The Ford Barn - View Single Post

Flathead Fever · 07-11-2023, 01:13 PM

More parts more potential problems. Keep it simple! The original system worked okay if driven often. There is a design problem with the fuel pump being mounted high on the intake; it is harder for the pump to suck the extra air out of the line and lift the weght of the fuel up hill to prime the pump when it dries out. They do not make very good air compressors; they are designed to pump liquid. Then if you come along and alter the original engineering by installing a larger 5/16" line back to the tank for a go-fast flathead, it is even harder for the pump to purge that extra volumn air out of the line. You will notice that all later V8 engines have the fuel pump mounted very low on the side of the block. The fuel tank is in the trunk floor or along the frame rail, it is almost level with the fuel pump, this helps prime the pump. The best solution for an old car that is hard to prime after it sits awhile is an electric priming pump. Unless you want to burn up your starter cranking-and cranking. That is really hard on the starter; it overheats it. Even if the electric priming pump were to eventually fail it will fail in the open position so there is no downside to having one. After the electric pump primes the system and you switch it off you're running on the original pump that puts out the correct pressure the carburetors were designed for. Plus, I like the look of that old-timey glass bowl full of clean fuel.

I have a swimming pool sixed fishpond with a large pool pump to run a waterfall. The pump is above the ponds' water level by probably 2'. It will not prime the pump unless I close a valve on the intake side, fill the pumps' filter reservoir to the top with water. Turn it on and then slowly open the valve on the intake side. So, I tried a check valve on the intake side at the water level to prevent it from draining back when the pump was off. It just caused more problems with the pumps vacuum trying to pull the check valve open. The neighbor has a larger pond. He was cold storage refrigeration engineer (before he moved out of CA) that designed all of the refrigeration plants' plumbing. He mounted his pump lower than the water level. It self-primes, being lower than the water level, gravity feeds it like a Model A gas tank. If we lose electricity, when it comes back on his pump will prime and mine might not. That's another project I should be working on.

07-11-2023, 01:13 PM	#10
Flathead Fever Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Yucaipa, CA Posts: 1,100	Re: electic pump More parts more potential problems. Keep it simple! The original system worked okay if driven often. There is a design problem with the fuel pump being mounted high on the intake; it is harder for the pump to suck the extra air out of the line and lift the weght of the fuel up hill to prime the pump when it dries out. They do not make very good air compressors; they are designed to pump liquid. Then if you come along and alter the original engineering by installing a larger 5/16" line back to the tank for a go-fast flathead, it is even harder for the pump to purge that extra volumn air out of the line. You will notice that all later V8 engines have the fuel pump mounted very low on the side of the block. The fuel tank is in the trunk floor or along the frame rail, it is almost level with the fuel pump, this helps prime the pump. The best solution for an old car that is hard to prime after it sits awhile is an electric priming pump. Unless you want to burn up your starter cranking-and cranking. That is really hard on the starter; it overheats it. Even if the electric priming pump were to eventually fail it will fail in the open position so there is no downside to having one. After the electric pump primes the system and you switch it off you're running on the original pump that puts out the correct pressure the carburetors were designed for. Plus, I like the look of that old-timey glass bowl full of clean fuel. I have a swimming pool sixed fishpond with a large pool pump to run a waterfall. The pump is above the ponds' water level by probably 2'. It will not prime the pump unless I close a valve on the intake side, fill the pumps' filter reservoir to the top with water. Turn it on and then slowly open the valve on the intake side. So, I tried a check valve on the intake side at the water level to prevent it from draining back when the pump was off. It just caused more problems with the pumps vacuum trying to pull the check valve open. The neighbor has a larger pond. He was cold storage refrigeration engineer (before he moved out of CA) that designed all of the refrigeration plants' plumbing. He mounted his pump lower than the water level. It self-primes, being lower than the water level, gravity feeds it like a Model A gas tank. If we lose electricity, when it comes back on his pump will prime and mine might not. That's another project I should be working on.