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I apologize if some of my questions have been answered before: I tried using the search function and wasn't having much luck.

This unit is complete except for the hose and nozzle. It has zero rust. As I understand it, it was originally in service in San Francisco. The serial number is 650793. Can anyone tell me the exact year of this unit? Is this a "desirable machine"?

I am in the process of restoring it and I am in need of parts. (It's at my body and paint guy, as we speak.) Can anyone offer advise? I will need a hose kit and nozzle. Also the Leaded Fuel metal signs. I am considering buying new clock face plates. Are the reproductions close to the originals? (One of mine is very nice, the other substantially discolored.) This pump has a block-off plate on top instead of a globe. Would that have been original? Where can I buy reproduction globes? Do these use standard incandescent bulbs? I disassembled the sight glass so the parts can be painted. I had to scrape out a material that sealed it at each end, that looked like Bondo. (?) How do I go about sealing it properly, upon reassembly. Sorry for all the questions.

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In my opinion I would not restore this pump... It looks great as it is... my 2 cents for what is worth.... Tom

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Click on "parts" on the toolbar menu at the top of this page. There are several suppliers offering reproduction globes.

Using a fluorescent/incandescent 13-15W bulb inside the globe will light it great and not burn too hot and saves energy.

They usually sell 3-5packs fairly cheap in Lowe's or Home Depot.


DOC @ THE AMERICAN GARAGE
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Tom- I am a big fan of unrestored/original items also. (I have a '68 Porsche 912 soft window Targa, 49,000 original miles, original paint and interior.... love it!)

If this was original paint, I would agree. Unfortunately, this piece has been painted five times and has runs all over it. They never sanded the previous coats and painted right over all the decals. Very sloppy. You can't see how bad it looks unless you see it in person. But the good news is that it is straight, rust-free and complete.

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Best to use the GOOGLE Search feature at bottom of this page, Select OUR SITE EXCEPT SHOP TALK,CLASSIFIEDS [from drop down menu].

Your pump is an 870-A 1933-1935. Standard issue w/ a globe ring & cap.
Check w/ your local Fuel Bulk Dealer for Hose & nozzle [never know what he just might give/ADD something to your collection!].
While your there ask if they have any Globes, signs, cans, maps, old pumps/parts or if they know of any around that might be For Sale.

MOST here will say to leave as is. BUT, IT'S your pump Do as you wish.

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Would your '68 Porsche 912 soft window Targa have looked as good if it had been sitting in same barn for the last 50-70 years? LOL

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Please leave that pump alone. It is the original paint. They used to paint them like that while they were still hooked up. You can't just make it like that again


Kyle DeKoning


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Dick- Thanks for the info re: year of manufacture and advise for parts. And my Targa was in fact in a barn/garage, albeit for only 22 years.

Kyle- It is not original paint. I am sure they didn't "originally" paint green over the original red paint and decals, then yellow on top of that, then green on top of that, then red on top of that, all while adding decals and brushing paint all over three I.D. tags, so thick that you can't read anything. Not to mention drips running down the glass. The paint was so thick and sloppy that I couldn't even open the sheet metal to access the internals. If it was original paint and scratched and beat to hell, I would leave it. Believe me (and I am more of a purist than almost anybody I know), this is not worth leaving alone. (In my humble opinion.) But I am asking for advise and I do appreciate your input.

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Welcome to OldGas.
My vote is to leave as-is. It's only original once, and this one has a lot of character that you can't duplicate. I remember painting pumps when I worked at a Standard station, while in high school; and we didn't care if they had runs, or five coats of paint. After we got the pump done, we re-painted the island to cover up the drips from the pump.
Just my two cents!!

Buddy


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WELCOME I am also fairly new to this game also. I grew up in a UNION 76 station and I still remember the painters coming up from Seattle to freshen up our station every few years. The pair would drink a 6 pack of beer on the way up and be ready for work. Everything painted with a 6 inch wide brush!! They could cut out the diamond window panes with the same brush. Coffee break -- more beer. Lunch more beer. Lots of runs, but a fresh look, new decals. My vote also---Leave it original !! Jim


Collect UNION 76 items only. Contact me if you have any interesting items for sale.
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David, that is how pumps were maintained.... A pump was in constant use, it was the "Life Blood" of the Gas Station... Especially if that station was small and had a marginal or even no service bays....

Early pumps were painted using paint brushes and whatever paint that was available.... The small Flying A station I worked at, we would take a hand-held wire brush to a pump to remove any loose rust and/or debris... And start slapping the paint on very early in the morning... We always painted the end of July through August.... The wind was down and it got HOT fast... So by 7:30 in the morning the paint was tacky and the pump was ready for business... By noon the paint was cured enough that a decal was slapped on... By 5 the paint had dried enough that door dings weren't noticeable....

Of course it is up to you.... If I owned your pump, I would add a hose and nozzle... Most likely a repop globe (I'm cheap) and enjoy the look..... But that's me....


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This is so interesting to me... in the car world, a vehicle with five coats of paint, wouldn't be considered original. But with these pumps, it is.

If my '69 Porsche had been painted sloppily 5 times before (one coat on top of the other) at Earl Schibe (sp?), would it be wrong to strip it down and do it right?

I don't ask this to be argumentative, more so I can understand if the petroliana industry is that different from the car collecting.

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Cars weren't branded with graphics, grades of gas or brands based on time periods. Brands were bought out so pumps were repainted to match that new brand. A car is made at a factory and painted originally once. Pumps were always changed? History lies in layers on that pump..


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If it were mine I would not restore it. Is it striped yet? I would trade for a pump you could restore. I am in Nor. Cal also.


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Man id strip it down and paint it porsche red with some original 911 emblems and paint the top kinda like it had a targa top itself! That would look amazing and go well with the car!

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