47-59 261 fuel pump block off plate

[pFred]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

One question, Can you find a regulator that will actually cut the fuel pressure down to the 3 or 4 lbs max that the carb needs that is of a high enough quality to do the job and how much more will it cost than a stock replacement fuel pump for that engine?

A new fuel pump for the 261 that doesn't have the vacuum pump for the wipers is 20 bucks from Rock Auto and a little over 30 from O'Reillys. https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...fuel+pump,6256

Then is it the pump or the gasket behind it that is leaking? I'm just not seeing the wisdom of swapping to the high pressure pump and then having to buy a pressure regulator to cut the pressure to match what the carb needs. Plus if you go to advertise and sell the 261 before you pull it and are able to take a potential buyer for a ride in the truck the new fuel pump is a selling aid. Throw in that my experience says that being able to show someone how well an engine actually runs down the road is added value.

"RobbMc" makes very good high quality fuel system parts for builds. That's the adjustable by-pass FPR I'm going to use. We've put one on my buddies Jeep, and it works great.

It definitely would be cheaper and simpler to slap another mechanical pump on it. My main reasoning is, this is my truck that I use as a truck. I want to minimize the downtime, and if I do the fuel system upgrade now, that's a good chunk of time-suck done and finished to make the engine swap a little easier. That's been a decision I've struggled back and forth on.

The most sensible solution comes from my wife. SHE'S encouraging me to buy another truck, and just go ahead and take my time building this '63 C10. How's THAT for a wife?? I've been passively looking for 2000-2002 S1500s for fair prices but have been a day late a few times. We'll see how that goes as well.