Another newbie question. Is there any value in keeping the gas pump, pump?
I want to say no, but looking for insight.

Yes.

Depends on the Collector... Some Collectors consider a Pump, incomplete without the "Pumping Mechanicals" inside...

Other Collectors, don't care. Some to the point; that the first thing they do is remove the pump motor and plumbing. And either throw them away or use the motor for some other use such as with a grinder or ?????

Unless it is a super rare pump go ahead and gut it and ale the guts to the scrap yard. It will lighten the pump a bunch and it will get rid of the gas that is left inside it. That stuff is nasty and smelly and they do have a tendency to leak as well. I have never had anyone not buy a pump because it was gutted but I have had some that would not buy if it wasn't as they did not want to deal with it. If it is a visible pump you need to leave it in.

All good points. Owners/buyers preference.

What I do is gut the pump unless it's a rare pump...then I keep everything just in case I ever want to put it back in or in the rare case(which hasn't happened yet) I want to sell one the buyer can have all the original parts.

Same here, gut them unless there a super rare pump. Chris

Gutting them does not hurt the value. There are some collectors that will not buy them unless they have the guts but there are less of them than the collectors that will buy them without.

I like mine without because they are easier to move around. I do move them around too fit in new purchases are just to change things around. I also use a lot of my gas pumps for storage. Some of them have shelves added and some are just a big open space. Right now about 20 of my pumps have something stored in them.

The tide has been turning on a gas pumps inner workings for awhile now,and many who removed a pumps guts decades ago and threw them away,don't want to admit their error now.
Too many of these have been harvested out due to owners short sightedness,or an excuse of a sore back,and it's really a shame.
I sure wouldn't limit gut removal to a super rare pump vs.a more common pump,as who's to say what's super rare & what isn't,as what's common today,will surely grow more rare over time.
Once they're gone,they're gone and they can never be found again for this very reason.If you don't want em in the pump itself,at least remove em & keep them near the pump for the next owner who will most likely want them,but in all honesty,they're more attractive if left in,than lying in a box somewhere.
And why not just use your pump to store them in,then in a box?
Very rarely is their a considerable amount of gasoline left in there,but if there is,just open the intake and drain off the residual,then button it all up.
You can use oven cleaner or the like to easily remove any varnish buildup on the piping inside,motor,etc.
As well as this attention to detail with leaving a pumps guts in,makes em more attractive & stand out from the gutless others.
Plus,if you're keeping it outside year round,it's a great deterrent against thieves to walk off with.
Don't make future generations have to guess about what a gas pump once looked like with all of its parts intact.

.

Sorry, but I agree totally with cold pizza. Peter

I'm in the middle of a pump rust-o-ation for a friend as a surprise for her husband and she wants the internals just cleaned up and complete. Times are a changing.

This debate goes on and on....I'm sorry but I will never be convinced that guts will ever make a pump more valuable. We collect pumps because of External beauty of the cabinet. They are pieces of artwork.

I've been in this hobby for over 23 years now. I've never once had a fellow collector or a car geek or anyone say "man open that thing up and let's see those guts!"

To each his own.....I say gut 'em all!

I have no reason to say yes or no on this subject because I have about an equal number of gutted electric pumps as I do pumps with all the internal parts but the older I get and the longer I've been collecting the more I value my complete and original pumps with the internal parts intact. Its not that everyone wants to see the insides , a few might but again its more about being complete and original inside and out . If I had it all to do over again I would have left all the parts inside the gutted pumps . This is just my opinion so don't take it personal anyone. Peter

Cant agree more... gut IMO.

Well I will weigh in on this again. We all know it's been covered over and over here, but I agree with Rick (Cold Pizza). If the guts are in the pump, I just leave them. And it's not hard at all to clean all the gas out. This is what I did with one of my latest restorations. I think it looks very cool with the guts....

-Steve

Moving a 40's-50's pump around with the guts in them is just real fun and makes a great smell in the house. Restoring the pump for in the house, most would remove pump. Visible or 30's pumps yes probably keep the guts in for sure or at least put them on the shelf with pictures if clockface. Way too heavy though with a double and the guts in them.

I wanted to add my opinion, but Craig just did.

Jack Sim