Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion 1954 Tokheim Gulf Image Question

I have a 1954 Tokheim 39 A P (ad glass) pump I have started to restore. In the following link

Old Gas POTM Tokheim 39 Short

r49th (Rod) shows a Tokheim 39 in a Gulf image.

Would this be correct for my pump?

The research I have done (PCM's Guide and Gas Pump Collectors Guide) indicates the Gulf pumps of this vintage were orange with a blue base and a lower blue band. Under the 6 coats of paint on my pump there seems to be blue sides and orange doors. I don't know if the doors and sides remained on the pumps when they were rebranded. Could another company besides Gulf used blue sides and orange doors?

Danb

Danb, although many people paint their Gulf pumps with blue side panels and orange doors, IMHO the research you have done show the correct paint scheme for a "Good Gulf" (regular) pump.
However a jobber could possibly paint it with the company colors but in the "wrong" way?
Me, I would use the company scheme :-) but it's your pump and I sugges t you paint it the way you look the best.
br
Claes

Dan , I personally never saw any Gulf pumps of that era painted with the blue sides . The Regular Good Gulf was always an Orange with a blue band at the base . The No - Nox of that time was a half an half White top and Orange bottom . Hope this helps . Ed Shaver

...Dan - I'm pretty sure that in 1954, a Good Gulf pump would have had a blue base and orange from there up...and used the classic 'That Good Gulf Gasoline' pump sign...

...it wasn't until 1955, that they started using the 'interlocking G's' pump signs (shown in the photo you posted), and the imaging was changed to a blue base, and blue band coming up (I believe 12" high) from the base, and orange from there up...

...I know this differs from the Pump Restoration book, but it's what my research indicates...

The Pump Restoration Book isn't 100% accurate on all pumps.
They are correct to a certain extent on Husky pumps, but I have seen a number of originals that do not match their paint scheme.

All,

I appreciate the quick informative responses. I was afraid that this may be the answer. So maybe I should get other suggestions for an image. The following is what I'm after:

1) Correct for the pump year or later. (no fantasy image)
2) Pump image would be correct with a globe.
3) The image is multi-color. (everyone has a red Tok 39)

I guess the "correct Gulf" (orange with lower blue band) fits this although I'm not tied to Gulf. It seems Shell would fit this pump. Would Polly Gas? Any other suggestions?

Again thanks for all your help.

Danb

...I guess any oil company selling gas in 1954 would be feasible...if you want a globe, I would advise against Gulf, as I am becoming more and more convinced that Gulf started to phase-out use of globes in the early 1950's, if not before...

...Shell used lots of Tokheim pumps, and the Shell Premium pump would have been yellow and red, with a globe...

...look at some old photos...there are several books out there:

http://www.gaspumps.info/servicestations.shtml

http://www.gaspumps.info/roadside.shtml

...and IMO sometimes it seems like everyone has a Polly pump

I know this is a tiny picture, but this is a faded original Gulf pump. Years ago, I used this image as a home page icon for Oldgas.com. It still appears on many older pages.

Damb,

For some reason pump collectors assume that all pumps were purchased by oil companies. Not true, most pumps were purchased by individual station owners through oil equipment dealers.
Say for instance, the Gulf Oil Co. owned 50 stations in the Philadelphia area. At times they would order 100+ pumps from whatever pump company, for all their stations in Philly.
But that little guy out in Hayes, Kansas, who ownes his own station, who is buying his gasoline from the Gulf distributor in Kansas City, and when he needs a new pump (and actually at this time he feels he can afford a new pump, rather than buying a used pump) he purchases a pump from the nearest oil equipment warehouse. He doesn't have much choice, he takes what they have in the warehouse.
What I am trying to say is, what is listed in the GP restoration book is for big cities, but in the late 40s most of the pumps were being purchased by owners, guys who owned their own station, and every decision they made was different. I'm sure there where a lot of stations that sold Gulf gasoline, that used pumps that were still the original RED, because they didn't have the money to paint them any other color.

You are looking for a right and a wrong way. There was no wrong way, every station did things according to their budget.

Now to answer your #2 queston. Globes were always an option, they coule be ordered either with or without.

Jack Sim

...Jack - you forgot one...this pump could also have been reimaged if the station owner got disgruntled with his brand and signed on with a new one, and just repainted the pump...

...but I have to disagree that there were "a lot of stations that sold Gulf gasoline, that used pumps that were still the original RED, because they didn't have the money to paint them any other color"...not in the late 1940's, not with Gulf's expansive marketing territory (and comprehensive image standards), and not with Gulf orange paint provided at cost by the oil company to the dealer, for what - maybe $1.00/qt?..maybe a few rare exceptions, but not "a lot"...

...it sounds as if Danb wants something authentic...'no fantasy image'(his words)...so let's help him make it as authentic as possible...

Jack, Gulfiend!

Do I interpret correctly all these pumps were originally painted red from the manufacturer in the early 50's?

This pump, both the doors and the sides, have for the first coat, which I believe could be primer, a white or light grey.

Was primer used on these pumps? Was primer used under each reimage?

The 2nd color on the sides was blue and the 2nd color on the doors was orange. The inside of the doors are orange, so they were never painted again. No evidence of blue on the bottom of the outside of the doors.

I guess the doors and sides could have been swapped on the next reimage.

I like your "authentic" description Gulfiend. Thats what I want as much as possible. I see these Gilmore Tok 39 A's and Gilmore was out of biz by then, and Ford, and Chevrolet, and Harley Davidson etc. I want to avoid that.

Thanks again for all the good input.

Danb

...not if they were ordered from the factory in a large enough quantity, and had colors spec'd at the time they were ordered...like Jack said, if they were inventory at a warehouse, they were probably red...


...when originally painted, but probably not when reimaged - unless they were remanufactured...pumps reimaged at the station would just have been repainted...


...that's definitely possible...


...you and me both...

Gulfiend!

I was hoping to maybe put some of the history together on this pump to go back to its original image. I guess it's not going to be possible.

It would seem to be the history is like this:
The original pump was ordered from the factory with blue sides and door color unknown. At some point the pump was removed and taken a warehouse. There the new "orange" doors were installed/swapped and the pump repainted red.

So I guess I'll just have to pick an interesting "authentic" image and go with it.

Thanks again
Danb

...if you figure out what company you decide to go with and need info, post here...otherwise - please take before, during and after photos and post them here...good luck...