1966 Top Pump Check valve mounting bracket orientation

[1966BlackonBlackConv]

Who has a photo of this bracket that is mounted on the top pump for 1966-1967. Like when it left the factory? Most photos I have seen, only use one of the two holes in the bracket. Mine was connected with just one screw- it doesn't look right. I have seen the brackets bent different ways also doesn't look right.
But, to mount it using the two screws doesn't make sense either, if you have tried it.

[Dan Szwarc]

Mine was attached with one screw. Can’t say it was as-built as it has been through a lot. I may have a picture of what it’s supposed to look like from a show car but mine is mounted they only way the lines attach cleanly.

[frasern]

Mine had only one screw. Years ago, the girl at Bakers told me they were not installed when new, all were retrofitted. That doesn't sound right to me, but possibly they were an early '66 running addition? The top will work without that valve, it just won't hold.
Anyway, I was just going to fabricate a bracket that works, originality be damned.

[1966BlackonBlackConv]

[1966BlackonBlackConv]

This is what I did. I cut the bracket in half. I used the half with the hole for the check valve end. I drilled one hole for the bracket to motor screw. There was a lot of adjusting of hose angles and routing paths. The Shop manual and top supplement do not have any reference to the check valve and bracket. I would bet that theses parts were not one the car at delivery, as mentioned earlier. It is cool to be able to erect the top straight in the air, stopping it half way and have it stay there! I am happy they added the check valve.

Pictured is the aftermarket pump. I had to send it back. They found a stuck check ball. I reinstalled it. I should have bench bled it first. I have done in the past with better results. I bled it by disconnecting the cylinders and running it for several cycles. Yet, I am still having trouble getting all the air out of the lines.

I am having a factory pump, motor refurbished. Then I will rebuild the pump. I would rather have the factory original. I will see if it can successfully be rebuilt. Either way I should have a back up.

[1966BlackonBlackConv]

PLEASE POST PICTURES of your motor, check valve, bracket and hoses. We might be able to figure out what this looked like back when it was retrofitted. If Dan can find that picture of the Show car that would be great. I pulled up pictures from the major auction houses (Mecum and Barrett/Jackson) I could not find one picture of the top pump assembly.

Does anyone know if the 61-65 pump motors mount at the same angle as the 66-67 pumps? The 66-67 pumps mount at an approximately 30 degree angle to the back of trunk "fire wall". I have been told the aftermarket pump is different in that the inlet for the fluid supply inside the reservoir is not in the same location as the factory pump. This has a negative impact on performance as the aftermarket pump reservoir needs to be filled to almost 100% to supply the system with enough fluid to properly function up/down cycles.

[frasern]

The earlier system had only 1 pump, and solenoids to control the flow. It mounted on the right side upright, and had a larger tank. The '66 had a completely new system with 2 pumps and no solenoids, so, I think the check valve may have been added when customers complained that the top wouldn't hold, like their previous one did. Or, it may have been a safety thing, because someone got pinched when the top bled down. Anyway, this is just a guess.

[Dan Szwarc]

Mine points down (the brass cap). That’s how I knew it was leaking.

Somebody spent sone time polishing his motor, I see.

[frasern]

I am having a factory pump, motor refurbished. Then I will rebuild the pump. I would rather have the factory original. I will see if it can successfully be rebuilt. Either way I should have a back up.

I had my pump motor rebuilt for about C$35, he said a field wire was loose, and he replaced the brushes and turned the commutator. I found the pump to be like new inside, they are so over lubricated they hardly wear, unless some foreign matter gets in there.
My pump also needs to be almost full to complete its cycle, and your reservoir may be smaller than stock. I have thought about using a larger, '62 type, reservoir, has anyone else tried that?

[1966BlackonBlackConv]

My factory pump failed due to the o-ring on the shaft. The one between the pump and motor. Fluid slowly leaked and got all over the inside of the motor. The motor bogged down wouldn't lift the top. Lots of smoke ensued. The rebuild kit for the Factory pump is not expensive. However the quality is not the same.

Knowing my car sat for 10 years, I should have rebuilt the pump. It's just o-rings and a few ball bearings. I didn't because the 56 year old rubber/o-rings are more robust than the new ones in the kit- except the one on the shaft.

[frasern]

I didn't think of the O ring, I will keep an eye on it.
O ring quality is all over the place, I just had a pile of problems with injector O rings on my diesel, 3 different sets made specifically for that application, I finally had to put the 30 year old ones back on, they sealed.

[LithiumCobalt]

I’ve got an original vinyl top on my Mark III. Despite the car having zero rust anywhere else, it does have some below the back window under the vinyl. I suspect it has been that away for the last 30 years and likely not gotten any bigger as the car normally has not seen rain in decades. Don’t know how previous owners washed her, but I have never gotten the roof wet. I always wash it from the belt line down to avoid water pooling up further. Someday I will try to peel back the vinyl and fix what’s going on under there. Hopefully it isn’t super ugly.

When I drove to the Lincoln Homecoming in Michigan back in August, it was like a monsoon after we got there and pretty much all the way home. I was cringing the whole time. Probably the first car had seen rain since the mid 1980s

[1966BlackonBlackConv]

Frasern,
By the time I realized the O-ring failed it was too late. The inside of the motor (stator, armature, brushes) were caked with black fluid. This was the source of the smoke. I figured it would be cheaper to buy a used one and have it refurbished than attempt to get the other one repaired. My car sat for 10 years with little use- that was most likely the biggest contributing factor to the o-ring failure.
Once I get the factory motor/pump rebuilt I will start a new post.

[LC67Vert]

My car has two brackets one on the top motor (left) and the other on the reservoir (right). The bracket on the top motor is only fastened with one bolt at the top yet the bracket on the reservoir is fastened with a bolt on the top and a bolt on the bottom. See photos…

[1966BlackonBlackConv]

I think we figured this out.

On Jeff's bracket, the one the check valve is sitting on, it is bent in almost a "U" type shape (first pic). The one I have is also bent in that fashion (3rd pic). It came off the motor I bought on eBay. I thought the bracket was unintentionally bent that way. The one that came on my car when I got it was almost straight. I would bet Jeff's bracket is how these were retro fitted and they were fastened with one screw.

Yes, this is the kind of thing that keeps me up at night...

Checkvalve osd TLF.jpg (47.64 KiB) Viewed 654 times