Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Mystery Pump

I came across this gas pump "somewhere in the Mojave Desert". It's beyond repair but I wanted to give it a nicer place to live out its life. LOL

I would like to at least know who made this pump and what year it was produced.

I look at the Illustrated Guide to Gas Pumps by Jack Sim, twice even and I didn't see anything close to it. Especially, the top part of the pump, which shows an extra opening for some kind of light next to the globe opening. I'm leaning to a Bowser but I'm not sure.

If anyone has any info on this, I would really appreciate any and all replies.

My email is ratsshovelhead@yahoo.com

Looks like a Erie 843

You're right, Matt. That's an 843 without ad glass (called a "Continental Aristocrat"). It's on page 146 of the 2nd edition of Jack's book. I also have one from "somewhere in the Mojave desert" with the opening for the second light.

Frank,

First I want to welcome you to the site. I usually don't do this, most of my posts are just answering questions. But because you went to my book first, I want to thank you. Most posters just come on here asking for a pump ID without doing much research, so again welcome.

Now, I got to hand it to Matt for such a quick response about your pump, when I first looked at your pictures I was about to click on the next post on this section. Then I saw Matt response. He was right on with the identification.

Don't scrap the pump out, keep trying to find any pump you can restore, look to this site for parts you need and sooner than you think, someone will come on here looking for parts for this 843 that you can supply them with. This is the way most of us come up with the money to either pay for the next pump, or to restore another one we found.

Start slow, work smart and you can enjoy a great hobby and maybe have enough items in the garage to put your children thru college.

Send me your email address and I will put you on the list for the 3rd book.

Jack Sim

Thanks for the info! Now I can sleep. LOL

Thanks Jack! Love your book!

I really appreciate taking your time in answering my question. I'm slowly getting into this. I already have two other pumps. One is restored, which is a 1955 National 365 and a Southwest model 90 that I'm going to post for parts hear soon.

On the Erie 843 pump, I think I'm going to leave it as is. To me, it has a lot of character to it.

I just had a hard time finding it in your book because I was looking for a pump showing a light pole or something coming out next to the globe. Or however that would work.

Again, thanks for your time.

My email is ratsshovelhead@yahoo.com

Frank

Hey Matt, do you happen to have a pic of the pump showing the extra light coming from that other opening?

Hey Smoketree, I completely forgot to email you back. I know it's been a while. Sorry for the delay.

I'm the guy with that Erie 843 "Continental Aristocrat", that I didn't know what it was at first. Like I said, I looked in Jack Sim's book and the reason I couldn't find it was because I was looking for a pump with that other light being shown.

Since the book doesn't show it, I was wondering if you have any pictures of a working 843 showing the the use of that second light fixture.

Thanks for your time.

I really don't know what that other light fixture is for. Mine has a standard porcelain bulb socket in it. That socket is connected to the main electrical junction box near the top of the pump, and out of that box comes the wiring for lights for the ad glasses and the globe. In other words, when the globe is on, the light in the second opening on the top of the pump is on. I've never seen a photo of one of these pumps in operation. I hope someone else can enlighten us.

If you are referring to the fitting to side of the globe light socket; That is more then likely for a gas pricer box.

Cool pump and story , glad you saved it . I know this is a dumb question but was the Mojave desert just a big wild free for all back in the day ? I was reading a article a while back that had a image of a rusted down engine that was pitched there . Just curious . Thanks.

Frank i just picked up a Erie 845 earlier this summer and the second opening has a red glass cone cover on it that lights up when the motor is running. WOW and it came out of the mohave desert also.

Gene

Gene:

OK! Great info. I didn't take my electrical box apart, so I just assumed the second light on top was wired with the globe and ad glass. Now I know that the bulb was getting power there and the other wire was just passing through on its way to the pump on/off switch.

Is the red glass cover threaded, or does it fit into a threaded fitting somehow?

Thanks.

Travis:

The Mojave is about 50,000 square miles, and it's about 0.01 percent populated. It's crossed by hundreds of roads (most of them dirt/sand), including the original Route 66. When people wanted to dump stuff, including old cars and engines, they would just take the stuff out to the middle of the desert. US Routes 91, 66, 70, and 80 crossed the desert, and I'm sure the Erie pumps discussed here came from stations on one of those highways. The desert is not much of a dumping ground anymore, thank goodness, and one can drive for hours, especially on back roads, without seeing any trash.