Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion To gut or not to gut gas pumps? That is the quest

In the past I have gutted every pump that came into my possession. I just found this real clean G@B 914 twin which I posted in the showcase section and many people say to leave it original and not gut it including some close friends. It is SO heavy. I gut them for that fact and that they will never be used as a real pump again. I have never heard someone say I will pass on that pump because the guts were gone. It also comes down to safety, who wants that thing to tip onto you or wrench your back when moving it around. Anyway I was going to get started on that today, sat down and had second thoughts. The inside looks like new. I am sure it just comes down to personal choice, I don't see how it would increase/decrease the value later on. What do you think? Thanks, Todd.

Leave it alone.
When they're gone,they're gone and no one is reproducing pump guts today.
I'll personally drive farther & pay more for a pump with it's guts intact,and have for my Sunoco Wayne 511 Blenders.





..and I like my oil cans with all the oil left in them too.

Leave it

As a newbie here. I would say gut it BUT keep the parts in a corner of the garage. When I got my 36b the guy asked if I wanted the pump which was in another corner. If I want I can put the pump back in one day.

I can't think of another item that gets "restored" by throwing half of it away. personally I would leave it.

There have been threads in the past about this. Most pump guys do not want the guts but some do. I always tell myself that I want to leave the guts in an earlier or rare pump but always end up guting them. They are just too heavy with them and you have a double. If I owned it I would gut it. Another reason I like the guts out is I use the ones that open easily to store things including spare parts. I do have two that I never got around to gutting. One is a 36B clockface that still runs and has good suction but will end up getting gutted unless I sell it before I get to it.

I'm thinking that if the pump is taken out then what you have left is called a "cabinet". It's anybody's choice if they want to be a pump collector or a cabinet collector.

A big reason to take the guts out is because it's EASY.... anybody can do it and the guys who have no talent for restoration can feel like they did a part of it by removing everything possible.

Nobody ever argues about taking the guts out of a visible pump because they are needed to hang the handle on and maintain the low center of gravity. But there goes the argument of how smelly it is and the potential for leaks. If they were truly worried about the problems associated with leaving the pump in then a bracket could be made to support the pump handle and some weights could be added to the inside base of the pump.
Go to any farm auction and you can usually find header weights that could be used to that end.

Here's my Tokheim 36 just as I got it with no clean-up whatsoever......... I don't see how anybody could justify gutting it. Like dodogas used to say on here while he was still posting........ "it's only original once".

Well Todd. You could just sell that pump to me and then you wouldn't have to toil over this decision!
I say remove the pump and motor carefully (no...not carefully with a saws-all!) and hang onto them.
Post the picture of the guts in that pump.

Here is my 36B-DP. It is not as nice and clean as huskybob`s. It rattles when running because the motor pully is worn out. This pump was in use at a station until 1968 and then stored indoors sense.

RE-Lidding EMPTY CANS

That's not a good example DB,as you replace lid with a new one once the original is removed.

No one is replacing the pump guts with new ones,once they're removed.

SO, IF your a Sniper/Hunter & have mounted heads, your a Fur Collector because you threw the Guts Out [saved the Globe & Junked the Body]!

Pumps are getting more scarce. Pumps with guts are even more rare. I prefer keeping them as original as possible. People scrap the guts to make $10 at the scrap dealer, I would rather pay $50 more for an all-original pump with the guts. Just my opinion of course.

Personally I like the guts in all my pumps. I have 13 gas pumps and every single one has the guts intact. My opinion is that it truly is not a complete pump without the guts. Just my opinion on this issue..

I've bought a lot of pumps and have never once checked to see if the guts were in it or not. Makes no difference to me in value.

I have sold a lot of restored and unrestored pumps and not once has a pump failed to sell or fail to yield my asking price because it had been gutted. Again, makes no difference to me in value.

in my opinion, the argument about future values is without base and validity. Ever notice what a restored Model A or T is worth compared to a street rod? Has nothing to do with originality but rather what people want and like.

To those who really value that pump mechanism, might I suggest paying 25% MORE for a fully intact pump. Make it a reason to keep it there for the aggravation of keeping a dead weight in a pump.

If you do gut them you can always find another use for the motors. Find a old plow disc, a 3 to 4' piece of pipe, make a mounting plate, 4 bolts and 4 nylocks and walla! A guy could literally make 3 in an afternoon, sell them to your buddies for $100 each and then buy another resto pump . Just an idea.

Not restored leave them, restored gut. Inside displayed(home) gut restored or un restored.

I guess there is a way to hook them up and pump something other them gas through them to remove all left over gas in pump? I have often wondered about this option.

Gut them all. Let God sort them out ! Dave

For sale..... Rare bowser 310 motor,complete,not sure if works,weighs about 1/2 a ton! Make a great buffer...10,000 or best offer! You pay shipping!
Call Mike or Frank @ Parson 6902. .

Thanks for all the opinions. I think it still just comes down to personal preference. Since it will not be moved for awhile maybe I will just think on it for now. Todd.

Here is a pic of the inside. Almost factory fresh. My dad just bought the mate to mine from the same guy. Both came from the same station.

I have waited as 21 of you expressed opinions. I have my opinions but of the above ones Dave Gill has expressed the best one.

Now, let's decide you decided to keep the guts and your goal is to return the pump to as close as you can to what it looked like when it left the factory.

Now, take another look at the pic above and tell us you are going to remove all that, drain all the old gas out of it (remember you have two meters, each containing about a gallon each of some of the worst smelling gasoline) and restore every part(and remember how it all went back together) back to what it looked like when it left the factory.

If you decide to sell a pump that is not gutted and the purchaser is someone who just wants a nice looking pump to put in his man cave. Since both of the meters have a gallon of, well you know what, in them and someone turns the pulley slightly, and....

We all give references to why we should leave the guts in a gas pump, how about selling a WWII bomb that was still set to explode? Would you buy one. Gas pumps have become display pieces, not something that might be used someday, city, state and federal laws have just about told us they will never be used again.

Jack Sim

I know my opinion matters very little, but I would never take the "heart" out of a pump. Hey could you still call it a gas pump, with no pump? As far as the old gas in it. what is the big deal? not too hard to run some hot soapy water thru it.No more gas smell. Jack, would you take the guts out of your AIR METERS? You would just have a cute little empty shell.

RD, you fail to see the reality, Jack's air meters can actually be useful without breaking one's back trying to move them.

I've had many friends and family out in my shop, not once has anyone asked me if the guts were still in my pumps.

I've bought and sold many pumps, not once has there ever been a discussion if the guts were still in them.

Bottom line, it really doesn't matter either way.

If it makes you feel more like a purist then leave them in as you slap on reproduction glass, reproduction replacement parts, and shiny non original paint.

LOL

...I'm not too worried about those 'purchasers'...they're riding a fad, and aren't in it for the long haul - so their opinions about what should be preserved and what shouldn't be, are insignificant...


...your opinion doesn't necessarily equate to the 'bottom line'...

champlinman
Great pic.
No molesting has taken place on the plumbing and still holding their original blue paint coat.
Beautiful..

The excuse that "a bad back over time" is the result of pump still holding it's guts,seems to be the common denominator with a some,especially those whose intent is to find,flip & take them from show to show to show..unless your Dave Gill,who has OCD.
If that is the case,might I suggest a simple exercise routine beforehand as well as a dolly,or maybe a trip to a chiropractor?
I'd hate to see rows of original gutless gas pumps in a museum 50 years from now,each with their bottom panels removed showing an empty void with a sign explaining "owner said he had a bad back".

DB
You can't compare this to taxidermy,as that's a dead animals flesh & organs that will not withstand the test of time unless a beating heart still persists.




Jack,I did just that with 3 separate Wayne 511 gas blender pumps within a few hours for each.One of them I show above.
I just took digital photos of everything beforehand for easy reassembly,but it really wasn't necessary.
Then sprayed WD-40 on any stubborn bolts.
Drained less then a gallon of gas out of the bellows & pipes.
Rinsed out the bellows & pipes with water.
Let air dry a few hours,then reassembled.I didn't "restore" or repaint a thing.Just hand wiped everything down & installed letting the factory finish show.
As Johnny Bench would say,"No runs,no drips,no errors."




I've seen a few war collectors who still have active hand grenades & land mines in their collections and still have all their digits to prove it.
I've yet to hear of any past or current news reports of an unmolested gas pump exploding due to holding active gasoline today.

I've been here for a few years now and can recall this topic coming up quite a few times. I find it interesting that this time there are a lot of people getting all hot and bothered about it. It used to be that most replies were to gut gut gut and gut some more. The tide seems to be changing. The comments that it's not a pump, all you have is a cabinet is a bit over the top though. If you want to keep the guts so be it, don't try and make me feel like I did something wrong by gutting mine. I'm in it for the long haul and don't feel bad at all for gutting my pumps. Nobody that ogled any of mine ever asked to see inside or to pump any gas.

...I would suggest that many people who look at a restored pump, might make the assumption that the internals are still inside...as they might when viewing a restored Coke machine...

My experience:
Remove the lower panel & show a novice a gas pump with it's lower internals all removed.......you can hear crickets chirping.

Show that same novice a gas pump with it's lower internals intact,and they're speaking about the marvel of it all.

Folks the heart of this Hobby (debate and the love of the American Gas Station) is still alive and beating! And from the passion I've read, this heart is very strong...

This debate has been going on since the Hobby started... My Dad, told me about such debates going on in the late 1940s and early 50s... I myself witnessed these debates in the later 1950s up to now...

It has always been up to the individual... As, too whether or not they removed the guts... I've owned and sold more than a few pumps with the guts intact... I've owned and sold many more pumps with the guts removed...

Hopefully, this debate will go on for many, many years in the future... And I also hope, that when the debate is raised. It will generate this same passion that we see now!....

thats interesting Bob... because the same collectors in the 50s and 60s probably used this era as the point of reference when talking about the 'new' collectors not wanting a pump that has been gutted.

however, here it is 2014. and for the most part, I don't think anyone is going to turn down a pump they want because it is gutted. I'm sure it will be the same way in 2040, and gutted pumps will still continue to thrive in the hobby just as well as non-gutted.

Todd,
Having been in manufacturing for 33 years now I always marvel at how things built back then were made to last. Those internals are a great example of a byegone era. For what its worth, if it were mine I would not gut it. Call me odd but I would always look at it and beam with pride about the quality craftsmanship that made this country great. What a great reminder of how things should be done.

Man that's an awesome twin ...great condition...there are not many pumps period where I am from so I'm usually left buying basket cases and working on them to make them nice...it's 50/50 as to guts no guts...but never affects me buying one...probably the pumps I buy most would consider junk...lol.

Unless the pump is very unique or rare, pumps are so much easier to handle without the guts.