fuel pump trouble

Yesterday my engine died suddenly after only 3 miles. The electric fuel pump still hummed, but no fire. After I had the car hauled home on a flatbed and it sat in the garage for an hour, the engine fired up and sounded normal. Does anyone have experience with fuel pumps failing intermittently?

................Fuel pump and the word "fire" are a poor mix !

My first thought is that the pump is working but has sucked dirt up into the in tank fuel strainer and or the fuel-carb filter(s) after it shuts down, the dirt settles and allows for a restart.
Time for a fuel system enema ? ~Alan

I installed a new tank last summer. I haven't looked at the fuel filter yet, but plan to tomorrow.

Too much PSI...?

Alan is probably on the right track in describing a fuel delivery issue (filters, sediment etc) (so long as that "Fire" is contained within a sealed cylinder then fire is good thing LOL )

It's VERY important to have a fuel filter between the gas tank and the fuel pump. Electric fuel pumps don't like dirt.

Other things to look at are the distributor, electrical connections and coil. All can produce a similar dilemma. If you have a point eliminator, they usually just fail completely but check the black and red leads that go to the coil. Coils can cause intermittent problems and when they cool off, they work and the car will start.

If you have points, check the gap and if the points are in good shape, replace the condenser and obviously if the points are bad then replace them also. There is a wire that energizes the coil with 12 volts when you switch on the key. They have been known to come loose completely or have corrosion that causes intermittent voltage to pass. Check inside the distributor cap for carbon arc's between each contact. If they are present then replace the cap and the rotor. Finally, I've seen cases where the tachometer had an intermittent short circuit and it caused the coil to ground out. When everything cooled down, it worked

In the big picture, it still sounds like a fuel delivery issue but it doesn't hurt to check out the complete system.

Thank you all for the suggestions. I've checked some of these items, but going over them again won't hurt. You all are a great resource.

If you have a stalk screen in the tank? If it colapes/folds over . due to trash or to much pump suction . That will do it. I'd remove it and use a large line filter right below the tank.

I don't use a screen in the tanks either, Advance Auto Parts has a in line filter ( Chrysler?) that is the size of a large tuna can with an inlet and outlet nipple, this goes inline at the tank as well as a VW inline filter before the carb(s) but on the opposite side of the engine bay firewall. ~Alan

i have a fuel filter before the electric fuel pump and another before the firewall.

Did you have the inside of your new tank steam or chemically cleaned before installation? Most Speedster tanks come from China, and have a cosmoline coating inside to prevent corrosion. In a daily driver, the cosmoline desolves slowly in many tank fulls of gas and is burned off. In a car that only sees occasional use, the cosmoline may all be desolved in just a few tank fulls of gas. This heavier concentration can foul your carberator.

Causing a real mess. In my case I had to disassemble and clean both carbs, replace both fuel filters and most of the fuel lines, and blow out the line that I couldn't replace. Oh yeah, I also removed my tank and had it cleaned out. Lots of trouble. Try running some Chevron Techron through there to see if it helps clean out any residue.