Fuel Pump Pushrod - For Your Information

[bcomo]

During my 430 engine rebuild, the fuel pump pushrod was lost. I was lucky to find a brand new NOS push rod (Part Number CIVE-9400-A).

The shop manual only gives the travel of the pump eccentric cam lift as .25 (I believe). But, no specs on the push rod itself to check a used pushrod for wear (or cut a new one out of steel if you have no other choice).

So, here are the measurements of a brand new pushrod. I would write this down in the shop manual somewhere, maybe in the fuel section. You won't find it anywhere else -- at least I couldn't.

Length = 4.870"

Diameter = .373"

Hope this helps someone someday.

[GTE427]

Thanks for postings those specifications. I followed your earlier post on the pushrod, there were questions about hardened ends, can you confirm?

Where did you find this NOS pushrod?

[bcomo]

Believe it or not -- on E-Bay, of all places. I haven't seen one before, or since. The price was about $30 with shipping, but priceless since I needed it NOW. It came in the original package still greased.

The bottom portion is brass, and is made as part of the pushrod. The top doesn't seem to be hardened, and shows only the lathe tooling cut, as does the brass part. By the way, the brass end goes down against the eccentric cam.

From the Lincoln Forum, I read that after 1961, the entire rod was changed to steel without the brass. The reason for this was because when the brass was worn down too far, the reduced fuel pump arm travel would simulate fuel pump, and or vapor lock problems.

[tbird430convt]

These early design fuel pump rods led to vapor locking because as they wore the pump lever lost it's maximum throw. They later ones worn too but not as quickly.The problem of the steel used wasn't really corrected until 1965.