Fuel starvation?

I have a 54 Merc. It has a 19 gallon tank. I can run it down to 9 gallons left in the tank and then the car starves and stalls out. Particularly annoying since it kept the car from making it to the Rumblers show (I went anyway and the show kicked ass). I ran the tank dry using the same electric fuel pump that I run the car on. The fuel pump ran the tank dry and the fuel gauge registered to E. I pulled the tank and washed it out and reinstalled..new lines the whole kit and kaboodle. Still does it.

Any thoughts on the issue?

I'm runing a 7lb electric pump into a Holley regulator and into 3 94s. regulators set at 3lbs. Someone along the way cut the tank open, fixed something (I assume) and reinstalled. I gotta believe it's the pickup in the tank but I'm not familiar with the design.

Anyone?

 

Is the tank vented to the outside? If not, the vacuum created when the tank runs low may overpower the pump.

 

i bet the fuel pickup inside the tank is rusted away , loose or missing ....i had this happen to a `40 Ford, it would starve for fuel once it got bellow about 1/2 tank

a new tank from Tanks fixed it

 

no it's vented ok... I blew out all the lines and the tank.

Thats what I was thinking that there is a crack or rust thru in the tank pick up. What is this "Tanks" you speak of?

 

Tanks is a maker of new fuel tanks for vintage cars/hot rods...i don't see one on their website for a `54 mercury , but you could give them a call to check

http://www.tanksinc.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=results/category_id=67/home_id=59/mode=cat/cat67.htm

maybe Bob Drake has one?

 

Got a vented gas tank cap?

Do you hear a rush of air if you open the cap when the engine dies?

If the car sits for a while after stopping, will it then start and run for a while?

 

Yeah it's vented, no rush of air when popping the cap

yes it does but it dies a short way up the road.

I'll call those to contacts in the AM thanks.

 

bump...anyother thoughts?

 

My 47 Chevrolet Woody wagon would "run out of gas" at half a tank. I finally pulled the sending unit to find that the support brace for the dip tube had vibrated loose and ripped a hole in the tube half way down. I soldered it back up and as far as I know it's still sucking fuel from the bottom of the tank today.

 

sounds like the pick up might be cracked or have a hole in it, halfway up, as some one else posted.