The scrap metal that is your piston pump has to be worth a few $ if you split it into brass and cast first. At least it might cover the fuel
1/4 tank of diesel is nuthing, one's time is worth much more than that.
Won't be scrapping the ol' girl just yet, as we've spent a bit of $ on her in the last couple of years with new stainless pump rod and input shaft as the gears had worn to knife edges and gotta new conrod pin and bush not even installed yet.
Good shitty winters day job in the shed to try and resurrect the ol' girl.
In a previous life it did boiler feed and the wet end is entirely of brass, all gorgeous stuff from days gone by.
Still dunno what caused to bust 'er guts but I have my suspicions.........operator error
and NOT mine !
Just make sure you feed it clean water they are not as forgiving as your old beast even to fine grit.
They don't even need grit as the rpm's they run at make them pretty good centrifuges that even separate any fines out of the water into the pump stages but a run into an open line every month or two generally flushes any gathered muck out.
Yep, when I set up the current dam over a good clean spring we shoved a pole in and bolted on a beam back to dry land on which the suction line runs and suspends the foot valve and strainer well off the bottom of the pond.
Screwed some brackets on the poles both ends and have a catwalk too that we can get out on to service the foot valve.
It's worked perfectly and a bit off effort when I set it up has paid off handsomely over the years.