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#700365 Mon Dec 11 2017 02:29 PM
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Hello, I am confused. I bought an Erie pump from a man who purchases it directly from a bulk gas plant in our local town. He said the pump is exactly as he bought it and he has no reason not to tell the truth. After buying it, I posted photos online and the confusion started. First, they said it had the wrong faceplates and they also notices, it had no chrome piece at the bottom. They said maybe the bottom of the frame was shortened and the chrome had been taken off. In that case, the doors would have had to be trimmed and then the side bottoms would be even with the door bottoms. But those modifications should not have affected the pumps meter-(dial numbers). They seem to be sitting higher in the glass window than all the ones I’m finding. I thought maybe the white faceplates had been cut but after taking them both off, I put them back to back and they both are EXACTLY the same height. I don’t see how anyone could trim those plates so perfect. They both even have a slight angle down in the corners of both sides. This had to be done in the factory. Do you know what is going on? Wrong sides? Wrong doors? Wrong faceplates? Modified frame? (I don’t see where bottom could have been cut) I’m not trying to restore it. I just wanted to add lighting and pass Howard’s restore a finish on it to show patina. However, I did want the meter and faceplate area to look factory. As it sits now, there is a big gap below and above the numbers. If I simply buy two new larger faceplates, it seems the gap will still remain at the bottom, and the top part will be too high. (because the meter looks like it is dead center of the glass) Not towards the bottom like all others I see. The last photo is faceplates that I have found that are larger than the ones I have. Please help! Thanks
Scott LaFleur
















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scott434 #700374 Mon Dec 11 2017 05:22 PM
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Scott, I have restored a couple of these pumps and yours has definitely been modified for some reason. I don't think it was sent out like it is from the factory. If it was, the face plates that it was sent out with are long gone and someone has cut off a set and put them on there at a later date. The location of the motor and pump mechanism is different from a standard 700 series pump and you wont get regular face plates to work unless you relocate the computer in the window with a regular plate in place. The face plates that were on it have been cut off. You can see the porcelain edge where the window for the ad glass opening is in your picture. The outside couple of inches is rusty where it was cut and the center has some porcelain on the edge where the window was. They would be easy to cut even and straight in a squaring shear but I don't know how they did it without shattering the porcelain in the process. I never understood why people would go to such lengths to modify pumps back in the day but yours isn't the first one we've seen that is an oddball modification. I have a Southwest 90 that was shortened for a farm pump and it would've taken a lot of work to cut it up and put it back together. Guess they had their reasons. If you just want to make it look presentable for a patina display I would take the guts out of it, get a set of standard face plates for a 700 series pump, and move the shelf the computer sets on down to center it all in the window. Tom Buckles probably has some face plates and he has the stainless trim strips that fit in the door glass frame above and below the ad glass. Put whatever ad glass in there that you like and roll on. You can put a round decal over the sight glass hole or something, putting all that back in would be a pain. You will have a unique piece of history for sure.Here is one I did a few years ago so you can see how it's supposed to look in the window. Have fun.....GB

101_0218.JPG
Last edited by Rabbitman; Mon Dec 11 2017 05:24 PM.
scott434 #700376 Mon Dec 11 2017 05:28 PM
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You might look on the doors and see if there are the holes for the hose guards in them. If not, it could be that it was made this way from the factory, the face plates just got lost somewhere along the way and they cut those and put them on just to be able to use it....GB

scott434 #700378 Mon Dec 11 2017 06:08 PM
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It appears that there is a mounting hole in the left side frame about 6" lower then the current location of the computer shelf. I can see it in the 6th picture. Could this be where the shelf was originally mounted ? That would better align the bottom of the faceplate with the bottom of the opening in the door. You can even see a hole below the reset crank, possibly where it originally was. And like GB said, the top of the plate has been cut off and it appears the sight glass manifold has been removed. Maybe someone can post a pic of a face plate with the top portion intact. I would think if you gut the pump, drop the computer shelf, find the horizontal chrome strips(or fabricate) and faceplates you'll have a nice pump.


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