Slick 60's

My 66 has a new sending unit in the fuel tank. The PO told me the float has a hole in it and it is full of fuel.

Is the float replacable and if so, where do I get one.

yes the float itself is replaceable not sure where to get new, i kept some used ones out of other tanks.

possibly patch it with JB weld?

Will the float out of my 76 donor fit?

The donor has a new fuel tank so I was saving that anyway.

Its just a little brass barrel, if you can make it attach, and it floats, will probably work.

get a hold of a Plumbers soldering iron and just solder over the hole.

Dennis Carpenter has it.# c0az-9275-f brass float.

foodstick wrote:possibly patch it with JB weld?

Has anyone tried JB Weld?
I'm wondering if it would make the float too heavy to read accurately?
I'm not saying I think it would sink - as that would take quite a bit of JB Weld; but would the gauge read ACCURATELY with the float partially submerged more so that it normally would be?

BarnieTrk

problem over the years is the float gets bounced around in the tank and thast the cause,, Unlike others I have seen sending units ones with a rubber shield on end so will not puncture a hole in it.........

i have seen the rubbers on the end of the floats too.

a little bit of solder will not affect the float reading,

You can certainly patch a 50 year old float if you prefer; it's not that hard to access. On the other hand, it's nearly fifty years old, the replacement is available and inexpensive; and probably good for quite a few future years. Replacement parts for ancient vehicles may or may not be readily available in the future, so I would at least consider having one on hand for the future, although other applications will work equally well.
As far as repairing results, if it will float, it'll work; the weight of the repair material will have extremely little effect on accuracy. Obviously the ones with the rubber diaper work just like those without, so the addition of a small amount of sealing material should have no effect.
Paul

one trip to the junkyard and you could probably fill a bucket with good used floats.

ICEMAN6166 wrote:one trip to the junkyard and you could probably fill a bucket with good used floats.

I've got too many buckets filled with parts already Pick a Part type yards around here are $2.00 to get in plus the price of the part, not to mention pulling the sender; Fresh tube of JB Weld is probably around $5.00. Certainly a friendly wrecking yard person would probably just hand you one if it were readily available. $4.95+ tax at your local parts counter? It probably won't say Ford, more than likely won't be American made, but it'll probably perform adequately for a bunch of years. You could also go to your friendly local Ford dealer and get the float; probably still made off-shore, but "genuine Ford" for about twice the coin.
I'm certainly in favor of re-using parts; I've made a pretty good living doing just that, but I'm thinking in this case my laziness would kick in, and I'd buy the part while the words to a certain very accurate James McMurtry song floated through my remaining brain cells.
Paul

Heck just buy a new one from MAC's or Carpenter - cheap enough- about $5 plus shipping. By the time you mess around trying to fix the existing one or scrounge around for a used one you could have the new in and know it's good. No telling if a used one is any better then what you have now.

Marty in PA wrote: No telling if a used one is any better then what you have now.

actually quite simple to tell, set it in a cup of water, if it floats its good.

I too have buckets of parts.

When I go to teh pick-n-pull I leave with fuses, light bulbs, circuit breakers, wire, fastners, and all the other little odds and ends that we always seem to need.

They usually charge me only $1 or $2 for all that.

Brian, When the one in my 64 had a hole in it I got the gas out of it and soldered it up and put it in water and it floated. I put it in the tank and it worked for awhile till it let more gas in it and it sank, took me 3 or 4 times of drying it out and soldering it and putting it back in before I got it right.If the hole is on top it will work till the gas sloshes around and gets back in the hole. Just buy a new one from LMC, DC or where ever you can get you one, you will be further ahead.

Will this one work, looks very similiar to me.

Summit is only 20 min away and I need to run up there anyway.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/omx-1772901

looks like it will work, has the groove in the one end of it. Take your old one with you and compare..

AMC used Ford parts so im betting its the right one.
still like said take old one with you.
cant beat $4