[Chrysler300] 1955 Fuel Tank Sending Unit

["Rich Barber" <c300@xxxxxxx>]

My '55 also had a cork float--and an open circuit due to the resistance wire
being worn through by the slider.  The sending unit rebuild guy replaced the
resistor, slider and the arm holding the cork float.  He brazed a new wire
arm (with a hollow brass float attached) to the end of the old arm and it
all fit into the tank just fine.  No telling where the replacement float and
arm came from, but one might shop around for a used one that had the right
shape at your favorite salvage yard.

The original cork seemed to have clear shellac on it and the cork was not
saturated.  I had my mechanic braze a small stud to the base of the sending
unit so I could attach a ground wire to it.

I was unable to find the correct O-ring to fit between the tank and the base
of the sender.  At the suggestion of others on the server, I cut a new round
gasket from 1/16" cork and inserted it between the tank and the sender base.
Spacing seems ok and the locking ring seemed to crush the cork just right.
I didn't use any sealant and will find out how effective this fix is at the
next fill.

Original grounding of the sender seemed to be rather casual from the sender
base to locking ring to tank to straps to trunk floor--with lots of
opportunities for insulation.  I have a wiring diagram that shows a second
(white) wire from the sending unit to the dash gauge for suburbans only.

I've had a lot of cars over the last 50+ years and recall that very few of
them had a fuel gauge system that was anywhere near accurate and linear.
And even fewer that had filler systems that enabled fully and consistently
filling the tank.  Our VW had its tank under the hood and was easy, if a
little inconvenient, to completely fill and I'd guess a Model A fuel tank
would also be easy to fill.  

Rocket scientists might tackle these issues some day.  I'd like to see a
system that was full when the pump kicks off, indicated Full on the gauge at
that time and a gauge system that indicated gallons remaining in the tank
and Empty when it was empty.  My wife panics when she sees a fuel gauge
anywhere near 1/4 Full and I regularly drive until the gauge drops below
Empty.  In my mind this reduces the time spent/wasted at gas stations.  Once
in a great while, I can squeeze in a volume of fuel fairly close to
manufacturer's stated capacity.  With that VW, I had a convenient valve
under the dash that enabled draining the last 1.5 gallon from the 10 gallon
tank.  This sufficed for the early VW's that had no fuel gauge and enabled a
careful driver another 40-60 miles of driving to find fuel.

C-300'ly,
Rich Barber
Brentwood, CA
1955 Chrysler C-300
1986 Chrysler LeBaron T&C Convertible

-----Original Message-----
From: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of George Riehl
Sent: Monday, July 02, 2007 7:21 AM
To: chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; JettLarry@xxxxxxx; cotejohnr@xxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] in tank sending unit not working update

Thanks, John, that saves me a battle with the hornets trying to see what the

'56s have for floats.    George


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <cotejohnr@xxxxxxx>
To: <longrams@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>; <chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; 
<JettLarry@xxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, July 02, 2007 8:20 AM
Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] in tank sending unit not worki g update


> My '56 New Yorker has a cork float. Probably the last year.
>
> John Cote
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: George Riehl <longrams@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; JettLarry@xxxxxxx
> Sent: Sat, 30 Jun 2007 3:16 pm
> Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] in tank sending unit not worki g update
> If I remember rightly, while working and changing the fuek tank on my '55 
> C300 and installing an excellent one from a '55 Windsor, the sending unit 
> had a 90 deg. bend at the end of the arm/rod.
>
> That 90 deg. end went thru the center, legthways, of the cork float. There

> was a "hat" type retiner on the end of the rod that held the cork float in

> place.
>
>   As many of the members responding to the question, I wonder how anyone 
> can apply a brass float to the the '55 arm as I wonder as to how many have

> actually seen a '55 sending unit. I guess it could be done with great 
> effort and hope that during the proceedure, the arm does not break. I 
> would maybe go to some store like Pier 1 to find a chunk of decoration 
> cork. (Or saving some cork stoppers that come out of your favorite table 
> wine and glue them togeather).
>
>   I do remember years ago ('57-'58), the sending unit in my '55 Imperial 
> went bad. The cork float was soggy. There was no replacement float. I had 
> to buy the complete sending unit for around $8.00 or so at the dealer. I 
> do remember that the new cork float was "raw". The old cork had, what 
> looked like, a laquer coating. Guess that was from the gasoline. The '55 
> C300 cork float looked like it had a "coating" on it also, plus smelled 
> very, very bad.
>
>   I'm not completely sure, but I think that 1956 may have been the last 
> year of the cork float. Sometime, I'll have to take a look at the '56 300B

> and the '56 N.Yer. in the back field to see what they have. I know my '57 
> 300C and other 300s have brass floats along with my other cars into the 
> late '70s.
>
>   George Riehl
> ----- Original Message -----
>
>  From: JettLarry@xxxxxxx
>
>  To: arshog@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ; chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>  Sent: Saturday, June 30, 2007 10:49 AM
>
>  Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] in tank sending unit not worki g update


> Here's an off the wall suggestion given to me by an antique parts dealer.
>
>   He uses carburator floats from model A Ford as fuel sender floats and 
> has for
>
>   years. They have an indent in the middle sort of like a figure eight 
> that
>
>   the float wire can wrap around. No body will ever know that there is a 
> Ford in
>
>  your tank.



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