Old School Pesco Hydraulic Setup Breakdown - Tech Project

Old school hydraulic setups have been making a big comeback over the past few years. Retro seems to be in and the hydro setups of old are as popular as ever. Pescos, Eemcos and OG aircraft parts are making their way into the trunks of some of the hottest cars, and quite a few of our latest cover cars have featured these setups.

With that said, we decided to give you a little insight into the inner workings of these pumps and accessories. Mike of Craps, Inc. in Whittier, California, is going to take us on a trip through the literal ins and outs of one of the more accessible Pesco pumps, a 280, and how to break it down for painting, polishing and chroming.

Many people will tear down these pumps to certain degrees, declaring that if the pump works it shouldn't be disturbed. And depending on what you're going to do as far as painting and polishing, this may very well be true. But Mike personally likes to take them totally apart; preferring to polish and paint many of his setups, and the right way to do that is to take them apart entirely. He's also learned a few tricks along the way that help greatly in making sure that the pump works properly when reassembled. So let's take apart a Pesco 280 and get a brief intro into the secretive world of old school aircraft parts.

The first thing you'll notice is the reluctance by most old-timers and people in the know to talk about actual part numbers and there are literally thousands of them. Unfortunately, only a handful are known to work for our application. They get pulled from planes at salvage yards all over the country, but most are found in California and Arizona, which have a better climate, and thus the parts remain fairly corrosion free.

When Mike is re-assembling the pumps he has a few secrets that he shared with us. "I spend quite a few hours hand sanding the parts to make them as smooth as possible," he says. "Then I will polish many of them myself. Making sure that mating surfaces stay unmolested is of the utmost importance. It's the difference between the part working and not working. After I polish the parts separately, I then assemble them and have the polisher go over them on the buffer to make sure that the mating surfaces don't get hit with the buffer and that the entire part has a uniform shine in all of the tight crevices."

If you're curious about the difference that Mike described, feel free to check out the February '08 '59 Chevy Impala cover car, "Aqua Boogie." The setup is a masterpiece featuring Eemco pumps, Adex dumps and liquid-filled gauges. Only one or two parts are painted and this is really only possible at that level doing it the way that Mike does it.

So there you have it, a breakdown of the Pesco pump. As you can see by the final picture, the pump is worthy of a show car and works flawlessly. In the somewhat near future we're going to de-mystify the old school pump game, so if this is something that interests you, keep your eyes peeled.

The setup in "Aqua Boogie"...        read full caption The setup in "Aqua Boogie" received this level of commitment to look the way that it does.	The setup in "Aqua Boogie"...        read full caption The setup in "Aqua Boogie" received this level of commitment to look the way that it does.	The end plate is taken from...        read full caption The end plate is taken from the motor.
Pliers are used to bend back...        read full caption Pliers are used to bend back locking tabs folded against the six screws that hold the brush assembly to the motor.	The six screws are remove...        read full caption The six screws are removed.	The brush assembly is removed...        read full caption The brush assembly is removed and inspected, and this one was looking in good shape for a unit made in the '50s.
The four nuts were loosened...        read full caption The four nuts were loosened and removed.	The pump section and rotor...        read full caption The pump section and rotor section have been removed. Many would stop here but Mike likes to go the extra mile so that everything can be chromed, polished or painted properly.	Here's the pump broken do...        read full caption Here's the pump broken down.
And the pump is pulled apart...        read full caption And the pump is pulled apart revealing the gears and aluminum shim.	Next it's time to remove the...        read full caption Next it's time to remove the pump segment of the pump. Wire cutters were used to remove the safety wire that's used throughout all aviation parts	There are two screws inside...        read full caption There are two screws inside the brush assembly that will release it once unscrewed.
The pump is removed from the...        read full caption The pump is removed from the motor housing.	Again, pliers are used to...        read full caption Again, pliers are used to bend back the locking tabs and remove the six screws.	The safety wire was cut away...        read full caption The safety wire was cut away from the castle nuts and all six removed.
Take great care not to damage...        read full caption Take great care not to damage the shim.	The oxygen tanks used for...        read full caption The oxygen tanks used for fluid reservoirs.	The O-rings get checked and...        read full caption The O-rings get checked and changed when needed.
A late model (green) and early...        read full caption A late model (green) and early model (black) Pesco 280.	Drive assembly covers raw...        read full caption Drive assembly covers raw and polished.	The fully chromed and polished...        read full caption The fully chromed and polished 280.
A Pesco 777.	The 280 pump end before and...        read full caption The 280 pump end before and after polishing.	This is a Pesco pressure equalizer...        read full caption This is a Pesco pressure equalizer used to level out the car from side to side on a front and back only system.
The brush plate cover before...        read full caption The brush plate cover before and after.