Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Customizing gas pumps

Have many people started to customize gas pumps like car customizers do with cars?
I don't mean turning them into lighted display cases or putting in a TV screen.
I mean really making changes to the overall look to suit the owners taste while still having it look like a gas pump.
Adding chrome where chrome had not been. Adding a new style or shape of top. Making a pump using parts from different pumps and making them into one.
Car guys have been doing this for 70+ years. Taking the rear end of one car and fabricating into onto another model.
If you have any pictures to share I would love to see them.

I haven't gone as far as marring 2 different manufactures together, but have created Twins out of extra parts. 300 Bowser & 34 Tokheim.
I had a busted up 36B that I used to create the Showcase between the 36B Twin.

Lots of folks are customizing their pumps these days. I've seen em with custom paint to match their cars, shortened visibles to put under low ceilings, TVs installed behind the glass, and even people building wooden pumps or using wood to build pieces that are missing from their pumps! Who's to say there isn't a few oak 36b tops in people's collections!

Those are AWESOME!

Gas Pump Ronnie of somewhere in California was doing a lot of custom pumps years ago. One I remenber he did was a "Bomber" theme National A-38 to look like a WWII flying fortress with brushed aluminum look,with turret guns and lots of rivets. Also a Bengal tiger theme Wayne 40A with tiger stripes and paws on the base. I cannot find any pictures though. Maybe somebody on here still knows were to get ahold of pictures of his creations...they were cool!

Jim

Another he did was for Gene Autry, a 541 covered in cow hide w/ a showcase area in bottom. He also did one for Hugh Heffner "Playboy" & several for Reggie ?, pitcher for Ca. Angles.
Gaspump Ronnie lives in Hesperia, Ca.

Leave the pumps alone! Car customizing is cool but gas pumps no!!!!!!

I disagree. Why not make something more appealing to the owner?

I disagree with anyone who tells you what you should do with your pump. It is yours, your found it, you bought it, you brought it home, it is yours to decide what youy want to do with it.

I have my preferences, but I will not list them here as I do not feel I have the right to tell you what to do with your pump.

If you intend to keep the pump, restore it any way you want. If you intend to sell it, do it any way the customer wants it.

Jack Sim

W/O Repop parts, New Paint, decals, signs, globes, you'll most likely have an Incomplete pump Collection!
NO ONE has the Rights to tell anyone else what to do w/ THEIR PUMPS.

I remembered seeing this "Von Dutch Theme" pump at Columbus last year. This picture was taken from Oldgas' archives of Iowa 2012. Not sure who's it was.

For the most part, we customize almost every pump we restore to some degree. Even though most of mine are restored to an original theme, I'm pretty sure they never came from the factory with base/clear paint, polished fittings and nozzles, powder coated bases, and mirror polished stainless trim. I have plans to customize one into a display cabinet for my Texaco die cast planes that I am going to use a fantasy Texaco Aviation globe on. I'm looking for one that is incomplete to do that with as I wouldn't want to mess up a perfect pump or one that is super rare and valuable to do that sort of thing to. But hey, I say do whatever trips your trigger......most of the time you could redo it back to original if you wanted to anyway unless it was a full on George Barris type job with Caddilac tail fins welded on it or something.......

Now this is what I am talking about. That Texaco sure looks great as well.

I did buy a partial pump last year (chassis, sides, doors) for $200
I had it custom painted with my business name on both the doors and globe as well as some pin striping. A computer screen is going to be put in the door.
The pump will be placed in my vendor booth at local car shows. It will be used to play old hot rod films to entertain our customers.

Hi Trent,

I don't know how many people "go all out"at it,but yes,a member here on Oldgas did a Rat Rod theme pump to promote his business,I think,a few years ago.Some of the guys may remember gasalleykid from 2010.

Anyway,he did a rat rod theme pump that was the wildest thing I've ever seen.Think about:

1) Fully exposed VR with a skull (??)in the sight glass,
2) Welded chain hose guards.
3) An air filter and exhaust pipes on the.

He was working with a Tok short 39.Definitely a one of a kind.

If you want to look at it,go back into my own posts for Mon Apr 5 ,2010.The topic was "Rat Rod Tok. 39 build pictures" posted by gasalleykid.That is the only way I know how to find it.

Interesting reading.IMO,go for it!!

I know it seems like I dont have a life. Im laid off right now. Honest.