Sunday, October 28, 2012

Italian functional art: The fuel filter / pressure regulator

Occasionally there is a part of an Italian car that captures one's attention as being just too beautiful to just serve a functional role. On the early Dino's the fuel filter / pressure regulator assembly is one of these. Sculpted of cast aluminum and metal with a thick clear glass bowl, this component seems lost in the engine bay and for us it was more a question of missing.

You see when we bought 01464 a previous mechanic had replaced this assembly for a simple pressed steel fuel filter hastily safety wired to the firewall. We knew something was not right and a quick check in the parts book revealed another part to source. Made by the FISPA company these items are sometimes used in old Alfa Romeo's and we quickly found a replacement in need of a total re-build. The original seals were dry and brittle while the case and hardware were well tired.

Fast forward past many hours of cleaning, plating, and re-building and we have an assembly that looks like it was made yesterday. Although it can't be easily seen, we know its beauty is there and we can't wait for the chance to fit it on the car.







9 comments:

  1. it is critical that the 4 screws on the top are not over tightened which can warp the top plate and cause fuel to leak around the diaphragm. Also a thin coat of hylomar sealant on the edge of the diaphragm will help. (I am talking from experience!). I think the 2 banjo bolts should be white cad plated?

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  2. Thank you for the feedback. We were careful with the torque on the bolts and checked everything for flatness before assembly. That said we will heed your advice and add some sealant. As for the platings we confirmed them to be correct having checked a number of original and unmolested examples fitted to Dino's so we are quite certain of the colours.

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  3. I have (2) of these FISPA filters that need a rebuild. One is in good shape, but lacks a filter and bowl spring. The other is a basket case as I can't even remove the bowl and it must be all gummed up inside (bowl is very dark, can't see inside).

    Where do you find replacement parts for these (e.g., filter, spring, seals, etc)? I did a search and came up empty.

    Also, do you have any detailed instructions on the rebuild or just the posted pictures?
    Thanks!

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    1. Ron.

      GT car parts sells all of the service parts and a new fuel bowl is available from Superformance. Regarding the re-build if you have 2 assembled units no instructions are necessary. It is a simple assembly so all you have to do is take pictures as you take one apart and reference them for the re-build.

      The only point of note is to check that the cast aluminum top (held in by 4 screws) is flat. This can be done with a straight edge or ruler. If it is not flat then it is probably scrap. Otherwise the assembly is easy.

      I hope this helps

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  4. I discovered that my FISPA Torino FRB-11's are not the exact same as your unit. The fuel line connections on mine are fixed which I'm told were not used on Dino's. So it appears that not all FISPA Torino FRB-11's are the same.

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    1. Ron the FRB-11 with the fixed connections were used on Alfa's where there ones with the banjo fittings were used on Ferrari's. If you have the fixed fitting version I'm sorry but they are the wrong ones. Luckily if you find a banjo fitting version they are not terribly expensive. Expect to pay about $200 for a unit in need of restoration.

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  5. Spent the last month and a half looking for the Ferrari style FRB-11 and all I could find was a rebuilt unit and an unrestored incomplete one (missing filter, broken banjo fitting), both located in Italy. I took the high road and acquired the rebuilt one (a little over $200 incl shipping) but had to order the banjo fittings (it came with a different style fitting), which were not so easy to find and expensive (another ~$110). But in the end, I will have replaced an aftermarket setup with the correct one...and that is a good feeling.

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  6. Hi there, I have the same one and need the spare parts but cannot find it. can you let me know where you got them? filter, seals.... thank a lot!

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  7. It is a great website.. The Design looks very good.. Keep working like that!. top fuel injection cleaners

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