Post-War Other Brosky, can you rebuild the TRF Italian fuel pump?

[TR6BILL]

I have a new Italian fuel pump in my car from TRF, replacing the <span style="font-weight: bold">other</span> Italian fuel pump from TRF. I took the first one apart and found that the screen inside was made of nylon and had collapsed completely inside the housing. Assuming I get the good rebuild kit that you talk about, the two valves inside are held down by 6 little indents in the aluminum holding them in. I can surgically cut these back (remember what I do for a living...mouth mechanic) these little dent ledges enough to pop the valves out. When the new ones go in (assuming they do), seems I will have to lay in some new "dent tabs" to hold them in. Correct? What say you? Also thinking of replacing the 6 outer bolts with hex head bolts for ease of insertion. The Italians bent the heads pretty good inserting them at the factory. They may have farmed these out to somewhere in the Far East.

 

[TR3driver]

When the new ones go in (assuming they do), seems I will have to lay in some new "dent tabs" to hold them in. Correct? What say you?

That is the 'standard' method. I have two alternatives to offer:

1) Leave the old valves alone. They almost never cause problems or wear out.

2) Drill & tap the pump to accept a retainer for the valves, as the better pumps have. ISTR the TR3 rebuild kit I got from TRF had a new retainer in it, but if your TR6 kit doesn't then you will need to fabricate something or find another pump to rob one from.

 

[poolboy]

Bill, did your filter screen look something like this ?

 

[Brosky]

Re: Brosky, can you rebuild the TRF Italian fuel p

Bill,

Sorry that I'm late in getting back to you. I was busy at the house project all day.

I have rebuilt many of these by first grinding out the "indents or stake overs" with an end mill on my Dremel. Then I stake the new ones in place.

I did come across one pump, that has a retainer in it as Randall states above and that is clearly a good alternative to the staking.

As far as the new kits go, they are designed from the ground up to be compatible with the new fuels, so the diaphragms as well as the valves are made from aircraft grade material to resist the problems that have been seen on some of the "red" kits. I don't know where they came from, but I saw one diaphragm on another forum and it looked like it had been stretched with a heat gun.

Not to debate Randall's thoughts on the valves wearing out, if I were getting a new kit, I would put everything new in that I could at that time, just in case.

And I just checked one of the kits that is still sitting on my bench and the screens are a brass mesh material, rather than nylon. I have yet to build any of these due to other priorities taking over, but some day soon............

Pictures of the new kit contents are below:

 

[TR6BILL]

Bill, did your filter screen look something like this ?

Ken, <span style="font-weight: bold">exactly</span> like that. Whew!

 

[poolboy]

Darn :madder: shame, people selling us stuff like that. I discovered it just because I wanted to check for debris that might have been caught on the screen.

 

[TR6BILL]

Thanks, TRF.

 

[TR6BILL]

So, everyone with the Italian TR6 fuel pump from TRF (and possibly other vendors) might want to check their screens.

 

[Brosky]

TRF????

I thought that was a UFO!!!

 

[poolboy]

Ha! Bill would know better than I but it also looks like one of those things that fit in the roof of your mouth to hold a couple of false teeth.

 

[DrEntropy]

"May contain as much as 10% ethanol" is the problem. TRF had nothin' to do with it, IMO.

 

[billspit]

Great. I need a new fuel pump for my Spitfire. Now where do I turn?

 

[Brosky]

Re: Brosky, can you rebuild the TRF Italian fuel p

Call here and get a kit that will solve your problem. If you don't want to do it, they will rebuild your pump for you. All top quality work and parts.

Fuel Pump Kits from Then & Now Automotive

Be prepared to have the numbers from you pump if ordering a kit.

 

[Moseso]

"May contain as much as 10% ethanol" is the problem. TRF had nothin' to do with it, IMO.

TRF has got to sell parts for today. We don't get no more 87* leaded regular today, so we rebuild our heads and fuel systems to suit. Fuel pump kits that can't handle "may (almost surely <span style="text-decoration: underline">does</span>) contain 10% ethanol" are just <span style="text-decoration: underline">worthless</span>.

 

[DrEntropy]

I'm not arguin', Len. Just sayin' the load TRF got were likely before ethanol made th' "mainstream".

Who'd a known? It was one a them "legislated" things.

...an' that'll get me censor'd! :shocked:

 

[TR6BILL]

I called Dave at TRF to complain about the nylon screen in my Italian TRF fuel pump and before I finish my sentence, "Dave, the nylon screen on my fu.....," Dave said, "...is all curled up!" "I know, we have had tons of complaints." Dave said the screen is not available but I told him about Brosky's source and told him I would get back to him. Dave went on to say the bodies of the pumps are good and are rebuildable, which is what I plan to do. As soon as I get the new kits in. Oh, and the little valve that has a raised brass part was bent out of shape horribly. Crimey, what does it take to get good stuff anymore. I wonder if other brands have this problem....MB, VW, etc.....?

 

[swift6]

I've got a friend that owns and runs a Euro (modern) specialty shop where he primarily works on Mercedes, Volvo, VW/Porsche?Audi and Saab automobiles. He has told me that replacement parts for fairly new vehicles has been pretty hit/miss lately. He has received brand new parts that were so bad/wrong right out of the box that they never even get close to the car. So its not just something we deal with.

 

[RonMacPherson]

Used to be able to get a rebuild kit for the fuel pumps from any Delco parts house. Similar pump is(was) used extensively on American cars.


So perhaps if you take the pieces and pump into your friendly local old timer parts house you may be pleasantly surprised...