Sweptline.ORG

So I am in need of a fuel sending unit for my 1966 D100. Tank is behind the seat. Would anyone have info on where to acquire one?

Contact Bud
https://www.61-71dodgesweptlineparts.com/shop/

Damm, forgot he does that too. He rebuilt my steering unit and it turned out great.
Thanks for the info.

Van's Auto is offering stainless repops: https://vansauto.com/product/sending-un ... hind-seat/

I got a new reproduction off eBay. The pickup was rusted in half on mine and the float had totally disintegrated. Fingers crossed. It arrived the other day and I'm still waiting on the tank to be cleaned.

I have bought a lot of stuff from Bud/visited his place in the Gorge. Great guy/source of expertise.

Just checked with him about specs on a standard fuel sending unit because I am going to upgrade the dash panel/gauges on a frame off restoration I am in the final stages of of a 68 W200 (Braden PTO winch). Changed the cab to a 63 (wanted twin head lights and refrigerator door handles) but am reinstalling the 68 dash. Am currently rewiring withy a Painless Mopar kit.

He has reconditioned ones and wants a core. Also checked with him on his selection of clusters (he has a rare vintage one with a tach).

I found this online a while back and bought one. Current price has dropped since I bought one.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/121898884175?m ... name=11051

Talked to seller and has same ohm rating as original units.

Looking to go with a gauge panel from Boese Engineering. Have talked with them but not checked with the forum yet.

You can select the fuel gauge, from Boese, that mates with the OEM sending unit.

Anyone figured out how to stop the sending unit from hitting the side of the tank? The old one I replaced would do it when the fuel level was low. The new one seems to do it primarily when the tank is near full. It's irritating to listen to if nothing else.

Loosen the lock ring and rotate it to be centered in the tank. Its probably just twisted in the hole.

I tie-wrapped an O-ring around the float. The O-ring acts as a dampener when the float hits the side wall of the tank, from fuel slosh. It still hits the wall of the tank, I just don't hear it any more.

martincom wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 22, 2023 9:57 pm

I tie-wrapped an O-ring around the float.

Neat idea! ...but... which compound of o-ring did you use? From what I've seen, neoprene under tension will eventually give up the ghost in unleaded gasoline; it eventually gets hard and cracks. [url]This chart https://www.applerubber.com/chemical-co ... guide//url] shows the chemical compatibility of nitrile (Buna-N) in unleaded gasoline as "fair," as opposed to "good" for hydrogenated nitrile or flurosilicone (which would have been my pick).

Nylon is listed as "excellent" so the tie-wrap should be fine.

It is a Buna. I had actually experimented with a number of different things. Someone had suggested a scrap of bicycle inner tube, which sounded like a good idea. However, it didn't pass the gasoline test. Neither did a scrap of rubber roof. I had a container of gasoline I would test things in for a few days.

Tie wraps will become brittle with age. However, they usually won't break unless force is applied. In hind sight, I'm thinking securing the O-ring with some stainless wire, such as utilized to wire tie bolts in aircraft, would be a better choice.

martincom wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 23, 2023 9:41 am

I'm thinking securing the O-ring with some stainless wire, such as utilized to wire tie bolts in aircraft, would be a better choice.

PTFE heat shrink? Don't know where you might get any that big, but it would work.

The weight is critical. I'm afraid heatshrink would add too much an overcome or impair the buoyancy.

martincom wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 23, 2023 5:04 pm

The weight is critical. I'm afraid heatshrink would add too much an overcome or impair the buoyancy.

I anticipated that objecion but had hoped to avoid the bother of a likely fruitless investigation (I don't know any AP mechanics anymore and you are unlikely to pursue this, instead taking incomprehensible pleasure in messing with me: "those stupid engineers don't know diddly like I do working in the real world," and all that). Really, I'm not that kind of habitually consdescending person. I saw a potential problem (chunks of o-ring floating in the gas tank) and sought to extend what I thought was a good idea. I'm not trying to one-up anybody. I've worked side by side getting dirty with everything from millwrights, carpenters, plumbers, welders, machinists, to electonic technicians, sometimes doing work that was too dangerous to assign to anybody else. Believe me, if I'd been a jerk to them, the wrenches would have hit the foor when I took up a tool. It didn't matter whether it was in Belgium, Canada, or the US, I rarely suffered a gripe from any craftsman once they saw my work. That's life getting things done. I treasure some of those relationships to this day.

The specific gravity of the heat shrink is 2.3. So a band of that 1/2" wide .065 thick around a 1.5" diameter float would be about 2.5cc per band (dimensional data for 2" shrink tubing available here: https://www.graylineinc.com/search-for- ... mf392.html). That results in a net added weight equivalent of about 7gm, which I juded as reasonable as your o-ring has already added about 9gm without the zip-tie (o-ring weight calculator here: https://apps.eriksgroup.com/o-ringweigh ... 1M=207.262). The zip tie weighs 18gm on my scale (if I have the diameter right; for this analysis I'm using 1-1/2")

So your existing total added weight is 27gm, while using two bands of heat shrink on the o-ring adds 23gm. That leaves me room to play! Don't you remember that joke about the engineer who offered to fix the problem with the guillotine when he was lying on the table with his head over a basket anticipating his execution?

One could just blow off the o-ring, and use the band of the fluropolymer heat shrink around just the seam on the float OR put a bit of neoprene sponge (complete with air bubbles... at first) under a wider sheet of said fluropolymer heat shrink, and probably still save net weight, but I won't vouch for how much either that thinner padding might reduce the noise or how the neoprene sponge would perform under heat shrink then to be soaked in gasoline. An experiment like yours is the way to go there; so go for it . Of course, obtaining said a stock length of 2" fluropolymer heat shrink might break the bank but one might be able to get a slice from an aircraft AP mechanic. I've known a couple in my time but that was 30-40 years ago.

Has anyone tried replacing the metal float with an equivalent piece of cork? I've seen sending units for other vehicles use cork as the float. It would certainly sound less metallic when hitting the side of the tank.

67step100 wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 24, 2023 12:33 pm

Has anyone tried replacing the metal float with an equivalent piece of cork? I've seen sending units for other vehicles use cork as the float. It would certainly sound less metallic when hitting the side of the tank.

Sounds reasonable. The float in a home heating oil tank is made of cork, or a least it was in the older tanks. Mine is still floating in a tank full of kerosene after at least 30 years.

67step100 wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 24, 2023 12:33 pm

Has anyone tried replacing the metal float with an equivalent piece of cork? I've seen sending units for other vehicles use cork as the float. It would certainly sound less metallic when hitting the side of the tank.

I'd be concerned about the cork fragmenting, when striking the tank wall. In turn, the fragments causing blockage of the fuel flow.

Floats didn't hit the side of the tank when they left the factory. Better to fix what's worn or properly adjust the install than apply endless mickey mouse bandaids.
A google search brings up countless sources for new oem floats and equivalents.

PwrWgnDrvr wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 24, 2023 7:54 pm

Floats didn't hit the side of the tank when they left the factory. Better to fix what's worn or properly adjust the install than apply endless mickey mouse bandaids.

I don't know how they couldn't. The slosh of fuel in the tank from acceleration and braking easily overcomes the rigidity of the wire gauge float arm.