The Ultimate Christmas Present from the Factory Five Crew

I was humbled to receive one of the coolest Christmas presents of all time from Tony and the crew here at Factory Five.  It is a 1950s Gilbarco Model 96C ad glass model service station pump.  It was originally a Texaco pump, and Tony has Mike from Extreme Powdercoating change it to the Smith-O-Lene for obvious reasons.

Mike at Extreme Powdercoating does a ton of this kind of work.  He restores original air pumps, gas pumps, parking meters, traffic lights, and all manner of garage artwork/memorabilia.  Mike had the pump and spent about a month working on it.  The meter is all original, but, Mike discarded the lower pump due to sludge/gas smell.  The colors were selected to match the Smith-O-Lene globe/sign.  The original top was badly corroded, and Mike found a period-correct original top from a 1950s pump from a collector in Missouri.  Some miscellaneous parts from other collectors in Ohio and other friends.

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New gas pump looks great next to the Type 65 Coupe.

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Mike painted the pump body to match the colors in the Smith-O-Lene ad globe.

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Details and workmanship are perfect.

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The internal meter behind the face was powdercoated and restored.

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Huge thanks to Mike and to everyone at Factory Five for the best Christmas present ever!

If you’re interested in having a truly custom project like this done, you can contact Mike at Extreme Powdercoating at 508-340-6593.

Dave Smith
President

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