Brad L

When trying to decide on a color for a Silca pump I searched all manner of photos as to which to use. I've seen a few that were white, red, and even Legnano branded ones in their signature green. I found a photo of Luciano Sambi, a member of the Legnano team in 1966. He rode the 209km route of Eroica at the age of 77 years old. He did this on his original team bike and wearing his original team jersey. That's quite the feat for any person, much less at 77 years old. There on his bike was a red Silca pump. If it's good enough for Mr. Sambi, it's good enough for me.



My problem is that I could not find one short enough to fit my frame. I bought the closest I could find and decided to try to shorten it according to the Retrogrouch website.

I calculated how much I would need to remove (3cm) and then marked where the front of the pump would be when fully assembled with a Campagnolo pump head. I had to mark the outside of the pump, then transfer the mark to the plug once the pump head was removed. This was to assure the Silca logo faced forward after it was shortened.




I disassembled the pump, then measured to where I needed to cut and wrapped tape around the pump body to both give me a straight line to cut against and to keep the plastic from cracking while I cut. I used an Xacto razor saw to make the cut.




I cut off any excess beyond the plug, then chucked it in my drill press and used a file to remove the red plastic, exposing just the plug. I then glued the plug into the cut end of the pump body, making sure to align the mark I'd made earlier with the Silca logo. I left it to cure for 24 hours. I used E6000 adhesive since it will stay a bit flexible, but if I had to do it again, I'd use epoxy as suggested on the Retrogrouch site.

Brad L

For the internals, I removed the spring and leather seal, then measured 3cm up the shaft and made the cut. I carefully split the shaft to release the end plug, then inserted the end plug into the cut end of the shaft and staked it in place. I reinstalled the spring and leather seal, reassembled the pump, and it was good to go.





It fits perfectly now and it still works. No air leaks.

satbuilder 

Nice tutorial on the pump mods. Thanks!

merziac

The red pump is fantastic, as well as the inspiration for it.

No serious C+V like this is complete without a Silca IMO, even if not working which I have never not been able to rectify satisfactorily.

Brad L

Here's the finished product. Enjoy!

Brad L

Brad L