Ya know, jet skis and some boats have a knob you can turn when you run out that does the same thing, so you can always get home. I always wondered why cars don't...
I have run out of gas, one too many times to be without a fuel gauge. Of course I’m an idiot. I’m working on a new, larger tank with a gauge.
My stock Model A gas gauge is as close to bullet proof as it gets. That is until the replacement cork float soaks up too much gas and sinks. Then its a simple fix to get it working again.
On my A-v8 I use a stick. No provision for a sender on the 11 gallon tank I mounted on the back. Works well. I never drive it that far anyway.
And you didn't notice his contents in the trash!!! Instead of measuring gauge /sender resistance he could measure insulin resistance Tri-5 Chevy's and most early fuel gauges are dead easy to repair. I've even re-soldered the coils in them. There is one peril of time with these old gauges ............ that is somebody in the past who is clueless dicking with them Here was a trap I encountered, the gauge "sort-of" worked. It was connected "back to front" and when I remedied this..... it stopped working at all. When I looked again the Temp Gauge had 1/4 increments and the Fuel Gauge had continuous sweep This is how I got the car [ note the aftermarket mechanical Temp gauge in the lower R/H corner] All I did was swap the Temp and Fuel gauges over to the correct side [L to R, and R to L ]and connect them properly. I had a spare rusty tank laying around, so I mounted the sender in this with jumper wires to the harness , then flipped the tank upside down [to simulate full tank on the float] and back. I needed to make a few adjustments [bends] in the float arm, so it reads empty with 1-1/2 gallons reserve.
Yes, Brent the coupe has one and it is pretty damn accurate. SW, and I do run a fuel cell, because - drag race.
With everything out there now there's no reason not to have a gauge of some sort, either a nice old gauge, a stock gauge or aftermarket. You can even rig a light to tell you a level (led changing colors with the level) or just put a floater type gauge on the tank, but you have to look at it in the trunk.
all my cars have a fuel gauge that works right . I try to drive my cars a lot they are super handy to have
A stick for the gas tank and the tachometer for the speedo. If I were building a hot rod I would not have a speedo or fuel gauge............
I drive my stuff a lot, so a functioning fuel gauge is a must for me. The truck even has a low fuel warning light (when it comes on, you better be pulling into a gas station). I also record the miles every time it gets filled on a trip odometer (or on paper). I also spend time to determine an achievable driving distance (the coupe will go 250 miles on a tank of gas, it may go farther, but it will go at least 250 miles). The truck has proven to be somewhat of a gas hog at times, but other times it does quite well. 150 miles is really pushing it sometimes, but 140 miles has not caused a problem yet, so that is its safe number.
I’ll be honest with you when I was driving my ‘51 Ford as a daily driver the fuel sending unit went out. Now I worked at NAPA putting in 100+ hour weeks in management and never had time to put one in much less buy one and heck I worked at the place an had several on the parts shelf. All I did was go out and take the gas cap off and shake the crap out of the thing and listened for the sloshing. If it didn’t sound right I’d fill it up. I drove that car for 4 years before I retired and never ran out of gas.
X38, see how others are having a normal discussion about without the BS? Try it. Hahaha. There are PLENTY of examples of hot rods that ran without them. Primarily it was because they ran tanks with no provision (other than a stick). I've seen homemade sticks, even. I have chatted with a few guys with cars I know that don't have them. 28-34 Fords and a 50s mostly drag car. The consensus is mixed. One guy lives in rural area and has been known to run out of gas but he said "its part of the adventure" one is in the city (like me) and he treats it like his motorcycle, he tops its off and worries about it here and there. Another acquaintance said he'd change it but it would require changing more than he'd like to change on his original late-50's build. I just came here after a text conversation with a notable builder who said he hates the look of senders on round tanks but he'd deal with it on his own driver. So, there are plenty of folks who love hot rods, as you do, who have no gauges and deal with it. Be cool.
On several of the Track Roadsters I have built, to get 10 gallons of fuel without filling up the turtle deck, I built a "horseshoe" shaped tank. A gauge and sender would not calibrate it correctly due to the shape. However, with an electric pump and switch valve, you always have 2 gallons in reserve after fill up. We could get an easy 120 miles, before the engine would cough, then flip the toggle switch. You could do the same in any tank with two different pickup tubes and a switch valve.
How about a low fuel warning light instead. There are simple kits on the market. Another option is a gauge wired to a an audio style plug that you can plug in to check fuel level from time to time. I have got a harley and the gauge has never worked. I always fill up on mileage.
I'm too absent-minded not to have a fuel gauge. I'll forget whether I put fuel in this morning or only thought about it.
The sedan I bought never had one. Ran out of juice twice in 18 years - once when my teenage son borrowed some , ( easy syphon ) and ‘forgot’ to tell me ! It’s embarrassing to run out of fuel on the main street of your home town……. Second time was on the way home from a deuce run. I was enjoying the cruise so much that I completely forgot about checking ! Fortunately I ran out as I was waiting for the hot rod in front of me - to fill up. Yes, I ran out on the forecourt, so only had to push it a car length. - (early fords are quite short so I didn’t have to push it far). so I am currently swapping tanks around and am installing a sender for gauge while it’s out. My advice is - it makes life easier, traditional or not ! .
X2 ! !^^^^^ NO you do not have to have a gas gauge Nor any other gauge!! Think out side of box , there are other options IF you chose to know @ A certain level how much fuel you have with a single light as small as 1/8 to what ever size you want , used before "1966" Out side of automotive , I think that a Racer or Hot Rodder or Pilot ext figured out they were more successful with the more information they had, A Racer or Engineer figured out the engine perform better with a Tac Shift instead of a Valve Float Shift !! & I can not figure out why my tire is flat only on one side??
I had a foam filled fuel cell and no gauge in one of my old cars. You could not check it with a stick. I always put a filled 1.5 gal gas can in the trunk if I was hitting the road.
I got gas gauges from Dennis Carpenter. First one didnt work. sent it back. next one only reads 1/2 tank, max. Looked closely, the way its made, it cant go past 1/2. Took the grinder to it, better but still not right. Dont want to send them any more money for junk. Does anyone else sell gas gauges for 1960 F100?
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