Vintage Gas Pump Restoration

Vintage Gas Pump Restoration Parts

Over the years Greatglas manufactured a good deal of glass parts used in old gas pumps restoration projects. Since Greatglas is a manufacturer of specialized glass, our contribution to the restoration process is delivering various glass parts, primarily for Visible gas pumps.

These old gas pumps are also known as FRYE gasoline pumps (sometimes spelled as FRY gas pumps), Mae West Pumps, Guarantee Liquid Measure pumps etc. They appeared on American roads in the second decade of the twentieth century and were phased out by more advanced pumps later in the 30s. Their main feature and the measuring device was a large glass cylinder, holding between 5 and up to 15 gallons of gasoline. The glass cylinder was equipped with some kind of visible measuring stick or a ruler. The volume of fuel to be dispensed by the pump was clearly visible to the motorist - hence the name Visible pumps.

Gas stations of all petroleum companies at the time, well known such as Texaco, Pennzoil, Shell, as well other "smaller" names like Frontier Gas, Polly Gas, sold gasoline via these visible pumps. These pumps could be seen on every road of the United States and Canada and since the mileage of the automobiles back then was poor, the visible pumps were really everywhere. They became an undeniable part of the American landscape and the American history.

Nowadays many enthusiasts continue to preserve that part of our Heritage and restore these beautiful devices. Greatglas helps them providing various glass parts to all those projects. More often than not, we manufacture the exact replica of the missing or broken glass cylinder part, according to the customer's specification.

The most Frequently Asked Questions we hear from the Visible gas pump fans are:

• Can Greatglas make and deliver those large glass cylinders? 10 gallons? 15 gallons?
  Yes, 5-, 10- or 15-gallon cylinder and every size in between.
• Are your cylinders real glass or acrylic?
  REAL GLASS.
  Greatglas manufactures those cylinders for vintage gas pumps out of real borosilicate glass that is hard to break or even scratch. It's the real deal.
• Are your glass cylinders fragile?
  All our glass cylinders are made from the pyrex borosilicate glass, they have thick walls of about 5-6mm. They are really hard.
• How much do these glass cylinders cost?
  The price depends on the dimensions of the cylinder. They might cost anywhere between $400-$650
• Do you make glass for Frye gasoline pumps (a.k.a. fry gas pumps)?
  Yes and chances are we might be working on one as you are asking this question because they are very popular items.

Call us, email us, let us know what you need and our engineering experts will take it from there. We will deliver the custom glass part for your vintage gas pump restoration project.

Rush service is available.

Gas Pump Cylinder Sizes