fuel pump, mechanical 71 spider

[Budduncan]

Hello: It appears I have a worn out mechanical fuel pump on my 71 spider. A local mechanic friend who knows more about Fiats than I do suggested replacing with an electric fuel pump. I removed the very accessible fuel filter, but upon turning the engine over, no fuel from the pump to the inlet of the filter. Although not a lot of room, it looks pretty straightforward to replace the mechanical pump, and there is not a lot of room on the firewall or fenders to mount an electric version. Any thoughts of the best solution, electric vs mechanical are appreciated. I only drive it about 300 miles per year, so not a lot of wear and tear. Neither pump appears very expensive.
Thanks

[Shadoobie]

In my experience, I well thought out installation with a high quality fuel pump can give piece of mind. However, I switched back to the stock mechanical pump and even with a moderately modified engine (carb, manifold, big bore, etc.) It's served it's purpose well for less money than the alternative. If you do go electric though be sure to mount it in the trunk as close to the tank as possible.

[Budduncan]

Thank you. Your advice confirms another source, so I will order up a replacement mechanical pump. While a tight fit, it appears I do not have to remove anything to get to the mounting nuts.
Thanks again.
Bud

[vandor]

Less work and less expense to just replace the mechanical pump.

[Budduncan]

Other than tight clearances, are there any "tricks" or specialized information for replacement? Some utube videspos, not on Fiats, show having to hold a plunger up in the block when putting the new pump in. The intake manifold blocks a lot of access and visability. If the pump just bolts back in place, it should be straight forward. Any suggestions are appreciated. It looks like Vicks and Auto Ricambi carry them.
Thank you for your collective thoughts
Bud

[calvinconrad]

i replaced mine. on the one i bought, the inlet and outflow lines were in a different positions from the one it replaced. after few minutes of cranking i figured it out that they needed to be switched. they weren't marked.

[vandor]

You do't have to hold any plungers, the pump is one piece. The only possibly tricky part is getting the pump's arm on the eccentric lobe. I get calls saying that the pumps are defective, when in fact people do not put the pumps in straight and the arm falls next to the lobe, not on it.
Not a problem on 2000cc engines, as the lobe is super wide, but on 1800 and likely earlier engines the lobe is only ~3/8" wide and the arm must be on top of it for the pump to work.

[Budduncan]

Thanks, Vandor..this is very helpful information and can save some frustration.
Cheers,
Bud

[Budduncan]

Just a wrapup. New mechanical pump from autoricambi works fine. It took several attemps to install because of some pilot error. I decided to change the flex hose from the pump to the in line filter as well as the in line filter. I should have ordered some fuel line from autoricambi, but went to my local Oreilly. The fuel line was slightly too large so when I thought I had the job done, I has a dangerous fuel leak. I pulled the pump out and used the original hose. But I did not notice that the new pump had the nipples about 30degrees rotated from the failed pump. THAT caused my inlet hose to crimp like a garden hose and shut off the fuel even though I had it correctly configured. Removing it again, I rerouted the inlet hose and now it works great. So there is a learning curve. I can now replace one in my sleep. I will probably never have to do that again, but I want to enourage other do it yourselfers that a lot of patience can pay off. Thanks to all of you for your great advice in this wonderful website.