VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1912-1928 Repaired 28 gas tank gage

The weather was crappy here yesterday and my shops not heated so I did a small inside job.When I pulled my tank I found that the gas gage had a high spot on it and would stick on a half tank.The cork was all to pieces also.So I cleaned it up and did away with the high spot so it moved freely.Now where could I find a cork?Seems I just empieted a bottle of Patron Tequlia and saved the real cork.So I trimmed it down drilled a hole in it and painted the face.Wallla!!A pretty nice piece!Robby.PS; are the tabs with the quanity avaliable?

Yes, contact Gary Wallace.

I recently replaced the cork float on a '28 gas gauge with a brass one. The float is part number SA-99 from the Filling Station. I am sure you can get them elsewhere also. Since the wire on the original was not long enough to wrap around the brass float I had to replace the wire. Found that a heavy coat hanger wire had a perfect diameter and stiffness to replace the original. All that was necessary was to bend the replacement wire 3/4 or more around the float (there is an indention for the wire), make a couple of bents and then flatten the upper end so the washer will not pull out. I used my vise to flatten the end.

It works well and I don't have to coat the cork then: worry that the coating will fail, cork will saturate with gas, cork deteriorate and plug a gas line or ??? Also the float does not tend to stick to the bottom of the tank like the gauges with cork floats tend to do.

I should have taken a few pictures of the process and written an article for the G&D. Still have another gauge with cork float coated with alcohol resistant pvc coating. Will replace the wire and cork on that one sometime.

So if I had to do something to the cork to seal it what do you reccmend?

If you insist on using the cork float you can coat it with shellac.

I would find a F%#& float and modify the rod to use it.

Shellac is what was always used for fuel gauge corks but it is not alcohol resistant. It is thinned with denatured alcohol. Use an alcohol resistant gas tank sealer. Make sure that it is fully cured before exposing it to gasoline.

Having had bad luck with several cork floats over the years, 3 years ago I converted to a modern type plastic float which came with enough wire to custom bend to match the original chev cork float and wire demensions. Has not let me down so far.

Cheers

Ray

Ray
Make sure you NEVER put E10 (ethanol) it your tank, it will melt your plastic float and glog up your whole system. As you can't guarantee you won't get any ethanol in your fuel I'd get rid of the plastic float asap. I used a 34 Chev brass carby float in mine, as I had a heap of spares and just ground off the hinge tags.
Chris
PS Chip, thanks for the heads up on FS floats, I might get one

Stop! Stop! Stop! I use the F%&# floats in my systems!

Chris,

Thanks for the heads up on the Ethanol fuel,I will make sure I stay away from it and put changing the float on the list of jobs to do. I have had in in use for 3 years but may just be lucky.

Cheers

Ray