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GT6 Which Fuel Pump is the best for my GT6?

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Jhnybravo

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I'm new to this Forum, and I've searched but couldn't find the answer to the following two-part question:

Which Fuel Pump is best? mechanical or electrical and which brand of each is the best (for the money)?

I've looked through several catalogs and the prices range from $22 (Spitsbits) to $99(The Roadster Factory) for a mechanical fuel pump. I have NO IDEA what the differences are...Nor what "repro" actually means. I went to the local Advance Autoparts and they have a NEW fuel pump for about $45 (and it has the manual lever under it too!).
I'm not sure what the benefits are for an electrical fuel pump (I've got one on my boat and it is a PAIN at times because its hard to prime) so I haven't really looked into it that well.

Thanks to all in advance for your insight and experience!

Tony
(Jhnybravo) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif
 
Arguably, the best fuel pump probably is the original AC mechanical pump. "Repro" is a wonderfully generic and vague term, often applied to just about any object that will more or less bolt up to the original location. Quality varies widely; some replacement pumps are so cheaply made that critical bits can break or fall off INSIDE the motor...which really can't be a good thing.

And there's nothing inherently wrong (or right, for that matter) about an electric fuel pump, which can be installed in place of the original (in which case a blanking plate is used on the block) or ahead of the original and pumping through same.

Most important to keep in mind with any replacement pump -- especially electric ones -- is output pressure. Most Triumphs were set up to take around 2.5 lb/in pressure, give or take a bit. If going electric, you need to find one with that low output pressure and/or have a quality fuel pressure regulator in line with the pump.

And there are wiring and safety issues with electric pumps as well, like perhaps figuring out a way to keep them from pumping away madly if the engine stops for any reason, etc., etc.

All in all, for a STOCK Triumph, I'd say original or "quality original style" mechanical pump is best.
 
On my MkIII I used the generic pump from my local autoparts place - worked fine. That was 3 years ago, still going strong.
 
The mechanical pump on our GT6 died years ago when my father-in-law owned and raced the car. His "repairs" ended up wearing the lobe down on the cam to the point that he gave up and installed an electric pump on the bulkhead below the generator's control box. His replacement (an electric Walbro unit) dried up and failed on restart after the car sat for 10 years. I replaced it with a Carter gear-rotor pump mounted below and in front of the gas tank. That pump was NICE... until I let the fuel filter before the pump plug with scale. The Carter pump starved for fuel, quickly overheated, and died. Subsequently I have installed a Facet/Purolator 2.5-3.0 psi pump. It's been on the car for a decade and hasn't missed a beat. I have a bigger, easily inspected filter in front of the pump and I've done my best to isolate the pump from the car chassis (for noise reasons).

I like the Carter pump for it's smooth quiet operation... but it can't run dry or it'll burn up. The Facet pumps (small rectangular sheet metal brick looking ones) are probably used by most people as generic replacements but they are loud. There are also SU copies out there, both electric and mechanical but I have no experience with them.

One thing I like about an electric pump is that if your car sits for a long period of time (like my GT6), the electric pump will fill the float bowls quickly just by switching on the ignition. For me, this has made the car a little easier to start.
 
I'm with Andrew on the original fuel pump. They're reliable, mechanically simple and seem to last forever. They're also cheap and easy to find, two very good reasons to use them.

BTW, Andrew really knows his stuff on GT6s. If in doubt, do what Andy says!

Cheers, Andrew, have a great Holiday season.
 
[ QUOTE ]
...the original fuel pump. They're reliable, mechanically simple and seem to last forever...

[/ QUOTE ]

And I might add, easily rebuildable so one can last you a very long time.

I do carry a simple (cheap) electric pump modified with and alligator clip on the ground wire and a female spade connector on the hot side. Quickly connects to the coil and ground to make it ignition switched for on-the-road pump problems.
 
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