Greetings! First time post here. Always been interested in old gas signs and pumps and finally made my first pump purchase.
It is a restored Texaco Sky Chief pump and a model 39 with the globe.
I think LRA might stand for low boy or something and the serial number is 978160-12-50. It also has the no. A-795747 at the bottom.
My question is this made in Dec of 1950 and was there ever a record kept that we can access online to find out production numbers/years made on these pumps? Thanks!
Scot, Welcome to Oldgas. Good luck with your quest!
Any info u need can be found on this forum. Many smart folks hear.
This is another good place for info as well. This is jack sim's web site he wrote the two published books as well as the yet to published third edition of the gas pump guid books
http://petrolianacollectibles.com/tokheim%2039l-ra.htm
Scot
Don't assume anything, research.
Go to this page of my website (it has over 12,000 images on it) and you will find more info about a Tokheim 39 than you ever imagined: I don't sell pump parts, etc. I sell information, hopefully you might like to have a piece of original Tokheim 39 for your pump:
http://petrolianacollectibles.com/tokheim%2039%20tall.htmJack Sim
Thanks to all for the great information!!
Hi, I have 3 books on Oldgas, Look for BOB Lee gas pump books. One of them is on the Tokheim Pump Company published in 1993 these are new old stock. The Tokheim book 81/2 by 11 172 pages hard bound and full color. I was the first person to published books,I published the first one in 1978. I this book the tells the history of the company. it has specifications on all of the pump models. BOB LEE
Since nobody answered your questions I will. You are correct, your pump was born in December, 1950. The 978160 verifies this along with the 12-50.
Nothing on-line, but there is a "Blue Book." This was published by the "Gasoline Pump Mfg. Association." There are three editions, information for you pump came from the 3rd Edition.
These books were complied to encourage gas pump dealers to scrap their old pump for the war effort. The first edition covers 1927to 1941 (WWII); 2nd 1942-1947, this only covers pumps made after 1946 when the war ended; 3rd 1947-1952, (Korean War). But the big thing these editions only covers the pump companies that were in business at that time. In my two gas pump books I identified over 125 gas pump companies, my 3rd book will cover between 175 and 200 gas pump companies. Very few of these companies survived the depression and are not covered in any of the "Blue Books).
When the Tokheim company went out of business in 2002, some people in Ft. Wayne purchased all the pumps that were on exibit in the buildings. They were also able to acquire all the files indicating when a pump was made, anything special about the pump, and possibly who purchased the pump. There are thousands of these records, I have seen them. The pumps and some of the files are now at the ACD (Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg) Museum in Auburn, IN. There is hope that the Museum will display the Tokheim collection and hopefully the other two companies that made gas pumps in Ft. Wayne, Bowser and Wayne. I donated a Bowser pump for the exhibit.
Jack Sim