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MG TD TF 1500 - Facet fuel pump install, Mark's design

When I recently posted a question about the best place to mount a Facet fuel pump, Mark Sherman sent me a picture of his installation from five years ago on his vintage racing TD. His design places the Facet pump at an angle directly on the chassis frame ahead of the right rear wheel. He used stainless steel hose clamps to secure the pump and filter to the frame. I copied his design and started off by using the old pump to empty most of the eight gallons of gas from the tank. Didn’t spill a drop, and with Mark’s design, it is not necessary to get all of the gas out. The work area above the frame is easily accessible by rolling the carpet back on the shelf behind the seat and removing the right hand section of wooden floor of the shelf, which is just above the frame. Cutting into the fuel line at the top of the frame arch over the rear axel also resulted in no spillage. Looking down on the work area is a lot easier than getting under the car. The location permits mounting the pump at an angle (recommended by Moss) with the outlet elevated to inhibit vapor-lock. The location is also near the tank, less than 12 inches above the bottom of the tank and is away from exhaust heat as recommended by Moss and Facet. The filter is quite accessible for changing. I used rubber cushioning to eliminate most pump noise, although Mark used tall rubber bushings, as he was also engineering to retain positive ground (Moss’ installation instructions now say that the Facet pump can go either way.) If I did this right, a picture of my installation is attached, although Mark’s picture is much better if he could post it.

Regards,

Bobby Loughridge



B. F. Loughridge

That's a very pretty installation, Bobby.

However I do have a small critique.

It seems to me that your electrical connections using Marr connectiors is subject to water invasion and subsequent corrosion. Generally, Marr connectors are not reccommended on automotive applications because of vibration.

Wouldn't it be better to use shrink tube with a sealer overcoat on the ends?

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
Gordon A Clark

Bobby:

Photo attached as per your request.

(Please don't be distracted by that black pipe. It is the base of my removable rollbar.)

Safety fast!

Mark Sherman
mrkshrmn at hotmail.com


Mark A. Sherman

Bobby - I have to agree with Gordon, loose the Marr connector and use bullet connectors instead. while they are not more resistant to water invasion (correctable with a glob of dielectric grease on either end of the connector) they are more secure. The use of proper sound mounts for mounting the pump reduces the noise of the pump to the point it can barley be heard, even with the engine off. Your mounting on a rubber mat still has sound short through the bolts that secure the pump to the frame. My only other comment regarding your installation is the use of the filter while still having the SU pump in line with the Facet pump. This puts the filter on the inlet side of the SU pump, which can damage the SU pump if the filter clogs while the SU pump is working as the primary pump. This presents a bit of a conundrum in that the Facet calls for a filter on the inlet side of their pumps and without a bit of a plumbing nightmare, there is no way to satisfy both requirements. My suggestion is to keep in mind that the SU pup can be damaged by a clogged filter on the inlet side and if fuel starvation is ever experienced, shut off the SU pump immediately until the cause determined. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

David and Gordon,

Thanks for the recommendations on electrical connections; I did a number of old XK's back in the seventies and eighties and have unsoldered and reassembled a lot of Lucas bullet connectors (the bullet parts were good; the rubber around the connectors usually rotted about as quickly as anything could rust.) I'm partial to spade connectors and will probably use such for permanent wiring. David, re: the filter; I'm bypassing entirely the old pump, which was probably not an SU, but worked well. The only labeling I have found on it is the word 'top' on the top of the vertical cylinder that is the pump. There may be something on the bottom, but I haven't looked there yet. The reason for the Facet pump was that I was switching to negative ground to accommodate an alternator. If I put the old pump back on line (whatever brand it is) I will need to isolate it to take the changed polarity, which may be a good project for the idea of it. Re: the sound insulation; you can't tell it from the picture, but there is no metal-to-metal contact between the pump and the frame because of the 'sandwich' of rubber layers and metal layers. That arrangement was only because I couldn't find any good rubber bushings like Mark used. As I mentioned to Mark, I used to always have a supply of old shock absorber bushings that were good for a lot of uses! (...but that was back in the day...)

Regards,

Bobby L.
B. F. Loughridge

Bobby L. SU fuel pumps are not polarity sensitive (original types). The newer units may be sensitive because of the snubber they put across the points.
Cheers,
Bob
Bob Jeffers

This thread was discussed between 23/08/2010 and 24/08/2010

MG TD TF 1500 index

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