356 part quiz

[Chris Makaritis]

Dear members.
A bit of help here....
Can anyone tell me what this part is??

[Joris Koning]

Carrera fuel pumps

[John Linden]

These look like the Autopulse Fuel Pumps set up for use on a Carrera. The pumps are USA made which always surprised me but after doing research, I found that a pair of these pumps was used on the Carrera. I have seen both 6V and 12V versions. I think the model number was Autopulse 500. I have seen them at rural swap meets ( Turlock CA ) and only a few years back I bought a few for $5.00 to $10.00 each. Normally when I get them home, they work -- so they seem to be made pretty well. My guess is they were sold in the USA in auto parts stores and used on cars/trucks/tractors.

The set up you have pictured looks like not only the pumps but the complete set up for a Carrera -- probably very hard to find.

Good Luck!

John Linden
Alamo, CA

[Brian Jones]

The pumps are not that hard to find but the manifolds joining them together as shown in the pictures are priceless

brian Jones #8448

[Joris Koning]

Agreed, original parts are hatd to find. Andrew of type550 website fame sells real nice reproductions of the manifolds. Brackets are also available

[Chris Makaritis]

Thank you for the replies.
It makes sense. They came off a 56' 1500 GS Carrera.

[Bill Sargent]

As earlier posts have said the fuel pumps are relatively easy to find. The part near the top of the first photo is a 356 specific bracket to mount the pumps to the upper front torsion bar tube - it is far more rare than the pumps. The manifold tubes on either side are equally if not more rare. There were also curved hard fuel lines with a banjo fitting on one end that bolted to the manifold with one connecting via a soft line to the fuel tank and the other connecting via a soft line to the hard line in the tunnel.

[Chris Makaritis]

Took a few more pictures.
Apparently these Autopulse Carrera pumps are complete with fuel lines clips and original screws etc.
I will probably clean them up a bit and try EBay...
Thank you all for your replies and comments.

[Bill Sargent]

If you want top dollar I would suggest sending the pumps to Jim Kauffman at 356 Carb Rescue. He can make then look and function like new. You do not say if the pumps are 6V or 12V, however I would guess that a current price for the complete restored set up is around $2500. Maybe more. I have a set of 12V Auto Pulse pumps with all the parts shown in your photo (including the torsion bar mount bracket) and that is about what it cost me to gather all the parts over the last 2 years, including having 356 Carb Rescue restore the pumps.

All this said however, the Carrera owners I have talked to say that they usually hide a Bendix fuel pump somewhere and do not power the Auto Pulse pumps as they can have reliability issues - the main one being the internal bellows, which if cracked is a problem since there are no replacements available. You have to find a core pump to get another bellows from.

[Chris Makaritis]

Thank you Bill for the reply and your suggestion. Will definitely consider your recommendation.
The pumps are 6V as per original specs. I guess if it took you 2 years to gather everything, offering such a complete and untouched example is worth that if not, quite a bit more.

[Bill Sargent]

Looks like quite a bit more means $4,900 based on the add in the classified section. Potential buyers need to be aware that the copper bellows inside the pumps are frequently cracked (per Jim Kauffman at 356 Carb Rescue) so one or two new core pumps could be needed if the buyer wants a working set. If they are for image only (meaning there is a Bendix pump hidden elsewhere) this will not be a concern. In any event it appears the Greek economy will benefit.

[Chris Makaritis]

The pumps got some TLC and have been checked out. Apparently they are in good working order!
P.S in response to Bill, the U.S economy will get the boost since if sold it will all go towards many parts still needed, from the States