Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

Quote:
Yes. I used materials from Flock It. The overall job was not hard but was messy. End result turned out presentable but not quite like the original finish. Original finish used coarse rayon fibers but rayon fibers today are a much finer consistency. Modern nylon fibers are coarser and longer so more like the original rayon but still much smaller and gives a smoother than original finish.

The main concerns I had with repeated dropping of the tank was 1.) draining fuel/potential for spills/fire/etc, 2.) stripping the drain plug bung (my original tank had that problem) and 3.) stripping the threads at the fuel line connection. The more the tank needs to be dropped the more potential there is for a problem.

The issue with the new senders that are available now is that they are not the same dimensions and travel as the original. The arm is too short, leading to inaccurate readings. Electrically mine tested fine, but the readings were way off because of the shorter arm and slightly different bend. In the end I bent it so I can at least have an accurate reading when the tank was below 1/4. The only way to get fully accurate readings is to lengthen the arm on the sender. I'm not sure all new senders have this problem, but I'll bet they do because they are basically all the same....using the '57 Ford Thunderbird sender.

Anyways, didn't mean to open a can of worms here. I don't want to derail the OP's topic anymore. It's an option if he wants to do it.

I kept the old working electric fuel pump that I pulled out of the Jackard. It was a noisey SOB.

But, it works great with a couple pieces of long hose to quicky drain a tank from the fill tube directly into a gas can(s).

Once it it's drained down as much as can be sucked out. There is probably less than 1/4 gallon in the tank. It's as lite is it's going to get.

I can then wrestle the tank in and by myself with the car on Jack Stands. A block of wood and a floor jack help when your working alone. Especially on reinstall when you trying to fuss with getting the strap bolts started.