Have any of you figured out a way to straighten the part of the fuel pump casting bent down by over tightening the bail wire that secures the glass bowl without breaking the casting? The casting of one fuel pump I saved for internal parts is already irreparably cracked so just to see what would happen I tried bending a part of the casting cold and it broke like a piece of glass. Ferrous metals go through color changes with increasing heat so there are no surprises when heating it to form or weld it. Aluminum, however, forms an oxide when heated that has a higher melting temperature than the aluminum itself, concealing what the aluminum under the oxide is doing. The metallurgy of a fuel pump is a mystery to me so I don't know if it will become malleable when heated or what.
An option is leaving it bent and truing the inner surface that the glass bowl seats on using the milling machine and rotary table.
I've figured out a simple modification to strengthen the bail attachment area of the casting to prevent further bending. It's a barely noticeable, simple piece of aluminum flat bar bridging across the casting giving solid support to the bail attachment areas. With that piece of flat bar in place tightening the bail will not bend the casting.
If any of you amateur engineers/machinists/welders out there have any suggestions I would appreciate hearing them,
I haven't done it, but I think it was Carbking who figured out a method to straighten Rochester Carbs buy heating them in an oven with a fixture. I'll bet a similar method could be used for your fuel pump, being pot metal, just like the carbs.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truck Follow this saga in Project Journal Photos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
The fuel pump casting is a zinc alloy, probably one of the ZAMAK alloys, in particular. Similar, if not the same as what is used in the carburetors. With heat, a jig, and patience, the castings can be straightened. There are threads in the forum on straightening the warped airhorn of Rochester B/BC carbs. Same principles should apply.
While I was typing this, Kevin's post appeared. LOL.
Thank you so much for steering me towards Jon's method. That is great information. My computer skills are lousy but I'm going to see if my wife will help me make a print version of both Jon's text and photos.
400 degrees seems to be the target temperature. I wonder what the most practical way is to know the temperature inside my table top propane BBQ?
I knew, I'd seen that thread somewhere. Doug is the guy for tracking it down. And it was the other Jon that posted it.
Might be a bit hard to regulate temp inside a BBQ, but you could check temp with a digital infrared thermometer. Or you could just use your wife's oven when she's off somewhere.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truck Follow this saga in Project Journal Photos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
Not wanting to risk the aftermath of using the kitchen oven, I picked up locally a mid-sized, used Blue-M lab oven a couple years ago. Not pretty, but it works. Interior shelves are 11" x 16" and the useable height is about 16". The temperature controller isn't calibrated, but set with a simple liquid-filled thermometer (the oven has a thermometer mounting clamp and hole in the top), it holds a stable temperature, up to 200 deg C (392 deg F). Good enough for casting work, but I mostly use it at 80 deg C to bake small to mid-size painted parts. Model SW-17TA. Very simple construction, and with some luck, can be found for $25-$50 from industrial surplus sellers. Mine needed the power cord replaced.
