Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion ECO Air Meter

How much would you be willing to pay for this?

Guy wants $450... Say's it's original, not sure how functional though.

http://www.oldgas.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=144499#Post144499 jacob read this post. alot depends on how much you want it.can you find one cheaper?yes you probably can.is it an unreasonable price?not really,but all depends on how long you are willing to wait.usually go for more on ebay.

Not sure by your pic, looks like it might have been a head that goes on an eco islander since I don't see the hook for the hose to hang up. For me personally, if that's the case it would affect the value downward. Not unless these units can have the hose hook added. Don't know enough about it to answer that, I'm sure someone can chime in though.

yours did go on an islander, and the hook can be added, just bolts on. chris

it's an Islander... bought it last night...

did you get the rest of it or just the head?? if you got the complete unit for 450.00 you did really well. chris

unfortunately just the head, but it is complete and in good restorable shape... chris

The head you purchased can be converted to the head used on the Model 97 wall mount or the Model 98 pedestal. I have all the parts for the conversion listed on my website, and I can email you what you have to do on the inside. The price was a little high if you are going to convert it, but it is about right if you were looking for one to put on an Islander. This exact head was also used on the Model 93 ECOs.

Check out my website: www.petrolianacollectibles.com

You might also want to check the previous post about ECOs from a few days ago, we talked quite a bit about restoring these units.

I am at present writing another book to be titled: "REBUILDING AND RESTORING A MODEL 90 SERIES ECO." I have written about 30 pages so far and it will be filled with many color pictures and photos of the ECO during rebuilding and restoration. It will be available only on a DVD and I will announce it here.

Jack Sim

thanks Jack, I've been to your webpage and was planning on calling you for what the unit needs after it arrives... I like the islander, it's a little unusual and haven't decided if I'm going to convert it, or just restore the head and look for the pedestal... chris

Really? Southern Wa. a long way to drive from Alberta. Did you look at it?

837 miles... I squinted...

Jack,

what is the best way to buy your manual, just email from your site?

Thanks,

Chris

CDC1960, I hear ya!


Jack, I Love Ya' Man but what is the best way to reach you. I have NEVER heard back from you in an E-Mail. DB even told me to put 'DB' in the subject line...? Met you in Iowa a few times


Larry

Jack,

appreciate the advice, and I have read the other post on restoration, and the book sounds great.I have spent quite a bit of time looking at your site and would like to order a manual. Can you advise how I should proceed?
Thanks,

Chris

At the present, I am no longer selling a printed version of the Model 90 Service manual. It is only available on a CD for $13.00, including shipping. But I will also include a CD that has the new book on it. The new book is not finished, but I will send you what I have, it is free, and when it is finished I will also send you a CD of the finished version. I am up to over 30 pages and a ton of pictures. My only request is that your review it and post a review of it here on OLD GAS.

Jack Sim

Thanks Jack, I'll send you a money order for $13 US today. I would appreciate the opportunity to read the first portion of your new book, and will post a review on Old Gas.

Chris

Money Order in the mail at 3 p.m. today.

here's what it looks like torn down...appears to be all there, it's definitely a Model 240 Islander...

and a few more... about the only thing that seems out of whack is that its very stiff to operate... it seems that the crank shaft may be slightly bent...

LOOKS LIKE A BEAUTY; GET OUT THE ZIP STRIP...

GASPUMPCHAS

just completed an 97 model last night. does anyone have a "trick" to get the front and back skins on the base without chipping paint??? i taped the edges of the base with electrical take and that worked well, but a small chip still happened at the hardest impact point. any advice or tricks that are known to work? chuck

Chuck,

Here is the section of my new book covering the installation of the covers.

Holding the front cover so it doesn’t scratch anything, spray the face and the “AIR” glass with the Windex. Wipe everything dry and clean.

Now, carefully lower the frame down on the towel, keeping the front cover from touching or scratching the frame.

Jack’s Tip: I don’t believe I have ever installed a front cover (or a rear cover for that matter), without chipping something. You will be installing the covers inside the lips of the frame and most of the time they just don’t want to fit. Sometimes you have to encourage them, this causes chips, mostly to the frame. Don’t get in a hurry installing the covers, the more time you spend, the less chips you will have to touch-up.

Installing the front cover should be from the top down, try and fit both sides up near top, then press the cover in as you go down toward the bottom. Most of the time you will get one side to fit, but the other side may need some help slipping into the frame.

Jack’s Tip: Hitting the cover with the side of your hand is not recommended. One year at Carlisle I was still putting some ECOs together. I hit one with the side of my hand, the hand hurt for two weeks and when I got back to St. Louis I found out I had a broken hand. Use whatever is necessary, but not your hand.

Once the front cover is where it should be, carefully turn the unit over. Insert the two cross strips (did you use the tap on the screw holes in the strips?), drop in the screws and tighten them. Turn the unit over and make sure the front cover is still seated.

Now is the best time to insert the Reset Handle. Loosen up the two Housing Frame screws I told you not to tighten, this will make it easier to put the handle on. Once the Handle is on you need to adjust the mechanism. What I mean by this is sometimes the gear that the Handle attaches to, will come in contact with the upper cross strip, just push it up before tightening the 3/8” housing screws.

Installing the rear cover is much like installing the front cover. Start by installing the upper part and work your way down the edges, while looking in the screw holes to see if either one of the upper holes lines up with the hole in the cross strip. If it does, put a screw in and just start it. If both holes line up, put both of the upper screws in. If the holes do not line up, use the small punch through the hole in the cover to line up the cross strip so you can put a screw on the other side. Thread the screws down to the cover, but do not tighten them. Work on the edges again, pushing them in until you can get a screw started in the lower part of the cover. Again, you may have to use the punch to line up the holes. Get the two screws started and work them down slowly, especially if the sides of the cover are not seated.

If after all this you still can’t get one side of the cover to seat you may have to use one of the next two solutions.

Make sure the screws are screwed down to where they are touching the cover, right before you start to bend in the cover. Get a towel and fold it up so it is at least an inch thick. Place this over the corner of the cover that won’t seat, lightly hit it with a small hammer, this should seat the cover. If it doesn’t try my last resort.
Tighten the screw a little bit in the corner where it won’t seat. Place a flat blade screw driver against that corner of the cover, again where it won’t seat. Hit the screw driver with a hammer. This should seat the cover. It will probably chip either the cover or the frame a little bit, but it is on the bottom and on the back, so it shouldn’t show.


Just part of my new book,

Jack Sim

thanks GASPUMPCHAS.... can't wait to get your CDs Jack... any thoughts on the top shaft removal? it appears that the stiffness is in the brass bearing, but I can't seem to get the shaft/bearing assembly out... is it a press fit? tks Chris

appears that the shaft was not seated properly... looks like someone had tried to pry the gear off and unseated the shaft... I drove the pin out, pulled the gear, reseated the shaft and reassembled... it now spins with one hand... I pulled the strainer and it was clean, put some temporary hoses on, and put some air to it from the compressor, every thing runs, it holds air, pumps, dings and equalizes...

Just took a look at the picture of the rear of the mechanism. No wonder it was hard to turn, someone turned the unit up over 100 lbs. and when it gets that far it has a tendency to lock up.

Sounds like you are on your way, if you have any questions, just post them here.

Jack Sim

thanks Jack... I removed the tag from the rear cover in preparation for sandblasting, and it looks like the unit may have been cream coloured originally... the paint underneath the tag looks original and is off white in colour... however the frame looks like it started life painted red.. were there any companys that had such a paint scheme?

There are no records of colors used on the ECOs other than the statement that they would be supplied in a brilliant red. I do know that Marathon used an off white, and Mobile used a white. During the 1980s white units were also offered by the company as a standard color.

I was the first to start two-toning them. It is pure fantacy, but it shure makes them look nice.

Jack Sim

It's been raining here, so I've been concentrating in the air meter rather than the Bennett 956.... here's some progress on the ECO... finished cleaning and calibrating the mechanism, sandblasted the sheet metal and frame, and here what they look like with two coats of primer and four of red... (also built a light for the mechanism)...

Chris

sandblasted


finished cleaning and sandblasting


rear of mechanism


painted

Folks,

Any way to tell the age from the serial number on this unit? it reads 10 Z 6769.

Thanks,

Chris

It was made in either October of 1954 or 1977. If it has copper tubes as shown in the picture just above it is probably a 1954. This would be a very early model as they were introduced in 1947.

One of the features of my new ECO Air book is a section called "What year was my ECO made?"

By the way, don't try to install the mechanism into the frame with the face attached. Install the mechanism, then put the face on.

Jack Sim

thanks for the information Jack. Also appreciate the assembly tip... I'm looking forward to the CDs that you are sending me so I can read the manual and the first part of your new book...

Chris

Jack,

received the parts and the manual on CD today, but no second disk with your book... did you send it separately?

Chris

My wife, Cindy,does all the shipping, she just shipped what you ordered, I will put the CD in the mail tomorrow. Everyday I add something, so it is even better than last week.

Jack Sim

Thanks Jack... probably caused by me making two orders close together with two different methods... I sent you a money order for the manual by mail, and Paypal for the parts...

Chris

Finished....

Can someone tell me what is the inner pipe that connects the base to the upper section on a pedestal unit? The Eco I have was put together to be strictly display and it is put together with all thread. I want to pipe air to it. I 'assume' its 1/2" ridgid conduit. Thanks!

Larry

Nice job CDC. After seeing yours, I'm definatly going to go with red rather than some company colors.

Thanks Dave

st.rod--The one that I had and I believe it to have been an original, had copper tubing running up the main pipe to supply the air.

Yes I realize that. But what exactly connects the bottom to the top. In other words what did the copper tube run through. You have to understand mine is not correct. Thanks Larry

That is a sweet air meter. I need to pick me up one!!!

St. Rod:

I really don't understand your question, but I'll try and answer it.

Assuming you have a Model 98 (pedeatal unit) ECO. The head sits on a pedestal. Air is fed up through the 1" pipe in the center of the pedestal. The original ECOs came with a, probably copper, tube that extended down to the bottom of the pedestal. It was then up to you what you should attach this to.

I sell a 1/4" ID hose that screws into the bottom of the head and extends down through the center pipe of the pedestal and comes out the bottom. The reason for this so that you can attach a quick coupler to it and this will enable you to connect the disconnect the unit as you see fit. This way, you can display your unit outdoors during the warm weather, and bring in it doors in the cold weather, just by disconnecting it at the quick coupler.

I used to sell ECOs that didn't work, people just wanted something that looked good. But as the years rolled by, more and more people were asking "Did the work?" For some reason, this became a piece of equipment, that no matter how old it was, it had to work.

So I started restoring them to work, but I wanted to make them as convienent as possible. I made them so you could move them at will.

Incidentally, we have been able to make the old Romert (Arno) units work and we have been able to make most of the ECO Model 37/38 work (just in case you have one).

Jack Sim

Thanks Jack, 1 inch pipe was the answer.

Larry

Jack,

have you shipped the new book yet?

Thanks,

Chris

Just took about 30 more pictures today to add to it, been busy with a bunch of personal things, plan to work on it it this next week.

While it is something I can always add to and correct since it will be on a CD, I do want to make it as perfect as possible to begin with.

Actually I decided to add a new section to the beginning, "Buying a ECO" to help people buy a restorabe unit, instead of something that need a ton of parts.

Jack Sim