In the past year I finally finished, after many starts and stops, the restoration of an Erie Figure 100 visible pump. The pump had been stored inside a shed in Farmville, Virginia. Back when we used to be able to put free ads in the Rural Electric Coop magazine, I had placed a "restorable visible pump wanted" ad. A retired fuel dealer from southern Virginia called me and I acquired the pump from him.
The Erie pump had been rebranded at least three times, one of which as Cities Service. Upon getting all of the old paint off, it was apparent the pump had left the Erie factory in orange paint with black trim. So I painted it in the color scheme it left the factory. The pump is all original except for the hose, decal, and the dome top. It has the original serial number/Underwriters Laboratory plate; serial number is 1063T. My guess would be the "T" means it was built at Erie's Tulsa, OK, location. It is a heavy and well-made pump.
I believe the pump had been used into the 1970s since the Buckeye aluminum nozzle on it had been changed for unleaded gas.
It has a nice blue Hygrade cylinder. However, someone in the past fired four BBs into it, causing 4 clean symmetrical holes.
Fortunately there were no spider web or any other cracks. I expect many of you have encountered this situation but for those who haven't, the holes are only the diameter of a BB on the outside of the cylinder. It's a different story on the inside where the BB left a cup-shaped depression about the width of a quarter (kind of like the photos we see of the craters on the Moon). Over a period of several days, I filled these depressions with clear, two-part epoxy. Two of the BB holes were side by side so I placed the cylinder with these on the back side of the pump. The other two BB repairs are not really that readily apparent.
Well, that is my story.
(Jim Potts to attach photo of pump - thanks)
Pat Mulvihill
