1924 Buick Fuel System parts question

[Guest MarkL]

All: I am restoring a 1924 Buick -49 7 passenger touring car. It has been in the works for several years and I am coming to the final year (or two). As we have all experienced, I have come across parts that I have had to replace or modify to keep the project going. My success has been modest, but I have run into something that I need "professional" help with.

The fuel level sending unit and cable going from the tank to the gauge is shot and needs to be fixed or replaced. Can anyone provide some advice or direction on where to go or what to do for repair or replacement?

This is my first post here, so if I have put this in the wrong place or have not used the proper format, please be patient. I am sure I will be sending more threads and will get better at this.

Thanks:

Mark

[unimogjohn]

Mark, do you still have the mechanicals inside the tank?

If your cable is shot you can use very thin piano wire and cut it to length. If the casing is shot you can use bicycle casing that is used for brakes and shifting. I got my wire from a gentleman on the Yahoo group site for 1927 Buicks. You might want to join that group. Just go you Yahoo Groups and sign up. Do a search on 1927 Buicks and you will find us. Would love to have you.

[Guest MarkL]

John:

Thank you. I have submitted the membership request to the yahoo site and am waiting confirmation.

When I took the float assembly out of the tank, it was completly frozen. The cork cracked in half, and I had to disassemble the sending unit to clean it up. The ceramic fitting at the top of the tank that the cable attaches to was broken, and the small wire that goes into the cable was kinked. My first choice is to repair the assembly, and if that is not possible to replace it altogether. Thanks for the advice, see you on the 1927 Buick site.

[Mark Shaw]

Mark,

You can make your own replacement float using wine corks and CrazyGlue. Just flatten the sides of the corks with a sander or grinder, glue several together & grind the shape you need. Then coat the whole thing with CrazyGlue.

[tblack]

My 1923 model 49 also has the same problem I'm missing the whole route from the tank to the fuel gage perhaps someone can share a few pictures of one that is installed correctly. And yes the Buick book indeed mentions piano wire as the cable. It runs in something akin to the wound choke cable housing or something offering a lot less resistance so the cork can make it move. ??

Thanks

[jbbuick22]

I have heard that monofilament fishing line will also work instead of piano wire.

JB

22-6-55 Sport Touring

[Guest MarkL]

Mark: Thanks for the response and the advice. I found a person who can get me the cork, so I am OK there. My concern is the wire and the ceramic piece at the top of the tank housing said wire. The ceramic piece is broken and the wire is kinked. I am trying to reverse engineer options, but I still run into parts issues.

Mark

[Guest MarkL]

Tom: Thanks for your response. I have been at this for a while, and have questionnaires out on other sites. If I come up with any solutions I would be happy to share them.

Thanks:

Mark

[Guest MarkL]

JB: Thanks for the response. The filament line may be an option if I can't make this happen any other way. The primary issue is the ceramic piece at the top of the sending unit. I may have to fabricate one to make this work, as I would rather fix than replace, but I need to get it done regardless.

Thanks:

Mark

[Guest kaycee]

Have you considered using J B Weld to repair the ceramic part? It may work if you have enough of the old part.

kaycee

[Guest MarkL]

KC: Thanks. It may come down to that. I'll have to see how that goes as the list of options dwindles. I am probably about a month or so from putting the body back on the frame so I am lining up the projects as best I can.

Mark