Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Questions on disassembly of my visible pump

Hi guys,
I just bought my first gas pump and am beginning the restoration process. I have a question regarding how to disassemble the cylinder. My pump has a cracked glass so I don't have to worry about breaking it but I don't want to make it worse either. The cylinder rods are pretty much completely rusted to the cast iron top of the cylinder (see pic). So I'm wondering, is there any harm in just cutting all the rods in the middle so that I can get the pump apart to clean the parts and replace the cylinder? If I can get it apart I can probably get the old rods out of each end of the cylinder assuming I heat and quench them right? I'd like to hear your expert opinions on this since this is my first pump restore.

thanks,
BrianH

I am no expert on cylinder removal but even in my brief time I have see the same question multiple times. You can use the Google search bar to answer this and most questions about Old Gas. Here is one thread on your question,
www.oldgas.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=299205&page=all

Hope this helps

Hi Gasman,
My question wasn't really about how to get the cylinder glass out, though I'll have to get to that as part of the disassembly. My question is more about how people deal with cylinder rods that are as rusty as mine are on the top section of the cylinder. I assume that these rods screw into the base, then pass through holes in the top of the cylinder and are secured with nuts on the top of the cylinder right? If that's the case, then I could cut the rods and push the upper sections out through the top piece of the cylinder (with a little coaxing with a torch). Then, I'd have to heat and cool the rods where they screw into the bottom section to break the rust loose and get them to unscrew from the lower section. That's my working theory but I was hoping someone with more experience restoring visibles could check my thinking here.

Thanks,
BrianH

Brian:
Your thinking is spot on except you can keep the cast iron red hot and work easy with the rods where they screw in and remove them with vice grips or a stud remover if you happen to own one. Just don't melt the cast iron. Red hot is OK...

Dale,
Thanks for confirming my theory on the best approach to tackling the cylinder disassembly. I think I'll finish repairing the angle iron supports and get the pump in a vertical position before I start cutting the rods though. otherwise the sideways pressure on the glass will likely shatter it.

I was also thinking I might try using some bar clamps and gentle pressure to put a slight squeeze on the top and bottom of the cylinder while I cut the rods. Then I could back off the pressure on the bar clamps little by little over a week or so to gradually release the tension on the glass cylinder. We'll see how it goes.

Thanks,

BrianH

That should work. Good luck...