1929 Durant Tidy Up

Urchy87 wrote: Hey All

So I was asked what could be done to put a fuel pump on the Durant and do away with the vacuum fuel system. Has anyone here done it? Is it something that can be done easy enough? I assume you could install a low pressure pump with relative ease and no issues by bypassing the vacuum tank or even use it as a vessel but blank off the unnecessary lines.

Urchy87

Ok. So as it happens I’ve been searching briefly on and off for a few days and couldn’t really find anything. After I threw this post up I tried searching with a few different phrases and come across this. Looks like it could be done with little issue. I agree that a return line would help. I’m still open to your suggestions especially if you have done it before. I think keeping the vacuum system is just fine but they wanted to explore this. Here is the link to what I found.

forums.aaca.org/topic/165302-using-an-el...-with-a-vacuum-tank/

If the vacuum system is working why change it? Millions of vehicles had them for decades. It is more simple and trouble free than most fuel pumps. it will not run any better with a pump.

You may find the needle in the original carby is OK for a gravity feed height of 2 feet but leaks and floods with the extra pressure of even a low pressure fuel pump. If you put a Ferguson carby on you should not have this problem.

I had an old Morris truck that had the vacuum tank mechanism damaged by an enthusiastic farmer who could not leave well enough alone. I fitted an in-line cheap electric pump, still running fuel through the vacuum tank (which made the carby leak). Soon worked out all I had to do was switch the pump on for a few seconds every 5 or 6 kilometres to top up the tank which then ran on normal gravity feed.

Lang

Hi Urchy87,

Years ago I got sick of the vacuum tank system on my 26 Chev playing up at the most in-opertune times.It was being used as the second family car at the time, with me driving it to work on a daily basis.

I got a low pressure solid state electric pump and gutted the vacuum tank. I then plumbed up the inlet and outlet fittings to the pump, wrapped the electric pump in foam, ran the power wire up through the overflow pipe of the tank and you could neither see nor hear the pump work. No more problems.

Cheers guys. I’d rather leave it how it is, especially since we had it running for a bit without issue. That tells me it’s something we can sort out. We are going to look at it tomorrow to see if we can find what’s going on. Will touch base once we know what direction we are heading. Cheers.

Back to the Durant. Despite being an electrician I’m not familiar enough with how auto electrics work to sort this issue out. The generator had a Mad Max resistor bank off something which kind of regulated voltage but has since gone missing. They are wanting to convert it to an alternator to make it simply a 12 volt setup. Unless you can give me a good enough argument to convince them otherwise. Is it really that hard to reliably regulate a generators voltage in these old jiggers?

Fitting an alternator in is the tricky part. What’s your thought on using head stud bolts? Would also look to utilise the fan bracket bolts for the adjustment arm. I don’t really like the idea of head bolts but options are limited for mounting points. I haven’t had a decent look at it yet but off some old photos I had that’s about the only real option I can see.

Interested to know your thoughts on keeping it as a generator or converting it to an alternator. Thanks.

Hello Urchy,
It will most likely be a third brush generator with that brush moved to the best charge rate for the circumstances it is being used. For example if short runs and starts high charge, long runs just two or three amps. If set on high and a long run comes up switch the headlamps on to save overcharging the battery.
The unit you refer to may be the cut out which isolates the generator from the battery when engine stopped, this can be replaced with a diode. My one has four posts and is wired so that both sides share the charging current, I installed it as directed however that is the extent of my knowledge without asking further.
David.

What make is the genny....Ive got a big book on North East Electrical up to 1929.

Hi,

there are also companies/individuals that offer to convert the insides of generators making them into alternators so you can get the power of an alternator with the orignal look of the generator.

Terry

Verry interesting problem. It looks like the generator is gear driven. Some early pommy tractors had a similar set up but I dont know if they ran 2 or 3 brush set ups and they were Lucas generators so voltage regulators are avaible for them. But it sounds as if you are having other issiues that I am not sure about.
Reason not to change is that an alternator was never fitted to the truck. Reason to fit an alternator are none or for ease of charge but where to fit it and how.
So if yours is a Lucas and has 3 brushes then look at the various models of regulators readily available new online.

Being gear driven and with the distributor gear driven off the rear of the genny, I don't see how it could be converted to an alternator.

My other thought is, why not get it to an auto elect, have it fixed and regulated as it was. Probably the quickest and easiest solution.

Just my thoughts.
Steve.