Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion ECO Tireflator question

I am new to the hobby and to this forum. I plan to purchase and restore either an ECO 97 or 98 as I try to give my garage a vintage gas station theme. I have looked through past posts on this site and have got alot of good information. I also placed an order for Jack Sim's Air Meter book and hope it will be a wealth of information as well.

I would like some advise on purchasing an ECO. I have been searching locally without much luck so looks like I'll have to rely on ebay and craigs list. Assuming one would do all the work him/herself, is it better to start with a core in rough condition at a lower price, one in pretty good shape and functioning or something in between? I'm really confused at recent ebay auctions where ECOs in really rough shape brought nearly as much money as those that had been restored or were functional. Any advise on how to locate and purchase a rebuildable ECO would be appreciated. Any advise or tips in general are welcome.

I live in Maryland and plan on attending Mason-Dixon Gas show in Frederick, MD in March. Maybe I'll have some luck there.

Curtis

Curtis,

Check out the "For Sale, Trade" forum on this site. I just posted this about an hour ago.

If you are planning on having a restored ECO as I show on these pages of my website: http://www.petrolianacollectibles.com/restored%20ecos.htm
it would be cheaper than doing it yourself. All the reasons are explained there.

If you purchase one elsewhere, remember that ECO is our speciality, and we have the largest stock of ECO parts in the country (possibly the world).

Jack Sim

For a 1st, buy a complete unit. Don't buy parts unit till you know what is missing & IF those parts are available. Same w/ pumps.

This is what you get for $450.00. The sheet metal either needs to be replaced or you will need a lot of body filler, plus it will not powder coat.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360234421276&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Jack Sim

Dick, that's kind of what I was leaning toward. I can spray automotive paint pretty well and Jack's chrome kits look really nice , so I'm not as worried about cosmetics as I am functionality of the air meter. Thanks for the suggestion.

Jack, thanks for the posts. The ebay link you posted was a unit in very poor shape with broken parts and brought $455. This auction was for a nice looking functional unit and only brought $475. Looks like it should be more than a $20 difference. Why do these works in progress bring such big numbers?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ECO-AIR-METER-ANTIQU...=item335a16167d

I'm looking forward to getting your air meter book. I ordered it and the gas pump book on 2/12 (curtman004@yahoo.com).

Does the book tell how to figure out manufacture date from info on the tag? There are a few I was trying to see how old they were.

Model 93 .... Serial# 6Z4150
Model 97 .... Serial# 4W10589
Model 98 .... Serial# 3H1866

thanks for the suggestions

Key word spamming & multiple pictures has a lot to do w/ what something sells for on ebay, & sometimes it's a "I gotta have it bidder" that was just out bid on a better unit.

If you remain patient, watch ebay and hit a couple shows you will find a nice unrestored unit that you can easily restore in the 450 - 500 dollar range.

If you substract the cost of the new parts that I am including with the meter I have for sale, the cost of the meter comes out at around $550.00. And look at the condition.

Jack

I have several restored with new chrome, etc in perfect condition in various colors for 1600 each. If you are interested you can email me at richburris@ctc.net Be careful buying one that is missing internal parts or is locked up. The internals are quite expensive to repair.

Curtis, Don't know where in MD. you are but we are in Severn? Near Glen Burnie.. Check out our site...www.severngaspumps.com We restore these and currently have a couple unrestored in stock.....I think three?...but with the weather, haven't been to the barn lately. Regards,Paul

I bought a junker mod 98 and restored it myself for only slightly less than the one Jack advertises. Unless you just want the satisfaction of doing it yourself, buying one from Jack is a nice option.

And Jack didn't encourage me to say that.

Paul,

I live on the eastern shore near Easton. I spoke with you on the phone a few weeks back. I do plan on stopping by to see what you have, but this crazy weather we had threw my off my schedule. I will try to get with you in the next week or so. Thanks.

Wayne,

Yes, it seems Jack offers a pretty good deal when you consider the expense involved in restoring a unit. The core costs run so high even for something that looks like nearly every cosmetic part needs to be replaced. I do think I'd like something to tinker with myself though. Thanks for the suggestion.

Curtis

Hi Curtis, Yes I remember our conversation. Nice to find you here. I just picked up a decent pump in St Micheals a week ago. You can find it on the site under Currently Available and For Sale. Might be of interest to you? Paul

The Bennett 646? I was checking that out on your site. I would like to get over and take a look. I saw a couple of old pumps at a house about 10 minutes from where I live (spotted the globes on the pumps when I rode by). Not too sure about rolling up to someone's front door to pester them about something without a for sale sign on it though. I'll give you a call later in the week to see what your schedule looks like. Thanks.

Curtis, Yes, the Bennett is a really nice original. Everything is there including the pumping mech. As for the pumps you ran across, I've personally stopped and knocked on doors. Sometimes you get lucky. Sometimes not! At least you meet interesting people that way?