No Replacement For Displacement
In this case, it’s the massive volume of fuel that a mechanical fuel pump can displace – electric pumps simply can’t hang. That’s why SpeedFactory Racing developed a creative solution that allows you to drive a mechanical pump off the intake camshaft, and if needed, a hall effect sensor can also be mounted to the exhaust cam.
This bracket has a slotted rear mount that allows it to be used on both B16 and GSR cylinder heads. Mechanical fuel systems are best suited to high HP race applications. Paired with a Weldon or Waterman pump (sold separately), you’ll have all the fuel you could need for your current or future power goals.
Want Numbers?
This is the exact same setup that SpeedFactory uses on their 7 second 215+mph Outlaw Civic HB making 2000+HP on methanol. The car uses a Waterman Sprint 700 pump rated by the manufacturer for 6.8gpm at 4000rpm (1850HP on methanol/3600HP on gasoline). That is PUMP rpm, NOT engine rpm. Keep in mind that the pump is driven by the camshaft which is ½ of crank rpm. Because the flow rate increases with rpm, mechanical pumps will scale with high revving engines. SpeedFactory has flow tested them at 5000 rpm yielding 8.18gpm @ 145psi (10,000 engine rpm) and has spun them to 6000rpm (12,000 engine rpm) in their Outlaw drag car with zero issues. At this rpm, flow rate is estimated to be about 9.0-9.5gpm (2500+HP on methanol/4750+HP on gasoline) – all the fuel you will ever need!
Most people DO NOT need a pump this large, a smaller Waterman Sprint 500 pump (or Weldon 34704) rated to 4.8gpm at 4000prm (1300HP on methanol/2500HP on gasoline) will be plenty. The flow rate on this pump at 5250rpm (10.5k engine speed) will be around 6gpm (1600+hp on methanol/3100+Hp on gasoline) – still outperforming even the most powerful e-pumps by a large margin.
Design and features:
A major benefit of switching to a mechanical fuel pump is reliability. To match the build quality of a high-end pump, SpeedFactory’s Bracket is constructed from thick 6061-T6 billet aluminum with a durable and stylish black anodizing finish. Full stainless steel hardware and a special cam gear hex bolt is provided to drive the pump. Driving the pump from the cam gear side of the camshafts as opposed to the distributor side has two benefits: it doesn’t put excess torsional stress on the wrong side of the cam (driving a mechanical pump requires a lot more torque than spinning a distributor rotor; the cam gear side is better equipped), but also allows use the distributor to be retained, if desired.
Many users will want to upgrade to a cam trigger kit. SpeedFactory’s Bracket bolts from left to right on the engine for stability, but also to allow installation of a dual pole hall effect sensor. A trigger kit is not required, meaning you could use this setup with an OEM ecu based EMS like Hondata/Neptune as all the needed sensors are in the distributor.
Do I Need An Electric Lift Pump?
Some mechanical fuel pumps require an electric lift pump for starts. SpeedFactory found that with a 16V battery system and this mechanical pump the answer is NO! The pump needs to be primed before first use, but after that it will maintain prime. A 16V battery builds enough fuel pressure to start the vehicle even after sitting for months. This hasn’t been tested with a 12V system; however, they believe it will have sufficient cranking power to start without a lift pump. TIP: Using an electric drill to prime the pump works great and eliminates draining the vehicle’s battery.
