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Hello , I haven't been around too much lately. I went to a local car show yesterday and on July 4th. that gave me enthusiasm to start another project.

So I just finished removing my fuel tank. I was surprised that I could see clean metal inside the tank through the sending unit opening. although the tank does need work. I talked to a guy that has the radiator shop and he is going to check out my tank and repair the fitting that the fuel line connects to the tank.

I took the sending unit out and it does not look like the ones pictured in the catalogues.......It has adjustments on it & the float looks like plastic. not what I expected....
if it can be made to work ok. if not I will order a new one.

while I was looking at cars at the show I noticed something that really caught my attention.
this 55 chevy had a pressure guage between the fuel pump and the carb. I found this very interesting.

any opinions on this.??? have any of you guys done this.????
I will let you know about my fuel tank. I sure hope I don't have to buy a new one. I am sure I will get up back together soon.

note: after I got the tank out of the car I THOUGHT WOW THIS SURE LOOKS SMALLLLL. I guess it supposed to be 20 gallons. sure looks small though. thanks all
tim

While the tank may look small, I assure you it is 20 gallons. I put about 19 gallons in the last time I pegged the gauge at E.

I, personally, wouldn't be comfortable leaving a fuel pressure gauge installed between the pump and the carb as that's a pretty harsh environment and I haven't seen many quality permanent gauges lately. If you were to get a leak, you could easily start a fire. If you're having fuel issues, you'll know it and test the pressure and volume delivered then.

Although I do not have a fuel pressure gage on my Packard I do have one on my old pickup and a race car. That gage is quite useful for diagnosing problems out on the road. It also helps when cranking the engine so you can tell what the fuel situation is before the engine starts.

Obviously anything with pressurized fuel in it is a potential hazard and needs to be treated with respect. The nice thing about gasoline is the smell. Any tiny leak inside the car is quite apparent to the driver. Also be aware that a fire will not start unless there is an ignition source such as a spark or high temperature. This hazard is much more likely under the hood. I suggest using metal lines to hook up a fuel pressure gage. I do not recommend the plastic tubing that comes with some modern gages. To handle the motion between the engine and the chassis you can use a steel braided teflon hose like the ones used for brakes. Rubber fuel hose also works but is less "bullet proof".

The fuel gauge sender in your tank sounds like an aftermarket, one size fits all type. You can get a new one from any of the Packard vendors. I have a 49 Ford unit in my 51 Packard that works fine, and looks just like the one I removed. It is about $50 from any of the old Ford vendor sites.

thanks guys for all the info.
and thanks for the info about the sending unit.
today I will take the tank to the shop and see what the mechanic says about the tank.
while the tank is out I will clean underneath the car etc. and clean the straps and hardware etc. then I will check out the fuel line.

I am excited. I already got my fuel tank back from the shop . all holes and fittings repaired and ready to go. so now I will clean it up and reinstall. I just read other threads here about testing the sending unit etc with a meter. so I will teach myslelf how to do that with the help of the other posts. If needed I have already found other sending units to order if need be.
this should keep me busy for a while.
thanks for all your help.

Nice work Tim! i just got my car successfully running off the fuel tank, no more beer bottle substitute high above my head :P very rewarding. Best of luck with testing the sending unit, keep us posted! :)

I am making progress on my fuel tank. all clean and painted ready to be re-installed.
I have a multi meter and I am trying to teach myself how to use it. I am not good with electricity, but thankfully there are you tube videos that help.
please give advice:
this is what I have done as far as the sending unit is concerned . I did what I think is a continuity test and the meter beeped or signaled. the display had #'s (?) from what my cousin says this means the meter works.
however, after I repaired the wire that connects to the sending unit while the unit was out of the tank, I connected the wire, grounded the sending u. to the car and with the key on I got no register on the gauge. and I moved the float up and down.
ok, what am I missing.
One thing I will do tomorrow is get heavy guage wire to re-do my repair. the wire I used is not as heavy as original.
I really just want to get a new gauge, but i'm trying to learn & understand how to use the multi meter.
this leads me to believe that perhaps the gauge on the dash is faulty. Next, I should check for a fuse in the dash fuel gauge. the gauge used to register when I filled the tank , but I know it was not accurate. thanks. I will re-read the related threads as well.

Tim,

To test the sending unit with a meter, turn your meter to OHMS (Ω). Place one test probe on the terminal of the sender, and ground the other probe to somewhere else on the case. Then move the float up and down. As a general rule, when in the full position, the meter should read somewhere close to 0 ohms, and while in the empty position, the meter should show around 100 ohms.

Also, do you know the dash gauge is functional? Ground the sending unit to gauge wire and see if the gauge goes to full when the key is on. If it doesn't, you've got other issues as well. The most common fault in these gauges is the instrument cluster voltage regulator, which is mounted behind the cluster between the two circuit breakers. These things have contact points in them and eventually wear out either by fusing together or by not making good contact. You can eliminate the cluster voltage regulator as a possible cause if the temperature gauge works. If both gauges don't work, it's probably the regulator that's at fault.

the temp gauge def. works and the fuel gauges registers when I fill the tank, but seems very inaccurate as I drive and use fuel. it seems to work and then just go to empty.
thanks for the advice and will check more and apply your advice in the next few days. I can't wait to figure it out.