Do you also wear a belt and suspenders? An electric pump needs an oil pressure sensing relay to shut it off in case of an engine stall, or a very good fire insurance policy. Jerry
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Jim, generally the OEM mechanical fuel pump is all you need. Are you running a Stovebolt 6 engine? If so you don't need an additional fuel pump. If not what engine are you running? Another question is why do you think you need an electric fuel pump? Is your fuel tank in another location?
Hate to answer a question with a question but more info is needed to provide a good answer.
One reason someone might want an electric pump is the truck sits for long periods or you often run out of gas. An in-line electric pump would help with a quick restart. If that’s the case a hidden momentary push button would be a good idea and only run the pump long enough to fill the carb again, then start. Many but not all electric pumps flow straight through even not running.
In my experience the original mechanical pump is less trouble in the long run than using an electric pump exclusively.
Hi Jim, For what it is worth, I've run nothing but a low volume/low pressure electric pump for around 20 years and it works just fine. The mechanical pumps you get today are junk. If you're putting an electric to run so that you can start easier, please follow Grigg's advice with the push button. If you want to use an electric pump and have a safety kill switch, I've heard of people running the wiring through an oil pressure sender. The idea there is when the engine is dead the pump will stop as soon as the sender sees no more oil pressure. Personally I have never done this and I don't really worry about it. One other thing...electric pumps are made to be pushers and not pullers, so you want it mounted close to the fuel tank. All of the ones you'll be buying for a 235 are anyhow. Here is one I've had good luck with and it isn't costly: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...sin_title_o04__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It puts out about 2.5 pounds of pressure and that is fine. If a fuel pump is making your carburetor leak, you have one of two things and maybe both: a pump which is too strong or a carb with a bad float/needle/seat. Or as I said, you could have both. If you're running a pump with 10 psi, you really do not need that much.
~ Jon 1952 1/2 ton with 1959 235 | T5 with 3.07 rear end
if I let it stand to long, it's difficult to get enough gas up the carb ... two b halley. 235 engine. Runs great just difficult to start at show etc.... I'm looking for the how to ….for the installation.....
Jim, please excuse all the negative nellies. Your problem is common and more than one on this site has used an electric pump to help the situation. If your really set on doing this then remember the good points given above. Mount close to the tank so it pushes more than pulls and use a temporary push button just to prime for starting. If your plan is to remove the mechanical pump then use a safety pressure cutoff switch. It’s not hard to drill a couple of holes and run a wire or two. You got this.ðŸ›
Martin '62 Chevy C-10 Stepside Shortbed (Restomod in progress) '47 Chevy 3100 5 Window (long term project) ‘65 Chevy Biscayne (Emily) ‘39 Dodge Business Coupe (Clarence) “I fought the law and the law won" now I are a retired one! Support those brave men/women who stand the "Thin Blue Line"! Hug a cop! USAF 1965-1969 Weather Observation Tech (I got paid to look at the clouds)
As Martin says try to ignore the negative comment. My Stovebolt is a restored '36 Chevy pickup and it's driven only every couple of weeks, sometimes less when bad weather makes a trip to the park for a picnic unappealing. Because the gas evaporates quickly out of the carburetor a lot of cranking is required to fill the float bowl so the engine will start. I'm really interested in knowing the details of your installation and how it worked out for you.
My dad installed an electric on his 40 Chevy coupe as Grigg mentioned for this exact reason. Momentary switch to fill the carb back up as his sites for a few weeks at a time without starting.It really saves a lot of cranking!
In actual use the electric pump inline not running won't be an issue. Use the kind of pump that shuffles back and forth inside, not a gear or other positive displacement pump. Theoretically it would be some restriction because of the check valves and stuff in the pump compared to a clean straight piece of metal fuel line it replaced.. don't worry about it.
Theoretical Devil's advocate reporting for duty. If the OP has the original tank behind the seat with the outlet at the bottom of the tank, he pretty much has a gravity feed gas tank when the tank is full. With a -a clean tank with no debris in the bottom of the tank, -fully functional fuel pump, -no leaks nor obstructions in the fuel lines, -clean fuel filter. -fully charged battery, -fully functional starter motor, -good clean wires of the proper gauge, -and fully functional carburetor, an additional electric pump is not needed.
I recommend checking all of these items before buying an electric pump, even though the pump will likely "solve" your problem with starting. I am guessing that you have an issue with one of the items mentioned above. BTW, what is a "two b halley"?
Or, everything written above can be ignored.
Respectfully, Nellie
1952 5-window - return to "as built" condition | 1950 3100 with a 235 and a T-5 transmission
I keep a small pointy tip squirt bottle full of gas, and just squirt some down the vent of the carburetor (not the throat) It is probably 1/2 pint, and works for 5-6 starts. I like to check the engine before I start it any way. Sure is easy
One reason someone might want an electric pump is the truck sits for long periods or you often run out of gas. An in-line electric pump would help with a quick restart. If that’s the case a hidden momentary push button would be a good idea and only run the pump long enough to fill the carb again, then start. Many but not all electric pumps flow straight through even not running.
Exactly. I'm thinking about doing this with my '53. When it sits for a few days it takes a bit of cranking to get the bowl filled. A couple of seconds on a momentary switch saves a lot of starter cranking. For the OP there's good reading here on that very subject.
Last edited by Tiny; 02/09/20191:43 AM.
Save a life, adopt a senior shelter pet. The three main causes of blindness: Cataracts, Politics, Religion. Name your dog Naked so you can walk Naked in the park.
I have electric "priming" pumps on everything and also the factory mechanical pump. Some air cleaners are difficult to remove or full of oil waiting to be spilled so I flip the electric pump on till it changes sound when the needle hits the seat, turn pump off, choke if cold, pump twice and hit starter. Fires in no more than three revolutions. Really nice on equipment like fork lift, riding mower, air compressor with Wisconsin V4, and cars/trucks that are used sporadically. My John Deere diesel powered sand blasting compressor has an electric pump to push fuel to the injector pump which may have been installed by the previous owner. The best electric pumps I have found are the ones used on LUV pickups and the worst are ebay bargain pumps.
If the tank is behind the seat, there is no gravity feed the carb if the fuel level is below the carb intake port, which I would bet is 99.9% of the time! The small pulse pumps do not hinder fuel flow when turned off, they are mostly used for priming as already stated. Just plumb into the lowest point of the fuel line and wire with a push button.
The military used electric pumps on their 270’s and 302’s. Military blocks were cast with the mechanical fuel pump opening closed as part of the block casting and used in service.
If the tank is behind the seat, there is no gravity feed the carb if the fuel level is below the carb intake port, which I would bet is 99.9% of the time! The small pulse pumps do not hinder fuel flow when turned off, they are mostly used for priming as already stated. Just plumb into the lowest point of the fuel line and wire with a push button.
Joe
OK, so I took a little liberty with the "gravity feed" comment, but just how many inches is the carburetor bowl above the level of fuel with a full tank? The point is, the stock fuel pump does not have to work very hard to pull fuel from the behind-the-seat tank to fill the tiny carburetor bowl. If one chooses to add an electric pump to their system to address a fault in the fuel delivery system or less than adequate starting system, or as a preventative for such issues which may show up in the future, that is their prerogative. Why would I argue against that? I would not, after all I converted one of mine to 12 volts just for the way that it turns the engine over twice as fast. I am simply suggesting that it would be a good idea to investigate why a truck does not perform as originally designed. Carl
1952 5-window - return to "as built" condition | 1950 3100 with a 235 and a T-5 transmission
