'56 Ford Club Sedan Mild Custom

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Thanks, Doc! The tank is vented, the cap is vented, the pump is an inline electric. Under much acceleration, it rarely gets to 60 mph without running out of fuel. We reset the floats, made sure everything was working yesterday. I even removed the Mr Gasket regulator and the fuel gauge block to make sure there aren't any restrictions. No dice. I'm thinking about using a 20-30 gph, 10-14 psi inline pump, but the one at O'Reilly sold last night, so I need to wait until Wednesday for them to get another one. (The joys of living in the middle of nowhere)
 
animal said:
Thanks, Doc! The tank is vented, the cap is vented, the pump is an inline electric. Under much acceleration, it rarely gets to 60 mph without running out of fuel. We reset the floats, made sure everything was working yesterday. I even removed the Mr Gasket regulator and the fuel gauge block to make sure there aren't any restrictions. No dice. I'm thinking about using a 20-30 gph, 10-14 psi inline pump, but the one at O'Reilly sold last night, so I need to wait until Wednesday for them to get another one. (The joys of living in the middle of nowhere)
Click to expand...

A friend of mine was having some fueling issues. We changed the fuel pump, checked the flow and there wasn't much. Blew backwards on the line from the tank and all of a sudden he had tons of flow. His tank has a fill right in the middle of the top with baffles inside. Couldn't see anything, so he let it sit till the fuel was perfectly still and looked in it, there were screws in the bottom of the tank. Seems someone must have put them in there. Also have known of others with the inlet line plugged with rust or other contaminants. I'd check that you have decent flow off the pump first, could be you have a partially plugged inlet line.
 
There's lots of flow out of the tank (gravity from a port in the middle of the tank at the lower edge), and the pump flows well. It'll turn 4k rpm at a standstill, but under a load the engine just sounds and feels like it's running out of gas.
 
Some pumps won't pull fuel worth a damn, but they'll push it. If you have such a pump and it's mounted above the tank outlet, it'll starve when gravity can no longer keep the pump "wet" at the inlet.

I'd put the regulator back in and plumb a pressure gauge... 5-7 lbs for a Holley, if you still have a Holley on it...

.
 
Dr Crankenstein said:
Some pumps won't pull fuel worth a damn, but they'll push it. If you have such a pump and it's mounted above the tank outlet, it'll starve when gravity can no longer keep the pump "wet" at the inlet.

I'd put the regulator back in and plumb a pressure gauge... 5-7 lbs for a Holley, if you still have a Holley on it...

.
Click to expand...

The pump is mounted below the fuel tank outlet, gravity feed about a foot away. I think volume is my problem more than pressure, so I'll probably put the higher volume pump in and use the regulator to keep the psi in the range for the Holley 600.
 
I run a little in-line Carter electric pump on my 300 Ford 6cyl dragster with a Holley 3310. It goes 118mph in the quarter mile. I therefore don't think you have a fuel pump problem. You should have enough fuel in the carb float bowl to get you up to 60. Does your pump have an in-line filter? You might want to disconnect the fuel line at the carb and check the flow into a can.
 
animal said:
There's lots of flow out of the tank (gravity from a port in the middle of the tank at the lower edge), and the pump flows well. It'll turn 4k rpm at a standstill, but under a load the engine just sounds and feels like it's running out of gas.
Click to expand...

bob w said:
I run a little in-line Carter electric pump on my 300 Ford 6cyl dragster with a Holley 3310. It goes 118mph in the quarter mile. I therefore don't think you have a fuel pump problem. You should have enough fuel in the carb float bowl to get you up to 60. Does your pump have an in-line filter? You might want to disconnect the fuel line at the carb and check the flow into a can.
Click to expand...

Exactly, checking flow into a container of some sort will help you see if you're not getting enough fuel to the carb for some reason. That's what we did with my friends truck and it showed us something was up. It really doesn't sound like a fuel pump issue but I could be wrong.
 
Could be the sock on the inlet in the tank is closing off under higher demand. Hook shop air to the line up near the carb and blow backwards toward the tank for a few seconds at a time, it helps if you have some one standing near the filler with the cap off to see if they hear any difference in sound.

I run one of the Facet style pumps, had one on a very healthy 302 in my old Maverick, it would push the old girl well over 100 mph without a problem. I think you have a volume problem rather than pressure. I'd also check the lines under the car, it's possible one got pinched with a jack at some time.
 
The pump on the car now is a Delphi DFP FD0003, recommended as being able to keep up with a 302 with a Holley 600. It's rated at 4.5psi max, and I can't find any specs on volume anywhere, but I suspect the volume isn't much. I haven't taken the hose loose and pumped fuel into a can, but as I said earlier, it will run up to plenty of rpm while in park. All the lines are new. There isn't a fuel pickup, as suck. There is a fitting on the rear of the tank, on the rear near the bottom. The fuel sender is only that, no fuel pickup included. The pump can be heard running at all times. As the engine runs fine, even at high rpm, until the car is in gear and under load, it seems to me that fuel volume is the culprit. I start potato harvest tomorrow, and will take the line off and see what the flow looks like when I get a chance. Thanks for all the input!
 
I changed pumps....the car runs great! The original inline electrical pump apparently didn't have enough volume to keep up. This pump runs at a steady 13 psi and 20-30 gph of volume. Just what the Holley ordered. :D
 
I've been busy with harvest, but have gotten a few things done. I made a bracket and installed the little dashcam that I used in my Dodge Brothers coupe, and wired it up so there's constant power. I also wired in a temporary plug for a phone/flashlight charger. Got the wiring done for the accessory light in the trunk, and cleaned the trunk out. A decent tire was mounted on an old steel rim that fits the disc brakes, and mounted it in the spare tire well. I looked at putting a floor jack in the trunk, but settled (for now) on a jack I had from an '84 Cutlass, the kind that lies flat and is about 18 inches or so long. There's a raised round lump on the pad to fit in the jack holes of the Cutlass, so I made some wood pads that fit over the lump and give a nice flat surface to put against the bottom of the Ford's frame. The wheels I used require a thin-wall 3/4" socket to remove the lug nuts, so I put one on a 1/2" drive breaker bar and put it in the toolbox I filled with tools, "just in case". :D I'm sure the one thing I need will be the one thing I forgot or didn't have room for, but I have a good selection of tools in that box, along with a canvas bag full of wooden blocks, a tackle box full of electrical tools and crimp-on fittings, fuses, etc. I even put my Fluke multi-meter in there for the trip this upcoming Saturday to Creede, Colorado for their annual fall show. All the tools and such may be overkill, but breaking down in the mountains on a narrow road, especially in the dark, is no fun. Now to put the driver's door panel back on after adjusting the window run channel, give the old girl a good bath, and hope I'm ready early Saturday for the trip to Creede.
 
I never regret having tools with me. And a few things that can go wrong that are small I carry too like a short length of copper tubing that I can fix a fuel line with. Extra fuel line clamps, radiator hose clamps and an extra length of radiator hose. A spare fuel filter too. Got a box of things like bolts and nuts in several sizes...guess I'm still a boyscout...:D
 
I got the garnish molding installed, after gluing the beltline whiskers to them. Everything took some "persuading", but they're all in and that makes things look much more finished. Washed the car, shut the doors, and will give the interior a little attention Friday night. This harvest stuff has me pretty much wanting a nap by the time I get home! :)
 

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