Fuel Sender Float Modification

[Plymouthy Adams]

Ok folks it is time to quit ragging on Norm (Norm's Coupe) looks like Ed has even got me beat...lol

[Young Ed]

Oh no not me. Thats Dads truck. Shop was told its coming back in the spring done or looking like that. So hopefully something will happen soon. All the remaining parts are painted they just need to be bolted on. I would think 40 hours of labor would get it assembled.

[Normspeed]

I say, put on a grille shell and radiator, some streetable tires, and go driving.

Tim, if no one ragged on the original Norm, he would feel unloved and unwanted.

[Plymouthy Adams]

guilty by assocaiation....nuff said...lol I'm going to bed..been a long day...

[Young Ed]

Besides when this one is put back together it will see some actual streets not just the driveway

[Young Ed]

Good point Tim. It is sorta my project too. There are some circumstances involved too. Shop is a one man shop and the one man had a heart attack and couldnt work for quite a while. Even when he did come back his work was limited.

[Young Ed]

Some sender pics. The shiney one is a repop 39-47 pickup one and the crusty one is a p15 unit.

[55 Fargo]

Ed, the new on looks like it is the reverse direction, is it not. The new looks like you can adjust it to either direction with the setcrew, is that possible, if so I am in luck..........Thanx Fred

[55 Fargo]

Hi Ed or anyone else who might be able to tell from the pics. Is the new repop sender not in the opposite direction compared to the old P15 sender, if you look close at the pattern, and the way the 2 wire contacts are on the sender itself, as well as the side the float arm attaches to the sender body.

If this is the case, it would work in my new aftermarket tank, as it would send the float arm toward the front of the tank, instead of toward the rear of the tank...................Fred

[Young Ed]

Just went and checked. Using the gasket to compare they are opposite. So all that leaves is the longer float arm. I would think if you are careful you could shorten that to p15 length.

[55 Fargo]

So here is the question Ed, is the truck sender supposed to be opposite, or is this a manufacturer glitch, if that is the case, it would now be an opposite for your truck tank.

If you would like to sell it, I would pay you at the going rate of today, which for the car is $85.00 plus tax and shipping, not sure about the truck.................Fred

[Young Ed]

Fred you know its too cold to be going outside and playing with the spare gastank out in the garage......

[55 Fargo]

You and I being of the Northern types outta know that..................Fred

[Young Ed]

Fred just got back from the garage. That sender does point towards the front of my pickup tank. So I think you'll be good. Now for me I intended that tank for my 40 ply pickup. Looking at the bottom of it looks like I'll be down about a 1/4 of the capacity from all the dents in the bottom.

[Jerry Roberts]

When I was a kid and someone had done me wrong , I wanted to get even . My mother always told me that two wrongs don't make a right . In Freds case it looks like two wrongs are going to make a right . PS , I have no idea if Roberts is still selling these senders that have the holes reversed .

[55 Fargo]

PS , I have no idea if Roberts is still selling these senders that have the holes reversed .

Brother I sure hope so, be willing to buy one of any member on this board for the going rate, if I am unable to get one from Roberts like the one in the pic Ed posted on this thread.

[55 Fargo]

Calling on all members, if anyone happens to have a sender unit that is like the one in Eds pic that is made in the opposite direction of the stock sender, I would be intersted in buying it at the going rate of the senders today around $80 to $85 dollars. I could easily order the sender from Bernbaum or Roberts, but they are going in the stock direction, this will not work in my aftermarket gas tank. I have found Roberts and Bernbaums not overly helpful, in investigating whether there are differences in the way the senders are made, in fact neither one did any checking on this...........Thanx Fred

[Jerry Roberts]

Fred and Ed , A suggestion ; Fred orders the new sender from Roberts , If the holes are in the " wrong " spots , he is in good shape . If the holes are in the " right " spots he trades senders with Ed who will now will have a correctly fitting sender also . Or do these senders have different electrical windings than the car versions ? In searching my foggy brain as to how I fitted my sender that the mounting holes were wrong , I remembered grinding the heads off one or two rivets , punching out the rivets , and turning the mounting position so the unit was about one hole off from being straight frount to back . Fast and easy .

[BobT-47P15]

Hmmmm.....here's a question after I looked at the pic of the two floats.

The one has a straight shaft with the arm attached by the collar with

a set screw. So it looks as if it could work in either direction.

Could a person modify an original sender by gently straigntening out the

arm coming out to add a little length.....then install a similar collar to

hold the arm with the float going the other direction. Might have to reverse

the wires to make it read correctly at the gauge. Just a thought.....

[55 Fargo]

Hi Bob, thats a possibility, but as is seen in the picture, the sender is already in the opposite direction, they must have more like this, if this one was made like this, there must be others.............Fred

[Young Ed]

Bob that is certainly possible. This is what the one in my p15 looked like when removed. It is repaired and reinstalled. I believe it now has a coat hanger extension for the float.

Both Fred and I were wondering if you couldn't take the float arm off the replacement one and just set it 180 the other way. But then maybe that would make it read backwards?

[Norm's Coupe]

Ed,

Does that old sender work on the bench? If so, you can solder a new float on it and make it work in the car. That's what my old sender looked like when I bought the car. Never did find the float even after removing the tank. All I did was use a carb. float and soldered it on the end to get the sender to work. It's still in the car and it's been like that for about 12 years.

[Young Ed]

Ya it works. Its been in my coupe for a couple years now. We made a new L piece from coat hanger and put a modern gas tank sender float on it. I had saved a float from the sender that went out in my dakota.

[Norm's Coupe]

I didn't replace the arm on mine, just the float. Used a float out of an old 4 barrel carb. Just soldered it onto the end of the old arm. Guess it's whatever works to keep you from running out of gas.

I do have another new sender in the box as a reserve unit though.