For my present 40 Ford Pickup project, the engine I am using requires an electric fuel pump. Bought the 7 psi 12-801-1 Holley but the instructions say it will not suck fuel but it must flow to it. The 40 tank pulls fuel from the top of the tank. Has anyone used a 40 tank with the Holley pump? Is there a decent electric pump that will pull fuel? Or do I modify the 40 tank? It is brand new, never had fuel in it ..... Your thoughts ....
Being a new tank, modifying to pull from the bottom would be the best. Another option would be an in tank pump.
A timely question for me, as I've started on mine. Have to run electric pump also. Maybe Bandit Billy mentioned it in his build thread? I'll check.
As long as the pump is below the fuel level in the tank it will be fine. Syphon effect will keep the fuel running from the tank to the pump. If you draw from a bottom of the tank outlet, every spec of trash that gets in the tank will go straight to that outlet. The sock on the sending unit rarely ever sits on the very bottom for that reason. Those pumps are designed to push fuel, not pull it.
To add to what Greybeard360 posted, if the pump is mounted close to the tank and not much higher than the tank it will pull from the top without a problem, I've been running a Holley "Blue" 14 psi pump mounted just forward of the stock tank and mounted about level with the 1/2 full line on an OT '72 Nova for years, and with plenty of 11 second drag strip use too. Drawing out of the stock 3/8" top mounted sending unit. The instructions stating it won't pull is to prevent guys from mounting it on the frame half way to the engine, or mounting it in the engine compartment and expecting it to draw from a rear mounted tank....if it even does it won't do it well in those instances....vapor lock, high rpm lean-out, etc. They will pull a short distance, but are intended to pull. Most guys using them for serious drag use mount it behind the tank and low so G-force will force feed the pump, typically out of a low rear mounted tank sump outlet.
If the engine requires a lot of fuel, then you can add your own pickup tube to the tank. You can use a bulkhead fitting, going through a new hole at the front of the tank, near the bottom. put a tube inside the tank, going towards the rear, with the end as low as it can be. Having it draw from the top is probably safer from the point of view that it's less likely to get a leak that that will let the tank drain out, creating a massive fire hazard. I think that's why most OEM tanks got a top pick up location, starting in the 1930s or so. I've set up a couple of OEM tanks for high powered street cars this way, it works pretty well. There is risk, of course...although all old hot rods have more risk associated with them, than modern cars. If the engine is relatively mild, and the pickup tube is sufficiently sized for the fuel needs of the engine, then using the top pickup, with the Holley pump mounted as low and far back as you can reasonably get it it, will probably work fine.
This is all great info gents - I think I will install it with the stock pull from the top ... Now, Greybeard when you say “As long as the pump is below the fuel level in the tank it will be fine.” are we talking the inlet and outlet of the pump should be below the bottom of the tank? Eric - your info is very helpful and puts my mind at ease. This truck is for my wife to drive and I am trying to cover all the bases ...... hotroda - I didn’t know bandit billy had a 40 build thread - I will look for it as he has been following my build thread ..... saltflats - thanks much for responding ...... Squirrel - thank you for your response..... Thanks all - I really appreciate your responses!
The Holley pump is designed to have the "business end", with the inlet and outlet fittings, mounted at the bottom, and the motor end sticks up. You don't need to have the inlet below the bottom of the tank, just get it as low as you reasonably can.
Tom T, when I built my "A" hiboy roadster on a Deuce frame, I put the tank in the trunk rather than keeping it under the cowl. Research on new aftermarket tanks revealed a regulation from the Feds that requires tanks have all connections on the highest point of the tank nowadays. So I wound up with a "Tanks, Inc." that has the filler neck, the fuel level gauge mounting flange and opening, the bung for the vent, with a rollover check ball, and another bung for the outlet all on the top. The outlet bung has an internal tube in the ID that extends down to near the bottom of a small sump in the bottom. All this is the way it came from the manufacturer, except for the rollover valve The Carter elec. pump is under the trunk floor, with a cylindrical filter with internal screen cylinder meant for racing use on 85% Ethanol between the tank and the pump, followed by a Fram HP2 filter that uses a pleated paper cartridge, then on to the pressure regulator and the 2 Edel 4bbl carbs. For initial fill or afterwards for restoring the siphon action, all it takes is a length of hose and a rag, plus a little lung power to get the fuel "over the hump" and all is well.
Tom, Here's the link to Billy's build. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...i-41-shop-truck.1112750/page-17#post-13638017 Bill
Tom, here's Billy's build thread. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/yeah-its-got-a-hemi-41-shop-truck.1112750/ Bill
Buy a Walbro FRB-13 it will dry lift 48" [6-8 psi] USA made and US Coastguard approved https://www.walbro.com/fr-series-fuel-pumps/frb-13-reciprocating-fuel-pump/ https://www.summitracing.com/parts/vpn-frb13-2
I have put them on the firewall and they pulled fuel to the front just fine. Probably wouldn’t last as long though, harder to pull fuel than push it.
I have one of these Holley Mighty-Mite fuel pumps on the motor home and it will suck fuel about 25 ft. from the rear tank without priming it, no problem... https://www.holley.com/products/fue...s/carbureted_electric_fuel_pumps/parts/12-427
The Holley in-tank pump assembles like the Walbro pump form tanks inc (in my roadster), the pump is submerged at the bottom of the tank thus it does not pull fuel it pushes it. The sock attaches directly to the pump intake. I am a little fastidious when it comes to the appearance of the under car area so I am not a fan of frame mounted pumps plus they seem to run cooler and quieter when submersed in the tank.
Thank you, again, one and all - I am going to run the Holley and see how things go. The in-tank option would be my next choice I think but time will tell.....
A quick question of electric pumps. My old frame mounted pump would run and shut off when, I assume, it had sufficient fuel and pressure. My new replacement pump runs continuously. Can that be a problem?
It depends what type of pump it is. The type that shuts off is usually a pulse type pump, it builds up pressure, and no need to pump any more. The motor driven vane type pumps generally run continuously, and have a pressure regulator to bypass the high side to the low side when it gets caught up.
That’s a version of the Purolator pump. I have one on my car, it’s labeled MrGasket. I’ve ran both those and the cube type both. Them are quieter than the vane style. I had a Holley blue pump one time, you could hear it over the straight pipes!
The Jalopy Journal
