1969 Buick Riviera 430 electric fuel pump

[Kevin Eldridge]

Evening

I am just finishing up a restoration on a 1969 Buick Riviera. All is done, or so I thought, and my fuel pump has just gone out. I see plenty of aftermarket retrofits but I really want to stick with the OEM in-tank unit. Is there anyone out there who sells that still?

Thanks

Kevin

 

[2007LucerneCXL]

Check with this group
Riviera Owners Assocation Home Page

Also the previous post had links
https://buickforums.com/forums/threads/1969-buick-riviera-430-4bbl-fuel-line.50767/

 

[LARRY70GS]

From 1badriv.com

"I have had the luxury of meeting many Riviera racers. Two of them are brothers from the Chicago area. And they happen to have very high powered 69 and 70 Rivieras. And as a result, they have discovered that the factory electric in-tank fuel pump just can't supply the fuel requirements of high horsepower engines. It just doesn't flow enough nor does it have the pressure. And as a result (and I've experienced it too) once the engine starts revving in the higher RPM range the fuel bowls on the carburetor empty and the car literally runs out of gas and falls flat on its face - some refer to it as "nosing over".

But...

They have learned that the fuel pump from an 85 - 88 Ford truck with a 4 cyl or 6 cyl engine (I'm guessing it is for a Ford Ranger) is a direct bolt in replacement. The AC Delco number is EP297. I just told the NAPA guy I wanted that number and he just went and got it - and it was he that told me what it originally fit. Pressure at idle went up from 5psi to 6 3/4 to 7 psi and from 1.5 psi at WOT to around 4 psi at WOT, and the flow went from 30 gph to 40 gph. Needless to say there was much improvement, and no bogging at high RPM.

Here you can see the 2 pumps side-by-side (click on the pic to enlarge it). While they are a direct bolt in, there are a couple of slight differences. You'll also notice in the picture on the right that I have used hose clamps to hold the OEM replacement pump in place, and I have done so with the new Ford pump as well. I don't like risking having things separate when there is an easy work around.

The new pump is slightly shorter in body, inlet neck and exit neck lengths. Even so, I was able to just fit it in where the old one was. I believe it sits a little higher in the tank, so be sure to not let the fuel get too low. I tried like heck to affix the old sock, but it just wouldn't clamp down tight enough and I feared it would come off and lodge somewhere that I didn't want, so I used the sock it came with. The guys in Chicago installed it with no sock (I think to increase the flow a bit - and about 2 months later their pump failed!) but I chose to keep the debris out of the pump and maybe lose a tad of flow. And I also wasn't happy with how inflexible the new sock is, and didn't want to run the risk of it interferring with my fuel gauge float, so I installed it with the short end pointing down. I also had to do a little trimming to the rubber sleeve around the pump as it was bumping the float arm. I have not installed a fuel pressure regulator as of yet, and I'll decide after driving it a while if it needs one - but I don't think it will.

That's it! You don't need to plumb a return line, and it sounds just like the OEM Buick pump. And now you have a much better fuel pump."

 

[Kevin Eldridge]

From 1badriv.com

"I have had the luxury of meeting many Riviera racers. Two of them are brothers from the Chicago area. And they happen to have very high powered 69 and 70 Rivieras. And as a result, they have discovered that the factory electric in-tank fuel pump just can't supply the fuel requirements of high horsepower engines. It just doesn't flow enough nor does it have the pressure. And as a result (and I've experienced it too) once the engine starts revving in the higher RPM range the fuel bowls on the carburetor empty and the car literally runs out of gas and falls flat on its face - some refer to it as "nosing over".

But...

They have learned that the fuel pump from an 85 - 88 Ford truck with a 4 cyl or 6 cyl engine (I'm guessing it is for a Ford Ranger) is a direct bolt in replacement. The AC Delco number is EP297. I just told the NAPA guy I wanted that number and he just went and got it - and it was he that told me what it originally fit. Pressure at idle went up from 5psi to 6 3/4 to 7 psi and from 1.5 psi at WOT to around 4 psi at WOT, and the flow went from 30 gph to 40 gph. Needless to say there was much improvement, and no bogging at high RPM.

Here you can see the 2 pumps side-by-side (click on the pic to enlarge it). While they are a direct bolt in, there are a couple of slight differences. You'll also notice in the picture on the right that I have used hose clamps to hold the OEM replacement pump in place, and I have done so with the new Ford pump as well. I don't like risking having things separate when there is an easy work around.

The new pump is slightly shorter in body, inlet neck and exit neck lengths. Even so, I was able to just fit it in where the old one was. I believe it sits a little higher in the tank, so be sure to not let the fuel get too low. I tried like heck to affix the old sock, but it just wouldn't clamp down tight enough and I feared it would come off and lodge somewhere that I didn't want, so I used the sock it came with. The guys in Chicago installed it with no sock (I think to increase the flow a bit - and about 2 months later their pump failed!) but I chose to keep the debris out of the pump and maybe lose a tad of flow. And I also wasn't happy with how inflexible the new sock is, and didn't want to run the risk of it interferring with my fuel gauge float, so I installed it with the short end pointing down. I also had to do a little trimming to the rubber sleeve around the pump as it was bumping the float arm. I have not installed a fuel pressure regulator as of yet, and I'll decide after driving it a while if it needs one - but I don't think it will.

That's it! You don't need to plumb a return line, and it sounds just like the OEM Buick pump. And now you have a much better fuel pump."

This was a big help! Thanks for taking the time to reply

______________________________

 

[G-679288]

This was a big help! Thanks for taking the time to reply

I agree, great information. I would like to do something similar, but rather than carb, go with EFI, requiring a 58 psi fuel pump. Any suggestions?