1978 convert to electric fuel pump

[mikedion]

I bought a 1978 Fiat Spider from my Brother in law 5 years ago and have never driven it but have kept it in a heated dry garage for the whole time. Every once and a while I would start it up and drive around the block. About a year a go the brakes got really mushy and I stopped driving it around the block but continued to start it up every month. The problem starting it up only every month is that the mechanical fuel pump takes forever to reintroduce fuel into the carburetor. I have been trying to replace the mechanical fuel pump with an electric one and noticed that all the on line info on this subject instructs the fuel pump be mounted in the trunk, next to the fuel tank. I tried a dry fit mounting the fuel pump in the engine bay compartment and it seems to draw the fuel well enough to start the engine but not enough to keep it running for very long. Is there a stronger pump that I could buy that would work better or is the problem of drawing the fuel from the tank in the rear of the car ? Pushing the fuel from the tank in the rear involves running a wire the length of the car. I will also post this inquiry in the General Discussion forum, as that may have more readership. Thank you. Mike Dion

[aj81spider]

Electric fuel pumps push much better than they pull, which is why Fiat put the pump in the trunk. I think you will be much better off putting the pump in the stock position (stock in other years than yours) and running the wires. The wires shouldn't be too bad to run. You can route them under the carpet and through the wall in the trunk.

[mikedion]

Electric fuel pumps push much better than they pull, which is why Fiat put the pump in the trunk. I think you will be much better off putting the pump in the stock position (stock in other years than yours) and running the wires. The wires shouldn't be too bad to run. You can route them under the carpet and through the wall in the trunk.

Hello aj81spider. Thanks for your advice. I did move the pump to the trunk and it works much better. The wire from the dash to the pump was run under the carpet on the driver floor side. I installed a relay to pick with a push button on the dashboard to prime the fuel to the carburetor before starting. Once the engine is running the fuel pump will only run if the oil pressure sensor is light circuit is not active to prevent the fuel pump from running when the motor is stopped.

[mikedion]

Electric fuel pumps push much better than they pull, which is why Fiat put the pump in the trunk. I think you will be much better off putting the pump in the stock position (stock in other years than yours) and running the wires. The wires shouldn't be too bad to run. You can route them under the carpet and through the wall in the trunk.

Hello aj81spider. Thanks for your advice. I did move the pump to the trunk and it works much better. The wire from the dash to the pump was run under the carpet on the driver floor side. I installed a relay to pick with a push button on the dashboard to prime the fuel to the carburetor before starting. Once the engine is running the fuel pump will only run if the oil pressure sensor light circuit is not active to prevent the fuel pump from running when the motor is stopped.