Technical Suggestions wanted for fuel system upgrade

I’m adding an electric fuel pump/system to my 59 Rancho *to supplement the perfectly serviceable mechanical pump that will remain in place. Sometimes the car sits for a week or so and the fuel evaporates from the carbs. I’d like to cut down on long crank times*. After some research here on the HAMB I learned about the oil pressure kill switch, the necessity of a regulator and a return line. I favor the Carter rotary vane pump and I’m looking for suggestions on a fuel pressure regulator with return port. Reliability is the priority because I plan on lots of road trips.

Its got the original 223 I-6, fully rebuilt balanced and blueprinted. Head milled and block decked so slightly higher compression. Dual carb Offy intake with Holley 1904 carbs, Schneider reground cam and a header. Currently has the Fordomatic 2spd but a T-5 conversion is in the works. Still a relatively low performance setup but you get the picture.

The priority here is reliability.

At this point I’m at the mercy of the drop down menus on Summit and Jegs which still leaves me scratching my head. So what say you? What components have you used on a grocery getter application and what do you recommend?

 

Why do you feel the electric pump with its ***ociated necessities is more reliable than the stock mechanical pump ?

 

I was hoping to avoid this particular rabbit hole.

 

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I did not know that carbs need a return line.
I've run an AC and a Carter Electric pump into Holley and Rochester respectively.
Just using supply line.
FWIW I enjoyed the positive feeling of getting the gas delivery.
What Nike used to say.

 

Yes, that is incompatible with "electric fuel pump". A stock fuel pump with a spare would be the most reliable.

 

Ok so return line could be overkill? I’m listening.

 

I see that the original post has just now been edited, which will affect the sense of the previous responses.

 

That’s cool because I already have a spare mechanical pump

 

Not necessarily, I added the text between the asterisks

 

What the heck? Now there are asterisks!

 

Enough

 

You don't need a return line with the Carter pump. Just use a Holley or similar fuel pressure regulator. I have cars both ways and I, too, hate the long crank times when the car sits for a while. Today's fuel just evaporates very quickly.

 

I have the stock pump which works fine, but use an electric just to "help prime" the system after setting for a long time. Works 4 me.

 

Adriatic, you have been on here a little longer than me. I have learned , I think anyway, to have a thick skin.
See the picture to the left? OT fuel system uses electric pump. NEVER FAILS!
If you intend to use the electric for "priming only" the oil pressure kill switch is not needed. Just power it through a momentary on switch.

Ben

 

Thank you for that. Yea the Carter is only 3.7psi so I can understand why a return line is overkill.

 

Thank you. Yea the long crank times really gets under my skin, especially since reading about all the camshaft failures lately.

 

Thanks, yea priming the system for quick reliable starts is really what I’m after. Having a backup system in place is pretty attractive too

 

You need to find one of these. Mechanical, with a primer. This one fits an Anglia. I use one on one of my other cars, saves a bunch of cranking after it's been sitting. I think they used something similar on old Jeeps. Mike

 

Now that’s really cool.

 

If you run an electric fuel pump to feed fuel to a mechanical fuel pump, be sure to use it as Moriarty mentioned as a priming pump that you turn off once the mechanical pump picks the fuel up. I have a friend who used both on his engine, and left the electric running all the time, and when the diaphragm went out on his mechanical pump the electric filled his crankcase with gas!
Not a good idea to run both constantly, so if you run an electric you need to just run it, and not a mechanical, or only run it to prime the lines and shut it off.

 

WOW. Learned something new.

Ben

 

A few thoughts:

(1) Quality electric pumps are as reliable as quality mechanical pumps. Have personally run 2 full time, one for about 30 years, the other for more than 50 years. The 50 year one failed at about 50 years, but only because the vehicle sat unstarted for almost 2 years in the shop for new interior. Both are Carter 7 and 1/2 pound pumps. Both run to genuine Carter carburetors without regulators.

(2) We used to sell the Carter inline Gerotor pumps when they were first introduced. Every one failed within a year. Finally cut one in two, and found the rotor was froze due to rust particles. Called Carter, and sent them the pump. Our next shipment of pumps came with an inline fuel filter on the input side of the pump! Problem solved. Carter did warranty ALL of the failures.

(3) There is an obvious relationship between the carburetor float(s), fuel valve(s), and fuel pump pressure; so obvious it is too often ignored!

(4) I mentioned running 7 1/2 pound pumps with no regulators on my Carters. Since both engines produce about 450 HP, I do NOT need fuel valves with orifices large enough to allow a pencil to go through them! I run 0.101 orifices in the AFB's and 0.111 in the OT spread-bore. In both cases, the floats and fuel valves will shut off the 7 1/2 pounds with no issues; and the higher line pressure helps to reduce heat soak, vapor lock, and other heat related issues (no clothes pins).

(5) The OP mentioned the pump in question has a rated output of 3.7 pounds. Holley specifies that the model 1904 (mentioned by the OP) will accept 4 1/2 pounds. This should not present any problem without a regulator. A return line would minimize fuel being dumped into the carburetor after engine shut-down

(6) As has been mentioned more than once in this thread, an electric pump running full time should have the input wiring on some type of a safety switch I personally prefer an oil pressure switch.

Jon

 

Adriatic…Yes, sitting for an over 2 weeks my Ford does the same thing. I would install one near the tank inline and use a toggle switch that automatically returns.
As for a pump I would look to or find a pulse type that are typically low pressure. Old JC Whitney sold these and a factory mechanical pump would **** thru them. Good luck.

 

Dupree used to make a pump that I use which is 6V for my application. I think now I will wire the pump on an on/off switch just to prime my mechanical pump. Learn something here every day.

 

On my sbc rod, I have the Chevrolet Performance mechanical pump, which I run, most of the time.
I use the Carter 4070 electric pump to prime the carb after sitting a few days, or more. I believe the Carter pump output is rated at 4 psi.
As others have said, I control the electric pump with a toggle switch. I do not have a return line.

 

If it's only used to prime, a push ****on (momentary contact) switch would be the one to use.

 

I did manage to gather all the goodies but still have not gotten around to install. Right now I’m sorting out the carburetor linkage. Thanks guys
Jimmy V