Why electrical instead of mechanical fuel pumps ?

[paulhumphries]

Just wondering
Anyone know why Morris used electrical fuel pumps instead of mechanical ?
The 803, 948 & 1098 engine blocks all have a fitting for a pump and the same units in the A35 used a mechanical pump.

Paul Humphries.

[paulhumphries]

I think the mechanical pumps were made by AC so sounds like a good enough reason to me.

Paul Humphries

[minor_hickup]

I was told it was a Morris tradition dating back to pre-minor times and was a trait of Morris, the electical pump meant they were supposedly easier to start. Which I suppose makes sense.

[jtd.75]

On my 948 engine in the 1960 2 door the engine has a mechanicl pump fitted with the inlet and outlet taped up it also has the elec pump mounted on the bulk head, I hasten to had it is not the original engine as it has Austin on the rocker cover. I am not sure if its last owner kept it there as a stand by and if so would it work. I am still in the process of restoring her, and almost finished. I hope time will tell when I come to start her up as she has been laying dormant since about 1986 The engine has been turned over on the handle on a regular basis

[Gareth]

Morris took over the S.U. company in 1926, so if the mechanical pumps were made by someone else, as Paul suggests, then that would make sense.

Of course, S.U. also make mechanical pumps...

[Kevin]

The 803, 948 & 1098 engine blocks all have a fitting for a pump and the same units in the A35 used a mechanical pump.

I think you mean provision for a mechanical pump as most minor engines dont have the blanking plate but the position is covered by the original casting, as I have been led to believe all the mechanical pump blocks were austin ones but thats not to say none were fitted to minors as they were all part of the same group and it they ran low on morris blocks there was nothing to stop them using austin ones with a blanking plate.