Retrofitting an old gas pump... :-)

FlasherZ · May 1, 2014

Hi all,

I managed to pick up an older Wayne 70 gas pump in pretty good condition:

(Globe from the top was removed for transport.)

I haven't gotten it unloaded to look at its innards yet, but am already thinking I could retrofit this with an HPWC or an OpenEVSE... I don't know if I'll ever do it, or if I'll get time, etc., but I want to collect some opinions and perhaps recommended sources of supplies. So, here are some questions I'm debating:

1. Tesla connector or J1772? Tesla is sleek and works without the adapter, but the bigger J1772 might be more like a classic gas nozzle... any particular connectors out there that are high-power and would fit the classic look? I need to see if the Tesla connector will store inside the existing nozzle well.

2. Innards: Tesla HPWC is nice and compact and more likely to fit in the body of the gas pump without significant modification. My goal would be 100% reversible - e.g., I'm considering using the NPT fittings on the pump to connect the power cable. An HPWC would be more expensive, but would have all the parts I'd need. I'd probably have to strip back the Tesla cable or splice it inside the pump with an additional piece of SEOOW.

3. Any other creative ideas? I'm trying to keep it simple so I ruled out an LCD screen that simulated the pump's computer in displaying price / kWh / price-per, etc. Basically, goal would be to light the pump and the rest pretty stock HPWC. But I'm open to other ideas.

This may never happen but I think it might be a cool project.

dsm363 · May 1, 2014

Anyway to make the dollars roll by as it is charging to simulate you getting charged for the power? Cool idea.

HankLloydRight · May 1, 2014

Wow, very cool and a great idea. I just might have to steal it.

I'd totally find a way to monitor the power consumption, linked to a Arduino or Raspberry PI, and some solenoids or actuators, and make the actual mechanical numbers count up the actual KW and $ used.

As far as connector, I'd just use the standard Tesla connector.

FlasherZ · May 1, 2014

I believe the computer is gear-driven, so it would have to be a bit more complex than solenoids and actuators, without replacing the computer guts.

dsm363 · May 1, 2014

What kind of computer did that thing have? Seems like a rather old pump.

HankLloydRight · May 1, 2014

dsm363 said:
What kind of computer did that thing have? Seems like a rather old pump.

yeah, exactly. No computers in that thing.. just some spinning wheels and gears. In fact, it's probably like an odometer that just has one shaft that turns the 1's dial one number at a time, and then the 10s and 100s rotate based on the 1s. So all you'd need is an actuator or solenoid to turn the 1s dial at the right speed to count kW.

FlasherZ · May 1, 2014

They called it a "computer" because it computed the total based on the price and # gallons... it's a gear-driven device. You set the gas price on the bottom via a set of different gear sizes and it turns the price dials at the correct rate based on gallons pumped. It's a constant-motion sweep-like device, rather than digits "clicking" into place like the pumps from the 70's and 80's. This beast is from the 1930's.

I'm not going to destroy the computer trying to fit actuators to the numbers, because I want to be able to reverse it. So I'd have to create something that could turn the original pump meter... perhaps when I open it up I'll get a better view.

HankLloydRight · May 1, 2014

Right. Leave the "computer" alone. Set the price at your cost per kWh. I pay $0.16. Surely you can set it for that. Then just turn the "gallons" dials with a stepper motor if it's a constant sweep device. I don't think you'd have to change all that much.

And in worst case scenario, leave everything alone, and just have a motor turn the gallon dial while charging, just to make it more fun/realistic. So what if the numbers aren't accurate.

But if it were *me*, I'd make it work so the numbers are accurate.

FlasherZ · May 1, 2014

Restored Gas Pump Works and Sounds Like Real! DIY - YouTube

Might be able to make that work with an old clock motor or something... when the contactor in the HPWC is on, just spin the gallons meter.

Zextraterrestrial · May 2, 2014

You could change the G between the S and O to a K.

neat project idea

bluefuego · May 2, 2014

I am sure that you are going for a retrofit of an antique and preserving it that way - but it would be kinda cool to swap the globe on top with a plasma globe a la

(source: Plasma globe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

(According to that Wikipedia page, Tesla invented it!)

Ooohhhh... ideas abound for a Nikola-themed 'pump'. :biggrin:

ElSupreme · May 2, 2014

Turn the globe into a fish bowl!

I had a broken coffee maker that was a fish bowl. I thought it was way cool.

Jeff N · May 2, 2014

I once had ambitions to do something like that with an old gas pump but I never found the time. Instead, I got a slightly downsized replica antique gas pump and just mounted my J1772 240v station on the back of it so it's largely hidden from sight. I found an image of Reddy Kilowatt through a google image search and inserted that into the fake globe. For those not familiar with Reddy, he was a trademark character used by various U.S. electric utilities during the post WW II era to promote public support for electrification.

Apologies for the low image quality below.

digitaltim · May 5, 2014

Cool idea!!!

A little tangent...we used these double-gravity pumps when traveling through King's Canyon last summer (obviously while not driving our Tesla).

Pin by Judy Rogers on Yesterdays memories | Pinterest

joefee · May 6, 2014

How about displaying cumulative dollars saved on gas on the digital counter!

ww73 · Nov 27, 2014

I have a Blink charger at home. I thought it might be cool to put it in one of these. But at $600, that's a pretty expensive doodad.

Gas Pump HeavenHALF PUMPS

Piney999 · Aug 3, 2016

FlasherZ said:
Hi all,

I managed to pick up an older Wayne 70 gas pump in pretty good condition:

View attachment 48446

(Globe from the top was removed for transport.)

I haven't gotten it unloaded to look at its innards yet, but am already thinking I could retrofit this with an HPWC or an OpenEVSE... I don't know if I'll ever do it, or if I'll get time, etc., but I want to collect some opinions and perhaps recommended sources of supplies. So, here are some questions I'm debating:

1. Tesla connector or J1772? Tesla is sleek and works without the adapter, but the bigger J1772 might be more like a classic gas nozzle... any particular connectors out there that are high-power and would fit the classic look? I need to see if the Tesla connector will store inside the existing nozzle well.

2. Innards: Tesla HPWC is nice and compact and more likely to fit in the body of the gas pump without significant modification. My goal would be 100% reversible - e.g., I'm considering using the NPT fittings on the pump to connect the power cable. An HPWC would be more expensive, but would have all the parts I'd need. I'd probably have to strip back the Tesla cable or splice it inside the pump with an additional piece of SEOOW.

3. Any other creative ideas? I'm trying to keep it simple so I ruled out an LCD screen that simulated the pump's computer in displaying price / kWh / price-per, etc. Basically, goal would be to light the pump and the rest pretty stock HPWC. But I'm open to other ideas.

This may never happen but I think it might be a cool project.

Did this ever happen? I am hoping to do something like this soon.

gzerninplatz · Aug 7, 2016

We stayed at the Green Springs Inn, a bit east of Ashland OR, with a dual charger inside an old pump...

Piney999 · Aug 8, 2016

More pictures of this would be awesome. That is exactly what I want to do!

hcsharp · Aug 8, 2016

Several people have done this. I've been working on mine for about 3 years now...

Retrofitting an old gas pump... :-)

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