump. 

 

I made a short video to illustrate what I am talking about. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AV3cLStENsYGxS6KOwLWhHj96stQLdQr/view?usp=sharing

I have a couple of questions. 

Does this appear to be the original pump? 

Am I looking at a rebuild of the pump? 
What are the best places to order a rebuild kit? 

I have checked a couple of online sources and found rebuild kits for about $90 and complete rebuilt pumps for about $230. 

What is wise? To buy a rebuilt pump or do the rebuild myself? I am fairly confident that I will be able to rebuild it myself, it does not look incredibly complicated. In the past I have rebuilt a couple of carburettors (Rochester Quadrajet, Carter AFB and SU) and that was not overly complicated. 

Any help is greatly appreaciated. 

Julien Abrahams, 
Maastricht, The Netherlands. 

[Aaron65]

Hey Julien,

I have a '53 Special with a similar but not identical pump. I've always had better luck buying a rebuild from one of the Buick vendors. The pumps are not complicated but I've always found the oil seals to be a little finicky, especially considering I only have one apart once in a while and forget the little tricks. Lots of people have rebuilt them with success, however, so there is no wrong answer here (aside from not doing anything, because that pump is shot). Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

 

Aaron 

[Pete Phillips]

Seconding Aaron's comments. You definitely need to rebuild it and replace the diaphragm. It will probably be quicker to rebuild it yourself than to send it off and wait and wait. But don't attempt it unless you are really mechanically inclined. The springs and little arms and hooks can be tricky to get right. Be careful taking it apart so the internal parts don't go flying off!

I also have a 1951 Buick Special, 4-dr. sedan with 48,000 miles, mostly original and I love it.

Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

Leonard, Texas

[Julien Abrahams]

Thanks for the replies.

I do have the shop manual, and it does not look very complicated. The only thing that I need to figure out is how to get the arms that hold the diaphragms out. The manual says to grind off the outer edge and removal of the pin that holds the little rod to which the arms hook onto. I will do some research on that. If anyone has tips, please let me know. 
Anyone have tips on where to best buy the rebuild kit? 

Thanks in advance. 

[Aaron65]

I wouldn't remove that unless you can detect play in the arms themselves. If you don't get the rod installed and peened down correctly, it can leak oil. 

Edited Wednesday at 10:25 AM by Aaron65 (see edit history)

[JohnD1956]

Isn't there just one arm? And Isn't everything replaceable located under the two end caps? I'd leave the arm in place. And I would look at the manual to see if there is a picture of the arm against the lobe of the camshaft. I am not certain but that lobe is usually attached to the front of the camshaft and will be in the "lift" position once for each camshaft rotation. I say this with reference to the various V8s I've worked on and assume that is the same for the straight eight.  But if at all possible I would want to rotate the engine so that lobe is not in the lift position, as that will make installation easier. 

Also, I vaguely remember a critical measurement associated with the installation of one side of the pump. Can't recall if it's the vacuum or the fuel side. This was from the one time I did this back in the late 80s. I am not certain if that is a valid concern or just someone's advice in trying to sell me a rebuilt unit. 

Good luck

[Century Eight]

I have used Terrill Machine of DeLeon TX to rebuild my pumps and have been very pleased with their service.  I also learned along the way that some of the parts houses that offer rebuilding services just forward what you send them to Terrill Machine to have the work done.  The last time I needed one done, it seemed like about two weeks and then the pump came back.  

 

I will use them again soon on another car’s pump. They advertise in Hemmings etc. but if you need the number, I can find iit.

[Lee H]

I just used them for rebuilding my ‘62’s vacuum advance. Good people.

Terrill Machine
DeLeon Tx.
254 893-2610

Edited Wednesday at 01:47 PM by Lee H (see edit history)