Re: Electric vs. mechanical fuel pump - or both?

[tsm1@domain.elided (Tom Mandera)]

>Now that I'm putting it back together, is there any advantage to scrapping
>the electric pump, and putting the mechanical one back?  Or should I just
>keep the electric one?  Or, both, and run'em in series?

IMHO, run both.  Hook the electrical pump up to 1) ignition switch and then,
in series, 2) a rocker/toggle/whatever switch.

Why?

Well, typically I'd leave the switch OFF, so no electrical pump.. just run
the mechanical pump.

Then, if the mechanical pump dies (and, when it does, you'll be 300 miles
from nowhere, by yourself, without telling anyone where you're going, on an
unmarked trail, in the desert with no water), you can just flip that toggle
switch and you're back in business running the electric pump (which should
still have a long life, since you haven't been using it.

Then change out the mechanical pump at your leisure.

Others have suggested using the electrical pump just before starting your
Scout.. hit the "RUN" position, flip the switch, and let the electrical pump
(typically mounted very close to the fuel tank) prime the lines and push the
fuel up to the mechanical pump, then hit the starter.  Save your mech. pump
some wear n' tear, particularly if you let your truck sit for a long time,
and all the fuel drains out of the carb, and back down the line.. it can
take a while for that mechanical pump to suck enough air to get some gas.

Adding a backup electrical fuel pump is on my list of things "To-Do-Later"
after I get my main build up done.  Probably do the electrical pump at the
same time I get the $$$ and time for a 33 gal fuel tank.

-Tom Mandera, Helena MT
http://www.tmcom.com/~`tsm1/scout
'72 and '77 Scout IIs