Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Tokheim 39

I just purchased a Tokheim 39. Looking for info, etc for restoring this pump. Being a rookie, all help is appreciated.

thanks

willy

Willy,

Welcome to Oldgas!

Nice score. Luckily, the 39 is pretty much the 65 mustang or the 70 chevelle of gas pumps - very common and well-supported. You should be able to find any part you need for it from the major pump parts suppliers (some of which are regulars here). I'd highly recommend getting the guide to gas pump restoration that is available for a very reasonable price here on Oldgas in the bookstore section. It has good advice and it also shows the color schemes for the different brands.

For parts, try googling the web sites of:
Vics 66, Gas Pump Heaven, Time Passages / Scotty's Garage, and Ron Scobie.

Best of luck,
Wes

Willy, I too welcome you to this site. If you haven't figured it out yet, all of us here are addicted to heavy metal and the smell of stale gasoline.
I'm assuming by your question, that you want to know how to restore your pump? Well, there are as many different ways of doing that, as there are collectors on this site. Not too many rules here. I'll share what I believe most of us do.

1st. Get rid of the actual pump and motor. You will loose about 100lbs of unwanted weight, and keep yourself from getting a hernia. Some guys feel that it's better to keep them original, but the majority throw it away. One collector (Professor Bennett) has mentioned that the motor turns at a speed that is good for use as a buffing wheel.

2nd. decided if you like the original paint (patina) and want to leave it like that, or if not, re-paint it.

3rd. if you decide to repaint it, strip off the old paint. Some do this by hand using paint stripper, but most have them sand/media blasted.

4th. after the old paint is off, you'll need to decide what brand you want to restore it in. Look through old photos, parts catalogs, photos on this site, or on www.vintagegas.com and decide on what you want it to look like. Again, no real rules in this area. Pick what you like.

5th. Order you globe or decal or both, and use them to match the colors for your pump. You can find the original paint codes if you wish, but often the colors are off a bit from the new decals.

6th. You'll probably want to disasemble a lot of the pump to paint. You don't have too, but then you'll be masking all day. Paint, plate, polish, what ever you decide, replace the parts that need it, and reassemble.

If you go to the main menu on this site, you'll find vendors for nearly everything you need. Lots of friendly guys here, and many of the vendors post on this site too.

So, have a good time with it, and start clearing out space for the next pump, as you will see it's an addicting hobby.

I'm sure I've forgotten some things, but basically that's the process.

------------------
Don "oltoydoc" Sherwood
Vintage Gas

Thanks for the reply. Will check those sites out.

willy

Welcome to the site Willy... Check out this feature that I did a few months back, about a pump restoration. I may be biased, but I do think that there are a lot of good tips there. Keep us posted.... http://www.oldgas.com/shoptalk/ubb/Forum4/HTML/001409.html

Welcome to the sight Willy, the only thing I could add to Don's info is if you have a digital camera take pictures as you disassemble the pump or record things as they are taken appart that way you know how to put it back together. I'm getting to old and my memmory is getting to short. Richard

Thanks to all who have replied by post or by email.

Guess my first question is what year/years was this pump produced?

thanks

Assuming the ID tag is still on the pump, the date of manufacture is on the tag. Something like 11-51.
Jack Sim
Author, Gas Pump Identification book

That I believe is it. Thanks, Jack!