Thought I had a half tank

[Kilgore47]

I took the dog to the vet yesterday in the P15.  On the way back home the car started sputtering about a mile from the house.  At first I thought it might be the points again.  But I pulled the choke and it started running again.  Oh no - I'm out of gas.  Was able to get to within about two blocks from the house and it died.  The choke wasn't helping any more.  As traffic started backing up behind me a guy in an old square body chevy pulled up beside me and asked if I needed help.  What good timing - I told him yes and asked if he could push me out of the way with his truck.  After the cars behind me went around he pulled behind the P15 and the bumpers matched up.  These old cars were made to do that.  So off we went.  He pushed me back to the shop where I had 5 gallons of gas.  His truck was a survivor like my car so a new scratch or two didn't matter.  

 

I have a new tank and sending unit in the shop ready to install- guess it's time to do that.  

[Ivan_B]

12 minutes ago, Kilgore47 said:

His truck was a survivor like my car so a new scratch or two didn't matter.  

You can throw an extra tire in the trunk, if you plan to do that often. Just hang it over the bumper and push it away... ?

But seriously, a road emergency kit (including a tow strap) could be useful.

Edited September 2, 2023 by Ivan_B

[Kilgore47]

I haven't run out of gas since I was a teenager.  Fumes were my friend back then.  Having only 50 cents for gas back then was often the case - but that was two gallons.  I have actually been trying to run the tank down so I could install the new one and not have to siphon too much gas out of the old one.  Guess I achieved my goal the hard way.  The point is that a fellow old car person stopped right away and that was cool.  Guess this will be new tank week. 

 

I don't like working under the car but some things need to be done.  I can get the car about four feet off the ground with the end jacks and I built a sit down creeper to make the job easier.  Next big one will be rebuilding the pumpkin.  Then the under car stuff should be good for a while.

[Dodgeed]

I feel for you. My three current Old Vehicles all have malfunctioning gas gages. Four of my previous Old Vehicles were similarly situated. And, my first vehicle in high school, which was 8 y/o at the time, also had a malfunctioning gas gage, as I found out on the very first tank, when I thought I had a half full tank, according to the needle, only to run out unexpectedly. These days, when I fill up, I log the date & mileage and keep an eye on it and estimate when I'll need more as I move along thru the cruise season. Haven't run of gas again in the past 30 or 40 years. 

[Ulu]

The gauge in my 47 Plymouth always worked OK, when I was getting a good charge from the generator. When I was not, it would seem like I was low on gas.

 

If I looked at my gas gauge while I was sitting at a traffic light idling it was likely to read low after a minute and then after driving for a few minutes it would be normal again.

 

The bottom line is I never trusted it, and I always carried an extra gallon of gas in the trunk.