Technical Model A 4-Cyl. + Electric Fuel Pump issues

Not to put the kibosch of regulators but the old Cagle circular style would be proper in this application instead of a Holley, AeroSpace Industries, Edelbrock, etc. It was made to adjust 4 psi to less than 2 psi for increased fuel mileage.

 

I read about those Cagles, people claim the rubber inside dissolves and turns to goo, causing all sorts of other issues. The nostalgia look is spot on however! The Malpassi looks the best IMO but they are next to impossible to get in the states, due to being a European MFG. I found one on Amazon of all places for $140 - so if the Facet / No Reg. route doesn't fit the bill, I may have to splurge on that Malpassi glass bowl/filter style regulator.

 

Actually GZ some pre war hot rods, hop ups and gow jobs DID use electric pumps , including Auto pulse (now Walbro) and Stewart Warner , they were affordable ,reliable , and were listed in quite a few speed catalogs. There is a HAMB thread about them.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/pre-war-electric-fuel-pumps.1140623/

 

Most sprint cars and hot rods from the 1930s use hand pressure pumps. A lot of cars from the 1920s and early 1930s use vacuum tanks. I am using vacuum tanks or hand pressure pumps on my cars. I do not own any cars with an electric fuel pump. I drive my cars in all conditions- 100 degrees, up hill, down hill, at speed and in traffic. Reliable, simple and you can fix them on the road if you need to. Hard to fix electrical stuff on the side of the road. Gearheads fix things and non gear heads replace things. When in doubt, K.I.S.S. always applies.

Just did a 100 mile speedster endurance run in the 1915 Model T Ford-Rajo Speedster with an updraft, barrel valve Winfield carburetor. All I had for fuel delivery was this simple, 100+ year old primitive, old brass hand pump. The outside temps were in the upper 90s all day and I ran the car at 50+ mph and very hard.

Vapor lock? No.
Hot start/Cold start issues? No.
Fuel flooding, spark plug fouling? No.
Fuel starvation? No.
Fuel delivery problems? No.
Time on the side of the road? 0.00 minutes.

Some of the speedsters had electric fuel pumps and their results were significantly different. They were a blur when I passed them by.....
At the end of the run, a few people asked about what kind of electric fuel pump I was running.
K.I.S.S.

 

Someone early on in this thread suggested a Ford Model B Zenith carb, with appropriate modification to the intake manifold.

The Marvel you currently have was sold through such quality parts suppliers as J. C. Whitney, and Warshawski AS A THROW-A-WAY unit to customers too frugal to purchase a repair kit for the the original carburetor.

To my knowledge, no parts are currently available. (Even when new, I have no record of Marvel offering a rebuilding kit).

Getting the engine running is one thing, but as a goal (assuming you wish to retain the single updraft), a Zenith from a Ford Model B would be a huge upgrade.

Jon.

 

SO now you are beating your chest because you drove 100 miles without a fuel pump, and you are a gearhead and I am not because you are somehow judging me as someone who just replaces parts.

Were those compression fittings on your hand pump, and the RAJO head available in 1915 ? No Do I care ? No! Who am I to judge? I have only been in the fuel systems business for 45 years.
Actually IMHO Gravity beats both of the pumps you quote, hands down, for simplicity and reliability, but that is already out of the equation for Mathew...
So how does any of that help Mathew with his problem.
I was not trying to tell him how to build his car , but to suggest some solutions which I know will work with the other parts he already has. Including replacing the carb he has with the B Zenith and the regulator he has with a period correct part which is still available new , both of which can be rebuilt and will be reliable.

 

Some good news! Got the 1-2 psi Facet pump installed, and the car runs and drives now! Still need to fine tune something with the timing or carb perhaps as she’s got a little pop going on. But I’m thrilled, thank you all for such wonderful advice and spending time to outline some solutions for me.