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#768179 Wed Sep 08 2021 12:46 AM
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Last Sunday afternoon, I purchased my first gas pump. I haven't named her yet -- I name all my cars so why not give this heavy machine a name? Whoever she is, this is our journey. I have some tools I inherited from my dad and little to no restoration experience. Please stick around if you enjoy a good dumpster fire.

OBJECTIVE: My girlfriend wants to use the pump as a decorative piece outside her retail shop. I hope to get away with a simple sand & paint as well as replacing all glass/rubber. I'll spray and pray using her company's colors and have a local sign guy make decals of her logo. As of now, we don't plan to illuminate the pump though doing so is undoubtedly the better idea. All internals appear to be present and I only say that because there's a lot of junk inside -- might be missing a flux capacitor or something -- but I don't plan to pump gas so who cares? Lastly, I'm treating this as a "budget build" which means I don't have the money to send it off for a proper resto and I'll be taking plenty of shortcuts (both intentional and accidental).

Thank you to all who have built this forum! May my blunders serve as guideposts for those who come after me.

DAY ONE: Drove 100 miles. Handed an antique dealer $900. Loaded it into my girlfriend's fancy rebadged Pathfinder. Drove back 100 miles fantasizing about gas pump barn finds, like the one two feet behind me USED to be. Made two horrendous picks in my fantasy football draft. Spent remainder of evening reading feel-good articles about my picks, ignored articles criticizing said picks.

DAY TWO: Got it unloaded and all fingers present. It's on a cart so I can move it around "my workshop." Found a palm sander (cheers, Dad) and sanded the doors and body with 50 grit. The first door was barely hanging on and came off with no problem. Second door wasn't interested in my advances.

DAY THREE: Began part shopping with Gas Pump Heaven. Hit a speed bump when I was told I might have a Bennett door. Joined this forum and got some answers (thanks all)! I'm convinced my pump is a Gilbarco 996. If you're new to these, here's what I learned today:

- Gilbarco 996 - Made from 1947-1953. It has either one or two horizontal chrome trim strips by the window glass - my theory is Texaco pumps used the single strip but I could be wrong. The slot for the ad glass is slightly wider than the window glass.

- Gilbarco 906 - Smaller number but was actually made AFTER the 996. Has a V-shaped emblem around the sight glass. The ad slot and window slot are the same width. These base is scalloped, another difference from the 996. Both pumps use size 10 ad glass.

- Your serial number might be on a key plate next to the nozzle slot. I say "might" because mine doesn't have a key plate. The serial number can tell you roughly when your pump was produced if you find a person in this forum that has those records.

"Are the trim pieces interchangeable?" I guess so, but I've read that the 906 uses a smaller sight glass and has a different sight glass manifold. I really like the look of the 906's V-shaped trim but I'm sticking with my single trim because A) I don't like adding holes, B) I'd rather not Bondo the existing holes, and C) I don't even know what a "sight glass manifold" is. Best for me not to complicate things.

Got the second door off.

"How'd you get that door off?" It was a cunning attempt to trick me, I'll give it that. Dunno about the 906, but your 996 should have 3 screws in the top trim piece. The left and right screws hold the trim (the middle one DOES NOT), remove these screws, label them, and keep them somewhere safe (I poke them into cardboard). That middle "screw" actually functions as a latch, rotate it 90 degrees and you should be able to pull the door out.

STATUS: Both doors are sanded with 50 grit and not all paint is removed. It would be great to own a media blaster but I don't and even if I did, I'm not sure where I'd use it without my better half executing me at dawn. 50 grit on my palm sander will have to do. Might attempt a stripper of some sort, maybe even a solvent. Might also grab an Evaporust knockoff if I can find something tomorrow. A previous owner attached a sign to one of the doors, resulting in some pretty gnarly surface corrosion -- my shizz is lookin' like lizard skin, ya'll! Planning to Bondo the scaley bit before hitting it with primer.

ROADBLOCK: Not sure how to remove these side panels. I removed two bolts near the top, each connecting to the frame (front/back), but I'm stumped on how to remove the crank handle one one side and the hose / nozzle slot on the other. Scouring the forums but thrilled if you know the answer...

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Gas Petal #768185 Wed Sep 08 2021 11:04 AM
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Hey bud. Sweet pump!
Sounds like you have a good start to it.

Your right on some of the details on the 996. There are two different trims and how you open the door depends on what type of trim. It took me forever and a heck of a lot of messing around to get the doors open on mine as I have the same one as you but with the different method to open the doors. Unfortunately I didn't have the one with the screw in the middle of the trim that opens the lock so it was a big job since they couldn't find the keys! Mine does have the key number on the serial plate. I am expecting that there is two explanations for the slight differences between ours - either its the time period (mine has a manufacture date of 59/50 which would be earlier in the manufacturing life and perhaps you have a 51-53) or mine is a 996C which designates it as a Canadian model and perhaps the US models have minor differences.

I have the exact same pump in pieces right now in my garage. Its my first resto as well and has been a long time coming - especially since its a heritage/family thing.

if you need any help at all or want some advice, please feel free to reach out. Hopefully i can save you the same mistakes that i have learned about!
Also check out my restoration thread. I was determined to take a ton of pictures both so I know how to put it back together again and in situations like yours to help get some added insight.

That door corrosion sucks! I have similar in places. Luckily not as bad or frequent. I have gotten advice to remove it via a hand sander. Haven't tried yet as I am sending mine to sandblasting.

Side panels - those are easy.....once you start stripping. I started by removing the top (which was a battle in and of itself) and got access to screws there. There are 2 side mounted screws internally that were easy to pull once the doors are off. I'll have to dig to see if I have any additional pictures on this that I didn't post that I was saving for re-assembly. Nozzle slot sucked to get out. There is a brass pipe that is connected if I recall which has to be disconnected. the slot is basically a big drip tray for any gas that drips out. once I got the doors off and the computer removed, it was easier to pop out. The side also won't come out until thats removed. Another thing I learned the hard way! The crank handle is slightly different as I didn't have the plate around it. I had to remove the crank mechanism in full to remove that side panel. I believe there was a pin locking the crank shaft internally and it slid out easy. I would start with that side first and then work on the other. Also the hose return slot can be a problem. You'll have to remove the handle (mine was welded on I swear) or cut the hose (Another thing I did.....which bled old gas and gunk out - wear gloves and have a pail handy. Also be weary there is a metal line that is within the rubber to help for safety reasons o cutrting it means cutting through that as well). If you have the opposite side panel off first you have full access to the hose slack as well as the weight and it should be easy to remove.

Thats all I have off the top of my head but If I recall anything I'll post.

Gas Petal #768186 Wed Sep 08 2021 11:08 AM
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Hey Red, thanks for chiming in! And double thanks for the link. I remember that pump -- I ran across your thread in my cram session the other day. Gorgeous pump you have there and I totally understand your paint dilemma. Most of my VWs are patina bc I don't feel right about changing the paint, but I dig that original yellow on your pump.

Sanding the top has exposed 4 screws for a rectangular hatch. I hit them with PB Blaster about 10 mins ago and am about to start twisting. I've stripped enough screws in my life to know anxiety well, but so far no screws have been a problem, just the bolts! Thanks for the lead, I'd love to get that panel off before the morning. At first I thought I'd leave the guts alone, but now you have me thinking they might get removed if I have to take much out to set the panels free.

Gas Petal #768229 Thu Sep 09 2021 01:13 AM
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DAY FOUR: Following the above advice, I sanded the top of the pump and uncovered 6 screws. They had been painted over so I used a sharp hook to scrape away the paint around the screw heads as well as the paint gumming up each screw's slot. Once scraped, I sprayed each screw with PB Blaster. If you haven't already sprayed your bolts and screws with some sort of penetrant, go ahead and do it right now and give it time to soak. This thread should still be up when you're done. I prefer AeroKroil but any brand does the trick.

While waiting on the penetrant to do its thing, I applied a rust dissolver to both doors (Rustoleum) and rinsed after 10 mins. Then I sanded both doors again with 50 then 80 grit. Getting completely down to bare metal with my refurbished palm sander (total Dad move -- he'd always buy used) has been a challenge above my pay grade. I plan to give them one final cleaning before applying Bondo over the lizard skin.

Returning to the "lid" or "Shiddy Liddy" as I call it, 5 of the 6 screws backed out fairly easily after soaking. Number 6 eventually broke free after a second hook scraping, and I think I heard an angel singing. So far I have not destroyed a single piece of hardware from this pump, and now I've totally jinxed myself. The elation was palpable and my afterglow lingered for a good 15 seconds until I removed Shiddy Liddy and saw all the crusties. I also notice Shiddy has a gasket that checked out a long time ago. Since my goal was to replace the rubber, I suppose this counts but I'm unable to locate this piece at Gas Pump Heaven.

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Gas Petal #768231 Thu Sep 09 2021 01:33 AM
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(Cont'd)

I plan to place the pump outside and need a method to secure it to the ground. At Lowe's I found a couple 3/4" threaded rods, each 1 foot in length, which I'll set in the concrete slab I plan to pour. I figure those in tandem with a couple nuts will not only provide stability but add a layer of deterrence against collegiate shenanigans -- the local university is nearby.

STATUS: Replacing the Shiddy gasket probably needs to happen -- does anyone know a source? I suppose I could make one if push comes to shove but I'd rather not. Also, my pump has two vertical trim pieces along two edges but nothing on the other two edges. I don't see these pieces online -- do they belong on my pump? If so, do you know a source? If I find time to work on this tomorrow, I'll likely have my first experience applying Bondo.

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Gas Petal #768239 Thu Sep 09 2021 07:34 AM
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The chrome strips are to protect the paint from the hose, a cheap hose guard.

Gas Petal #768242 Thu Sep 09 2021 08:52 AM
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Glad my posts have helped! I have more stuff to post but have been pretty busy so haven't had a chance to update things recently. Maybe I'll change that......

Your patina is fantastic! I completely get why you'd go that route! I struggled with the same decision with mine but my ultimate decision was to bring it back to its former glory as something for the rest of the family to appreciate. Especially my 84 year old grandfather who will remember those in that original state. Funny how a simple decision on a project like leaving or repainting can be so significant like that.

Yeah those top screws sucked. Between the layers of old paint, rust and how sift they were, it was brutal getting them off.
Surprised the bolts have been your biggest trouble! Thats pretty lucky as it is easy enough to find modern replacements, but it shouldn't take away from things as its all internal and no one sees it.
My thing with the guts is the smell from the old gas that is potentially left in there. If its an outdoor piece, no big deal really. But indoor and you have a big problem.

Man that top is nasty with the rust. I consider myself very lucky as I had maybe 1/20th of the issues you did.

As for gaskets - the rubber gaskets you can buy online. I haven't yet but plan on it. no saving the originals on mine - absolutely toast!
The internal caskets are another story. I wanted to keep it as original as possible and intend on going with cork as well. The problem I have right now is finding the type of cork and right thickness. I bought a roll off amazon (can flip the link if you like) which I think is correct but haven't test fit or cut anything as of yet. Problem 2 is the cutting since my originals were all toast and had to be chipped out (especially around the sight glass). So I guess paper/cardboard and tracing will be the plan.

The trim pieces do belong as cggas mentioned. I thought it was odd myself ot only have a pair. Go figure. I also had a hard time finding replacements, although I remember seeing them somewhere (will have to revist my tracks) in my searching. Mine are dented and scratched and have been trying to repolish them but have encountered issues. Seems like its a light chroming ontop or something. Also when you get the doors off, they pop off easy. held on by tiny screws if I recall.


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