Ingvar Vik fuel pump

[barnlark]

My Stude NOS fuel pump went south on me today while driving. This winter I had purchased one of Ingvar's modified pumps for my 289 just in case this happened and wondered if the installation is different. He mentioned sleeves, or something for the bolts, but his son made this one up and I didn't get any sleeves for it when it arrived. It looks like the same as my original, mounting-wise. If anyone has one of these, does it just bolt on, or is there a different hook up? Thanks..

[StudeRich]

Modified pumps? [?] [?] That's a new one on me! I have heard of people rebuilding the original Carter pump like you removed, (don't toss it) but never anything about modified! [:0]

Is it the larger diaphragm, Super Pump for the R1 and R2 Avanti engine?

Most of us know Ingvar Vic and know of his machining business, but not of fuel pumps.

StudeRich -Studebakers Northwest Ferndale, WA

[barnlark]

Rich,
They are a modified Mopar pump that delivers a higher p.s.i. for the Edelbrocks. There was a past reply in the Co-Operator to a question concerning fuel delivery, so I wrote and Mr. Vik was kind enough to respond from his warm winter quarters in Arizona. His son is still working up North and machining various items and made this one up for me which they have been using for a while now. He said he has one on his truck, I think, and has worked remarkably well for many miles. My Carter, which I bought from a major Stude vendor last summer but only used for about twenty miles when I got the car finished in the fall, only lasted about 15 miles when I pulled my car out of winter storage this weekend. Gas tank is NOS and full, fuel lines clean, filter new. I pulled the line off and tested the pump output...zip, no gas. I thought perhaps other folks have one of these and could offer help. I haven't heard back from Ingvar yet and since my car is stranded, I need to retrieve it after work tonight and while it's normally a simple affair to replace, I wondered if there are differences for prep work to this one. If even YOU haven't heard of these, I'll have to hope he writes back today sometime. The fittings are different, that's all I noticed. I'll hit NAPA today for those.

[Mike]

Since the pump on the car quit working like that, I would suspect one of the valves has something stuck in it, or has failed because the fuel attacked the material.
Recently, I bought a few Carter pumps on EBay. I found the valve bodies weren't very well finished, inside. There was a lot of "flash", sharp metal splinters and shavings, ready to break off and jam in a valve. The valve seats in one body were rough cast. They had never been machined smooth. Most of these were nearly new, hi-perf, pumps; or valve bodies removed from new pumps being converted to multi valve bodies, for racing. Unless these were really parts that were manufacturer rejects, Carter's quality control is not very good. It isn't safe to use a new pump without taking it apart and checking.
Mike M.

[barnlark]

That's not good news. It's a fresh tank of BP Ohio gas. My filter was located after the pump, not before it, so you may well be correct. It was late when this happened, so I just pulled the hose back to track the problem and went home. There is gas before, but not after the pump. I'll take it apart after I get my new one in and see. I discovered this morning that the mounting "sleeves" in my original post question were already pressed in for me on this new one..the Mopar holes on the pump flange were too large and the Viks fix that and the arm. I needed a fitting for the outlet which I found at the parts store before work this morning, so I should be ok. If it starts and I get back before a rain storm, I'll be lucky. Thanks guys..

[barnlark]

Update..the pump is a little finicky to get in. Not as smooth to install as the Carter, but my Edelbrock likes it and it ran smoothly for a half an hour all the way home. Punched it up to 80 on the highway at a little over half throttle and it never bogged down, just wanted more. Except for idiots zooming up to my bumper to try and read what kind of car it was, it was an uneventful ride. The fit on this modified pump is tight in regard to the reach rod's grease fitting, but clears it without interference. Ingvar wrote me and said some Hawks have a problem with it interfering with their steering. He said Larks and trucks seem to be fine, though. Thanks for everyone's input. Not a big tech job, but it was in the dark and tested my spring clip squeezing skills. One mistake and they would have been in two inches of leaves..