The Ultimate Christmas Present from the Factory Five Crew

Posted on December 22, 2014 by Dave Lindsey in What's New

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.

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

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

Details and workmanship are perfect.

The internal meter behind the face was powdercoated and restored.

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

Latest Factory Five News

Five Deals from the Factory Five Guys Ends Soon!

June 17, 2026

2026 is off to a great start, and the team wants to keep the momentum going! They have put together a sale for all of our kits to help you build your car your way this year. Score a Free IRS Upgrade OR Save $2,026 Off Options on Mk5 Roadsters, Mk4 Roadsters, Type 65 Coupe, and ’33 Hot Rod To ensure your finest ride is possible, we are offering FREE IRS Upgrades (up to $3,199 in value). Our Independent Rear Suspension is the best suspension configuration Factory Five has to offer. This upgrade package includes: OR you can save $2,026… Read More »

From Track to Street: Ben F.’s Factory Five Challenge Car

June 17, 2026

For five years, Factory Five customer Ed Boothman and his team competed in the 25 Hours of Thunderhill in a modified Challenge Car. After the 2012 event, the car was retired, and eventually sold by Ed. It is now owned by Ben F. from New Hampshire who has shared the news that he has completed converting the 25 Hours Challenge Car into a steet car. “My father and I took the tour down at Factory Five in late 90s,” said Ben. “and “That cemented what I wanted to do: open a shop and work on old English vehicles.” Ben took… Read More »

Jesse L. Scores Autocross Top Time of Day in Mk4!

June 15, 2026

Like so many of us, Jesse L. has been thinking of owning a AC Cobra since he was young. His dream became a reality in February 2025 when he purchased his Factory Five Mk4 Roadster kit to start building with his daughter, Claire. They recently shared the exciting news that they have reached the go-kart stage and decided to take it to their local autocross. Jesse tells the story better than we could, so we’ll let him take it from here: “This idea of getting an AC Cobra started, like I am sure many people do, with an adolescent idea,” said… Read More »