Hydragas pump

[Charless]

If you are not afraid of fluid engineering you can make a hydragas pump quite cheaply.

High pressure can be dangerous if treated unwisely.

I have just commissioned this useful tool, and am very pleased with the results. Though I spent more, the basics, bought new, are to be had for about £70 which is a lot less than the pukka pumps.

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It is an oil gun with a T-piece to accommodate the unnecessary luxury of a pressure guage (both parts from http://www.pressureguage.co.uk c.£33 delivered). The low loss connector made by Schrader (possibly cheaper source) came from http://www.prosol.co.uk c.£50 delivered. The connector's thread is 3/8 UNF. Many oil guns are available from well under £20 (but I already had one), finding one with the 3/8 UNF gives you a straightforward screw together tool. I added a couple of turns of plummer's PTFE tape to proof each screw connection. Hydraulic threads tend to be British Standard Pipe (BSP) or Unified Fine Thread (UNF) The common sizes of which can be bought in one tap & die kit from Machine Mart (kit CHT304 includes the metric range as well as BSP and UNF c.£38).
This beast can probably pump watery liquid well over 2000 psi safely, it is rated at c.6000 for oil - I only need c.400 psi for the Fs - so I can pump them up in the cold weather and get much better headlight beam pattern, then let them back down again in the summer.
Woohoo ;o)

[Dieter K]

Well done !! Congrats, looks really professional
Some guys tried to using a simple _grease_ gun with no joy, cause they don't provide the required pressure and gaskets inside.

The oil gun is the way to go.

May I add your details to the pump gallery here ?
http://www.mgfcar.de/pump/index.htm

[Charless]

Dieter, of course, I would be honoured; but the inspiration came as much from your site as anywhere! The guage is not really necessary - go by height - and the key objective is to find an oil gun with 3/8 UNF flexible hose which then screws directly into the low loss connector without a tapped interface like mine.

[Dieter K]

objective is to find an oil gun with 3/8 UNF flexible hose which then screws directly into the low loss connector without a tapped interface like mine.

Dear charless, I understand, thank you !! Great job, site update is online.

[Rob Bell]

... the key objective is to find an oil gun with 3/8 UNF flexible hose which then screws directly into the low loss connector without a tapped interface like mine.

Great work!

I've been meaning to do the same for years, ever since Dieter made his own pumps, crumbs, how long ago now? I am starting to feel old!

Has anyone identified a suitable oil gun with the 3/8 UNF flexible hose? What would be nice would be to have a complete shopping list for numpties like me to order on-line and then (I presume) simply 'bolt together'?

Personally, I would advocate a pressure gauge. As you say, strictly not necessary on a standard ride height MGF, but those of use with lowering knuckles fitted it is useful to have to ensure that one is not over-pressurising the system.