Pennzoil Petrol Pump

Back in October I bought a petrol pump for Nystrup Gravel. The pump from the American oil company Pennzoil is made by Hong Kong manufacturer Yat Ming and is a pre-assembled 1/18 model of metal and plastic. While some of the pump's parts are quite passable, others are over-simplified and the chrome plating does nothing to hide it.

The pump as delivered. High capacity plastic fuel hose and shiny chrome parts.

The pump is most likely made to fit the many die cast car models in 1/18 scale. As some of the cars, the pump is also suffering from thick and toy-like parts. The basic structure is dimensionally alright and I decided to correct some of the worst shortcomings. With a little care I would be able to fix the pump and make use of it until I find something better.

The fuel hose would need replacing and I also wanted to dispense with the bracket used to hang the hose on when not in use. Other parts needed mould lines removed and a repaint. I also chose to make a new mounting plate and the top of the pump's concrete foundation.

The petrol pump with loose parts removed and new parts readied for use.

I carefully prised to top lamp off the pump's glass tank and tore off the fuel hose. I covered the clear plastic part with masking tape before I used file and knife to remove mould lines on the pumping handle. I cut off the bracket for hanging the hose on and replaced it with a much more modest bracket from brass wire. I added bolt heads from plastic profile along a gap between two parts of the pump, making the gap look like a a parting line between two plates. The thick fuel hose was replaced with a length of electrical wire. Two slabs of 1,5 mm plasticcard represents the pump's mounting plate and the top of the concrete foundation. The four bolt heads were cut from octangonal plastic stock.

All freshly added parts were painted and weathered before the pump received a layer of matt varnish to tone down the shiny toy-effect. The masking tape was removed and the top lamp fitted again. The fuel hose still need some careful bending to hang just right.

Front view showing the new fuel hose clearly.

Side view.  Along the parting line down the pump's side I have painted scratches and worn metal with small amounts of rust.