desmondmonster

sometimes I wonder if "vapor lock" is just a catchall for "gremlins are preventing my truck from starting". I've experienced the phenomenon on my motorcycle if I've been at highway speeds, suddenly pull off and stop the bike, wait 10 mins, then try to start again. It does not want to start and I'll crank for ~30 seconds before it catches. And that has an electric fuel pump (and carbs, FWIW). back to the topic, the question remains of "if an electric pump will solve the vapor lock problem, then why keep a mechanical pump at all?". For me it still comes down to "because it's original and cool." Anyone got any other reason?

@Jeff BalazsI've wrestled with the question of "if I'm going to put in an electric pump anyway, why bother keeping the mechanical pump?" It is redundant and is an extra point of failure (although these things are pretty reliable these days). In my case I just rebuilt the mechanical pump so I am not worried about the diaphragm leaking. My electric pump delivers the correct 3-4.5 psi without a regulator. And it's not clear how necessary a primer system is if I drive the car at least every two months. So I could easily either keep the stock setup or go full-on transition. But why do both? For me the answer is emotional and aesthetic - I think it's cool. Having the original mechanical pump looks sweet with the floating glass fuel bowl and the stone filter out in the open. I don't want to lose that. Including an auxiliary electric pump gives me another switch to toggle when I start the truck (awesome) and gives me the feeling that my system is overall slightly more reliable, whether it actually is or not. If feels like an upgrade. It is also Something To Do, which is essentially why I bought this truck in the first place. From a logical point of view I can appreciate the strangeness of this endeavor. If the setup gives me problems I'll probably go with a simpler approach. For now I'm just chasing the feeling of "this will be fun."

@Los_Controlout of curiosity, why would a fuel pump fail in this situation? or fail prematurely? is it because it runs dry for a bit while it primes the system and that produces extra wear? or because it doesn't like to "pull" and the extra strain of being above the fuel intake causes additional wear?

I'm not sure if the pump has a built in check valve. online reviews say that the flow is restrictive enough that the mechanical pump can't generate full power and suggest adding a bypass line with its own check valve, so if I need to do that anyway I may as well add another check in front of the pump just to be safe. what's one more valve? thanks for the input

I think you're right that it's best to protect the pump and lines from the road by hiding them in the frame. I can get the pump pretty close to the tank itself. If the suboptimal height somehow shortens the pump life I will not lose sleep over it so long as it can do its job of priming my system. These pumps are not expensive. Thinking about it now, I may be able to put a check valve in line in front of the pump to prevent the fuel from siphoning backwards. But that sounds like a "version 2" upgrade once I actually experience a problem. Glad to hear your neighbor's setup is working fine.

Hi everyone, I'm installing an electric fuel pump to act as an auxiliary to the mechanical pump on my '51 B3B to prime the system after spells of inactivity, etc. I had planned to bolt it to the inside of the frame, but heightwise it's about midway up on my aftermarket fuel tank. I've read that you want your electric pump to be at or below the fuel intake in order to have correct siphon pressure, so I'm concerned that the frame location is not low enough to prevent backflow from the pump. Where have others mounted their electric fuel pumps? Have people run into trouble when the auxiliary pump is not low enough? thanks Desmond

ah, the Steering section of my shop manual has nothing about it but the Transmission section does...so you already have to know what it is before you go looking! Anyway, I am not sure what kind of transmission I have. I only gave the truck the briefest of test rides when I bought it because the brake system had completely failed. It's been on blocks since while I work on it. Holding in the clutch and moving the shifter into various positions feels like there are 4 stops, which would mean 3 forward and 1 reverse. Kinda hard to say since the action on the shifter is pretty wobbly. My EBrake is indeed mounted under the dash. Regardless, I think I'll just remove this thing. The linkage is long gone and I don't foresee restoring a column shifter. Even if I swap the transmission I'd prefer a floor shifter. If anyone wants it please PM me. thanks for the help ✌️

@Merle Coggins, nothing is connected to either end. No sign of a shift lever. The truck has a floor mounted stick shift which appears original - is it not??

Plymouthy, it wouldn't be the first time this truck has humbled me Horn attachment? Alternate starter control? Autopilot? Anti-Theft device? Anti-owner device??

Gentlemen, What is this rod that is attached to my steering column? The shop manual doesn't mention it at all. If I pull up on the top part it rotates the bottom piece and locks it in place, but the bottom piece doesn't connect to anything. It doesn't appear to be aftermarket as it mates well with the column itself. But I cannot figure out what it is (was) used for. I'm considering simply removing it. Any ideas?

well sure enough it was operator error. I had the outer bearing installed inside the rotor itself along with the inner bearing. taking it out and installing in the correct location let me tighten the nut and washer against the bearing and the rotor moves just fine now.

Gentlemen, I'm installing Rusty Hope's disc brake kit and having two issues with the bearing washers. I have the rotors installed and snugged up, then I slide the keyed washer in. One one side it fits into the rotor, but then seems to bind as I turn the rotor, like the rotor channel (not a mechanic, sorry, not sure what to call that space that the spindle goes through) is not round. Is the solution simply to grind down the washer so it rotates freely? Second question- on the other wheel the washer fits in nicely and the rotor turns smoothly. However, when I tighten the castle nut, it presses the washer into the rotor, which stops the rotor from spinning freely. Is this an issue with the washer fitment? Did I install it wrong? Or do I just not install the nut so tightly? I can still get the cotter pin in with the nut loose enough on the washer to allow the rotor to turn. In that case the rotor will wobble slightly if the calipers are not installed. Suggestions welcome. Thanks

@Old CWO did you put a booster on as well? not sure how/where that would fit in. any issues with the mounting screws?

thanks, i'll pick up some of the copper brake line find a proper MC/valve and report back.

@bach4660 is the proportioning valve necessary? Did you have trouble fitting the piece into the small space? Did you replace your entire brake line as well?