Technical 8BA Fuel pump Question.

I',m in the process of swapping the engine out of my 51 F1 PU.
I have the replacement 8BA installed but I'm having a problem getting a fuel pump to work.
Anyone have an idea of what the pushrod travel should be? Mine has about .200 travel.
I have the pushrod out of my orig. engine, which measures close to 7/16 down the entire shaft.
The replacement engines shaft is close to 3/8 towards the bottom and 7/16 on the top end. Someone has added about 5/16 weld on the pump end of the rod from the new engine.
The 7/16 rod will not go into the new engine far enough to contact the cam.
What to do next?
THANX RICH

 

Get a new pump rod. They're only bout $9 to $20 depending on where you get it.
Fuel pump push rod is specifically designed for the 1949-53 Ford Flathead V8 Has a.430" diameter and is a total of 10-1/16" long.
Be sure to check the bushing.
No idea what the travel should be. They used to sell shim caps for the rods. Maybe that's why the guy did the weld on the end. Just guessing.

 

I believe the travel you measured is correct. The problem tends to be vacuum leaks BEFORE the fuel pump. Make sure the flex line on the fire wall is good, as well as checking the sediment bowl gasket. I had a persistent problem with my '51 Ford. It turned out to be a defective neoprene bowl gasket with a slight leak. I trued the bowl surface on my surface plate with wet or dry paper and installed a new cork gasket, and the problem was solved.

It seems counter-intuitive, but the cork gaskets seem to seal better than the neoprene gaskets. I am a real believer in those early Ford engineers, and try to use the systems they designed. For that reason, I do not use the "band-aid" of an electric fuel pump and depend on the stock pump only. A quality pump. no air leaks, and you are good to go.

 

Hi Rich!!

Carl.

 

I ran into a problem with quite a few aftermarket rubber hoses that connects the fuel pump to the firewall hard line.
Ended up having a new line made at a hydraulic shop.
I’ve now run that hose with no problems for ten years.
I too would guess a vacuum problem.

 

Try connecting a piece of good rubber hose directly onto the pump and submerge the other end into a suitable container full of gas (mower fuel container?) nearby. This may confirm or reject an air leak issue.

 

I've already tried all of the above suggestions, except, for double checking the cork gasket on the sediment bowl.
I'll try that Monday.
Thanks for the replies.

THANX RICH

 

Put your finger over the inlet of the pump, have a friend crank the engine…..does it ****?…if yes work towards the tank….if no, remove the bolts that hold the fuel pump stand to the intake manifold and crank the engine…does the pump and stand move up and down?….it obviously should and if not why?

 

One other thing I did was to make sure that the top of the sediment bowl was smooth. I have a "surface plate" (a 12" X 12" dead flat piece of granite 3" thick) and used "wet-or-dry" sandpaper and made sure the bowl's mounting surface was in good shape.

 

Those were a couple of the first things I checked.
It don't look like I'll get to work on her today hopefully Tues.
THANX RICH