A Monument To America’s First Highways
Gilbert & Barker T-176 Gas Pump: Fully Restored With Sinclair Signage
A luxury brochure presentation of a 1920s Gilbert & Barker Sinclair visible gasoline pump — from customer-furnished barn-find survivor to fully restored museum-standard artifact.
Description
The Story of the Restoration
Long before modern fuel dispensers, gasoline was measured in plain view. A station attendant pumped fuel upward into a tall glass cylinder so the motorist could see and confirm the number of gallons being purchased before it flowed by gravity into the vehicle. That feature made the visible pump one of the signature machines of the early automotive era.
This original Gilbert & Barker self-measuring pump, identified as Model T-176-50, survives from that formative chapter in American transportation history. Built in Springfield, Massachusetts, it belongs to the years when the service station was becoming a fixture of the roadside and the open highway was reshaping the nation.
When this pump arrived at ArtFactory.com, it was not an attractive display piece. It was a true customer-furnished barn find — coated in rust and oxidation, its interior packed with dirt, cobwebs, and debris, its mechanisms neglected, and its body worn by age and long disuse. Yet the original structure, the measuring cylinder, the internal pipes, the period plates, and the essential character of the machine remained intact.
That is where experience matters. H.J. Nick did not see a derelict shell fit for a superficial repaint. He saw a genuine American visible pump worthy of full preservation and a complete 101-point museum restoration. The goal was to preserve the artifact’s history while returning it to proper structure, proper operation, and exceptional presentation.
Gilbert & Barker T-176 Gas Pump Specifications
- Type: Self-Measuring Visible Hand Crank Operated Gas Pump
- Company: Gilbert & Barker Manufacturing Company
- Model: T-176-50
- Station Signage: Sinclair (Includes Original, Period Correct, Genuine Porcelain Enamel Belly Plate Sign)
- Globe: Original Sinclair milk glass, era-correct
- Mechanical systems: Original piping serviced and brass pump rebuilt
- Era: Circa 1920's
- Place Of Manufacture: Springfield, MA., U.S.A.
- Color: Red/White/Blue
- Tank: Original 10 Gallon Glass
- Dimensions: 101 3/4 Inches Tall Without Globe(114 Inches Tall With Globe)/20 Inch Base Diameter, Weight: 450 Lbs.
- Mobility: Custom Heavy Duty Base 6 Wheel Dolly Secured To Original Base Mounts With Mar Proof Wheels For Easy One Person Moving
- Condition: Fully Restored To Working, Museum Quality Collector Condition, A 101 Point World Class Fine Art Restoration By H.J. Nick
This is not simply a transformation in appearance. It is the recovery of a true American artifact from the earliest age of the road.
The work began with documentation and careful disassembly. The steel body, service doors, internal pumping system, pipes, fittings, glass cylinder, period identification plates, globe, and mechanical components were treated as parts of a historically significant object — not merely the pieces of a decorative antique.
The body was restored the right way through cutting, fitting, welding, grinding, filing, and hand-finishing. No Bondo, body putty, or plastic filler was used anywhere on the pump. Only after the structure itself was made straight and true did the finishing process begin, using a full multi-stage custom automotive-quality paint system comparable to the standards expected of a concours sports car.
The original visible glass cylinder was meticulously hand polished, sterilized, preserved, sealed, and refitted to its original casting. The original internal piping and the brass pumping mechanism were cleaned, serviced, rebuilt, and reinstalled. The original Sinclair milk-glass globe was preserved and rewired with appropriate era-style wiring and plug. The original Sinclair Oils belly plate and the historic lead-warning plate were retained as part of the machine’s documentary history.
Because the finished pump weighs approximately 450 pounds, ArtFactory also engineered a concealed mobility solution in the form of a custom-fit six-wheel bolt-on dolly. Since late-1800s and early-1900s cast bases vary from one pump to another, each dolly must be individually templated and fabricated for the specific pump it supports. The result is a practical museum-quality solution that allows one person to move the pump on a hard, smooth, level floor while preserving the historic appearance of the base.
Today, this completed Sinclair visible pump stands not only as a restored object, but as a preserved chapter of American roadside history — rebuilt to live for generations.
A visible gasoline pump represents more than the sale of fuel. It recalls the era when America was learning the freedom of the open road.
Restoration vs. Repainting
The before-and-after contrast proves the difference. This project involved historical preservation, structural metalwork, mechanical rebuilding, glass preservation, complete rewiring, custom finishing, and engineered mobility — not simply sanding and applying paint.
Details From Original Gilbert & Barker Sales Literature
Gilbert and Barker Manufacturing Company
Pumps and Tanks for the Oil Trade
Springfield, Mass.
Gilbert & Barker T-176 Sight Measure Nozzle Control Visible Pump
Semaphore Signal -- This is an exclusive feature of G&B visible pumps and an important on to you because it secures the confidence of your customers and is looked upon favorably by sealing authorities everywhere.
Pumping Unit -- The heart of a visible pump is the pumping unit and thousands of users of these visible pumps concede that for speed of delivery, ease of opertion and long service without trouble, few pumps equal this G&B double-acting pumping unit. It delivers ten gallons with twelve and one-half strokes, and its operation is easier than most pumps. It is strongly built throughout, having driving lings and pins of hardened steel, which practically eliminate wear. A self-adjusting spring tension stuffing box through which the piston rod passes lessens the need for frequent attention at this point.
Lighting -- Bulb socket in dome cover just over bowl, lights up globe, and shines down through glass skylight into the bowl, brilliantly illuminating the gasoline.
Shell -- The pressed steel shell, ribbed for stiffness, provides ample space for displaying trade-marks and the proportions of the pump, its symmetry and dignified design combine to produce an attractive appearance.
Hose and Nozzle -- 10' length of 1" flexible, metallic, fabric covered hose and positive, quick closing nozzle are provided. At night nozzle is inserted inside the pump, and the door is closed and fastened.
Underwriter's Label
Height Overall (less globe) 101 3/4"
Base 20" in diameter. 6 bolt holes in base casting.
Shipping Weight Approximately 480 pounds.
Vintage Gas Pump Display Carts With Custom Wheels For Heavy Collectibles
At ArtFactory.com, we make custom mobility carts so that you can conveniently move your vintage visible gas pumps and other heavy collectibles from place to place. These custom carts with wheels can be built to suit your needs. They can be built to hold one gas pump or your whole collection, and can also be built for lubesters and vending machines.
These vintage gas pump display carts are an original design by H.J. Nick and are hand-built in heavy-gauge steel. The custom six-wheel mobility dolly engineering solution is more than a convenience — it is part of the quality of the restoration. The dolly bolts directly to the original cast base, remains largely concealed beneath the lower skirt, and distributes the pump’s weight across six swivel casters for smooth, stable movement on a level floor.
These units come complete with electrical wiring so that your pumps can plug right into the cart, and they are UL listed. Finally, a convenient way to display and transport your heavy collectibles. This example includes an industrial-duty cord with a plug wired to four duplex electrical outlets.
Vintage gas pump display carts can be custom-designed to any size and, like all of our products, are custom-made to order. They can be hand-finished in any color to match your collectibles or the color scheme of your man cave. The vintage gas pump display carts pictured feature a 1930s–50s era Sinclair color theme. They are custom-finished to appear as worn and aged concrete, colored Texaco red, and grease-stained in a battleship gray.
More Restored Vintage Visible Gas Pumps For Sale From ArtFactory.com
Gilbert & Barker T-176 Gas Pump Info
All Vintage Memorabilia Offered Is A Genuine Collectable And Appreciable Asset
All Items Are Of Highest Museum Quality World Class Collector Level
Our Latest Museum Quality Fully Restored Vintage Visible Gas Pumps
✨ Visit H.J. Nick’s Art Factory Galleries ✨
7407 E Greenway Rd, Scottsdale Airpark, Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Monday – Friday | 8 AM – 4 PM MST
Walk-ins Welcome | Private Viewings by Appointment
📅 Appointments & Inquiries
📞 Call: 1-800-292-0008 – Ask for Karla
🌐 Website: www.artfactory.com
• ✈️ Jet Parking Available
• 🚗 Limousine Service Available
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.