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Dual Messerschmitt Fuel Pumps

Having nearly dropped out of the last Winter Trial with the Silverado, running the 3.0 SC engine on Webers, I have developed a fuel pump phobia… I guess that if you go through three low quality items in two days, it becomes time to dedicate research to the problem. Due to our business relationship with Francis Tuthill Ltd, TwinSpark Racing got access to these special items, which Richard Tuthill uses in all their client cars. As Tuthill cars usually finish and if they drop out it’s usually due to human error, these pumps must be tough cookies. If you see what the Tuthill cars are put through on events like the Safari rally, then surely these pumps must be good enough for heavy navigation rallys.

Yet I asked our mechanic to mount two… just to be absolutely sure. He crafted a beautiful lightweight panel, which fits straight into the smuggler’s box and provides damping, both through rubber profiles under the plate and under the retaining clamps. This minimizes destructive vibration, the bane of all pumps and oil coolers… Added benefit of this location is that the fuel pumps are always full of gasoline, as they are placed under the “waterline” of the fuel tank, provided you have at least a 20% filled tank. This prevents dry starts, another destructive event for most fuel pumps…

The pumps deliver around 1,5 bar, which is ample pressure to lead the fuel to the fuel filter housing in the engine bay, which regulates it to the required pressure of 1 bar for the MFI pump. Fuel over-supply is directly returned from the fuel filter house to the fuel tank. The Messerschmitts (don’t you love the sound of that word; even sounds fast, like the planes) are switchable at the dashboard, so only one runs at any time. If you use the Tuthill Competition wiring loom, like in Woodstock, the wiring and dashboard are prepared for dual fuel pumps.

Come to think of it…we’ll offer this two-in-one-on-plate solution to those racing and rallying brethren interested.