Better option? $10.00 https://www.ebay.com/itm/4028150372...MIg87hrP3P8gIV2z2tBh1S0w3IEAQYASABEgJEDvD_BwE
They are really easy to solder with a little flux. The New ones are so thin it's easy to puncture them just slipping them in their hook.
I have no real proof, but I think these modern fuels are rougher on those brass floats than the old gas was. I had the tank off a car recently and was installing a new sending unit and float. Besides the bad one I was replacing , there were two more old rotten floats laying in the bottom of the tank.
I had a float sink on a 18 year old truck in 1977, so it's not a new problem with today's gas. Get a new one, see if you can make it fit, and enjoy life. Also remember that jb weld (the original type) works on floats.
I switched to this type fuel gauge sender seven years ago. Working fine. Need to select the proper ohm range of gas gauge. Order the sender length so it is close to bottom of tank. https://isspro.com/category_products.php?cid=116 https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...gRpJAYha0e-cDbZ1CNoqRtgp7Euhg5nxoCNJwQAvD_BwE
Floats are repairable but here's the process to follow: clean with soap first. Scrub with scotchbrite to get a clean surface, clean with brake cleaner or acetone. 2nd: preheat with propane torch - but just passing it through the flame, not holding it on one area, then use a soldering iron to work the specific area and add new solder or tin the broken area, then solder the area and let it cool, then finally do a final clean with soap and it should be good as new. Done this process on more than 1 vehicle and it's held up on all of them for 10 years +
Thanks guys. Well I soldered it, partly to hone my meager soldering skills, mostly because the car was out in the yard and needed to get back in the shop. Seems to have worked, I submerged it in gas for an hour before installing. I am going to buy a replacement so I have it if needed. The remaining question is brass or plastic? Brass is traditional, plastic more reliable arguably.
^^^ Mixed thoughts on that... Brass is a little more fragile (but will probably outlast you), but with todays gas blends plastic might be vulnerable to long term attack (I know, OEMS use plastic, but they get stuff made to spec...our stuff is probably made from old milk jugs). I think I'd go brass, but test it good before buttoning things up.
Pulled a sending unit out once that had an 1157 bulb wired to it! Was still working but pulled the sender to put on a new o-ring and saw that. ( Yes, I put a new float on it )
I've never heard of judges inspecting inside the fuel tank sender at "concourse d'elegence" shows so use the plastic and be done with it. With aftermarket senders ,it is very common for brass floats to have leaks [especially tri-5's] so the fix is the Jeep/Mustang plastic float. I have one in my 57 [with the brand new brass float sitting on the shelf ]
Never been to a Corvette concourse eh? They use a borescope. No sweat though, my seat covers should distract them well enough. The newly soldered brass float will hopefully hang in there. While it does, I'll be listing on the description board "Original brass fuel tank float".
After soft -soldering the float, heat it up a little (or leave it in the sun), and submerse it in water or gas. If any pinholes remain, you will see a stream of bubbles coming out. This is how I repaired a brass motorcycle float. If you use a plastic doo-dad as a float (champagne cork, fishing float, etc,) leave it overnight in a jar of gas to see if it melts. You won't be able to sell the original float because it now has after-market air in it.
Here's something interesting I meant to mention: When I first removed it from the tank, and still attached to the sending unit, I tested it in a pail of water. It floated and moved the lever. Hmm, what's going on.. I then poured gas in a pail and tried, it sunk. Only then I popped it out of the mount and shook it to realize it was half full of gas. Again I popped it in the water, floated, in gas, sank. Liquid density or whatever they call it.
Gasoline will always find a hole. If you're welding up a crack in an oil pan, pour some gas in it and wait [it will find any pinholes] Gasoline has a lower specific gravity than water [which is why it floats on water] NCRS people are a special breed. Kerry purchased me a brand new C7 Corvette to learn to drive in [that raised a few eyebrows] We went to a local car show [and parked outside] and someone came out invited us to show our car inside. [This was the only C7 in our City] So we were directed to park it with all the Corvette Boffins. Then they started criticizing our car because I was displaying "Learner" plates in the Fr & Rr windows. And one of the judges wanted us to remove a cooler bag [with our picnic lunch] and coffee flask from inside So Kerry obliged by simply driving the car outside to the carpark [and parked next to the entrance where it stole all the attention] One thing I observed at car shows..... The owners and builders are generally proud of their own cars ,but are willing to belittle others. And the public are even worse [they all think/claim they could build better] I would rather hang out with Racers than pedantic car show people.
Hey, MimiIan; Funny - but I believe it. Did you get to hear what the waggin' lips said after Kerry drove it out of the show, then stole all the attention? . BTW; it'd be funny listening to the others incl spectators, if they didn't actually believe themselves... Marcus...
He parked right next to the ticket booth, so they couldn't miss it. [the car is in Torch Red with chrome wheels, so it really stood out] The kid's fingerprints on the windows tells the story. Even today we still get people "asking us for permission" to take a photo [in a public carpark?] Kerry is quite good......he always lets some kid sit in the drivers seat ,so mom can take a photo to make dad jealous. The problem with concourse type shows, is the judging for faults mentality [a negative environment] whereas competition is usually the opposite. That is probably why Kerry likes "battle scars, and primer" which annoys me a bit.
If the new owner pulls the tank on my 66 Bronco they'll find a small plastic pill bottle for a float. It was supposed to be temporary but never got around to putting a replacement in. Gauge worked perfect for the 3 years I had it.
I used a wine bottle cork for a sender float, it worked OK for about 6 months till it got fuel logged. They used to use cork floats, they had some kind of epoxy coating on them. Wonder what that stuff was, because it would hold up to gas?
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