Rebuilding an early A fuel pump

[Wayne Arny]

Below are pictures of the top section of my obviously unrebuilt fuel pump. I've got all the parts cleaned, and have a "new" and clean top part. The question is what do I need to do to make sure the tiny springs are properly aligned to the little hexagonal pieces, and/or to the cover piece, to assure that they will be installed correctly?

They were kind of stuck to them when I disassembled them, but it may have been the crud in there. Do I use a glue or something like that? Help! Thanks! Wayne

[Martin Benade]

The seats for the hexagonal flappers need to be very smooth and flat, and look very closely at the flappers- they have a rubber surface against the seats. Everything stays in place fine once you screw it together.
With the amount of corrosion you have, it may be difficult to have smooth enough valve surfaces

[Wayne Arny]

Martin, I'll take some more pictures in the morning, but I am not using that top. I have a clean one. I was trying to put it back together, but the spring ends move about as one tries to reassemble. There is a "hole with a rim" for the smaller hole in the underside of what looks like a round tab on the "triangular" part of the cover piece, but nothing to grab the other end of the spring on its hexagon piece. Same for the spring that matches up to the larger hole in the triangular part of the cover piece. The end away from that cover piece fits neatly into the little brass "basket" with three arms that fit into grooves in the hole in the base piece, but the upper end of the spring just, apparently, sits there on the hexagon piece. There are no apparent grooves or other devices on either hexagon piece to "hold" their end of the spring. More thoughts? Thanks!

[Martin Benade]

The springs stay in place ok as long as you can manage to assemble it with nothing jumping out.
I think both important valve seats are “ holes with rims”

[Tom Wavrin]

Wayne, the parts pretty much go back together as you see them. I suppose you could use a touch of grease to help keep the springs in place while assembling the little cover with 3 screws. Gasoline will dissolve the grease when first used. You can clean up the flutter valve seats (holes with rims) with 2000 grit wet/dry emery cloth. I tape a piece of new emery cloth to a mirror or section of glass and very lightly sand the surface of the removable seat. On the seat within the housing I cut the emery cloth with a hole punch and use a flat end of a wood dowel the approximate width of the seat. Lightly touch up the surface by turning the dowel over the emery cloth placed on the valve seat.
You'll need to set the pretension on the pump diaphragm when the two pump halves go back together. I have used a 1 + 1/4 inch piece of wood in a vise to mimic the Porsche tool for that purpose.

[Wayne Arny]

Tom, Thank you very much for the suggestions. I will try them in the next day or two, but they look good to me! As for the "pretension tool," Tim Berardelli has loaned me both factory tools to use, with the caveat that if they are not returned, I will "disappear!!" Am I dealing with The Godfather of Porsche Repair!!?? If so, it's been a good relationship over the years, and I don't want to screw it up and hear, "Some day, and that day may never come...!" Or words to that affect!!

[Martin Benade]

Better just give them back. It’s too complicated trying to predict what might happen otherwise.

[Wayne Arny]

Believe me! I intend to!!