Sending Unit Sock For 1963 Riv

[Riviera63]

 

My car is in having the "Riviera Rattle" taken care of. They have dropped the tank as the rattle is coming from the tank inlet/outlet  hitting the trunk floor. I had them pull the sending unit as long as it was off to see if there were any problems. They found the sending unit sock was bad. I see that in another thread Ed found that the TS1000 sock will work for the 1964. Will this same sock work for the 1963? If not, do you know of one that will? Thanks for your help. 

 

Bill

[petelempert]

As I recall, there are two types of GM socks used on Rivs... both still available. One literally has a drawstring and the other has a fitted metal ring that slides onto the fuel line like the TS1000. That one should fit 63-5. To me, the TS is the way to go. String makes me nervous. PRL
 

[RivNut]

The TS1000 has a metric sized hole in it, just a smidgen smaller than the tube on the sender.  Hopefully someone kind find a sock with the correct sized hole in it and let others know.

 

Maybe not metric, but not the exact size.  At least that was my experience.

Edited September 6, 2017 by RivNut (see edit history)

[Riviera63]

35 minutes ago, petelempert said:

As I recall, there are two types of GM socks used on Rivs... both still available. One literally has a drawstring and the other has a fitted metal ring that slides onto the fuel line like the TS1000. That one should fit 63-5. To me, the TS is the way to go. String makes me nervous. PRL
 

 

32 minutes ago, RivNut said:

The TS1000 has a metric sized hole in it, just a smidgen smaller than the tube on the sender.  Hopefully someone kind find a sock with the correct sized hole in it and let others know.

 

Maybe not metric, but not the exact size.  At least that was my experience.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I am in a bit of a time crunch so I just went ahead and ordered the TS1000 from Rock Auto to make sure that I have one and it gets here quickly. Rock Auto is only a little over 100 miles away from me in Madison, WI. I did next day shipping, so best case I will have it by tomorrow and worst case I will  have it Friday. I warned the shop that it may be a little small. I am hoping that they will be able to make it work. 

 

Bill

[KongaMan]

I'm going off the top of my head here (and haven't really thought this out), but why can't you put a couple of washers on the bolts between the straps and the body to lower the front of the tank a bit?  Wouldn't that take care of the interference without having to beat on the body?

[RivNut]

There are only bolts in the back.  The front of the straps are hooks and fit into slots.  

[KongaMan]

Yes, but it's still a question of geometry: drop the back ½", the middle drops ~¼", etc.  Now, maybe you have to drop it too far to gain the required clearance, but it seems that sequentially replacing a couple of bolts is a lot easier and more elegant than dropping the tank and pounding on the body.  I'd think it would be worth a shot before going through all of the other gyrations.  BTW, according to the 63 and 64 FSMs, the bolts are in the front and the hooks in the back.  I haven't stuck my head under to verify.

 

The problem here seems to be that the straps are a bit too tight and position the tank too close to the body.  Maybe some enterprising soul could make new straps that are just a tad longer.  It's not a hard part to fabricate. All you need is a hammer and a drill.  

 

For that matter, you could pull the original straps, straighten the hook, then put a new hook a bit closer to the end.  If he washers alone don't work, that might, no?

Edited September 6, 2017 by KongaMan (see edit history)

[telriv]

The tube for the sending unit sock is 3/8ths. Still available from GM.

[jsgun]

I left the sock off on mine, because I have an electric pump with a cleanable filter about a foot away from the tank. I put some tabs of UHMW tape between the tank and the floor at the wear points on the tank. Hopefully that prevents any noise. I did notice that when I over tightened my straps, the filler neck hit the trunk floor. I loosened them up, and was able to push the tank towards the back about a inch. Tightened back up to just snug, and the tank doesn't seem to move. Haven't driven the car yet, hopefully it works out.

[jsgun]

I was looking for a stainless steel or brass mesh sock for the tank, but didn't have any luck. I didn't want another plastic one, California gas has a lot of ethanol in it.

[1965rivgs]

On 9/6/2017 at 10:51 AM, Riviera63 said:

 

My car is in having the "Riviera Rattle" taken care of. They have dropped the tank as the rattle is coming from the tank inlet/outlet  hitting the trunk floor. I had them pull the sending unit as long as it was off to see if there were any problems. They found the sending unit sock was bad. I see that in another thread Ed found that the TS1000 sock will work for the 1964. Will this same sock work for the 1963? If not, do you know of one that will? Thanks for your help. 

 

Bill

Hi Bill,

  Did you have the shop drop the tank away from the trunk floor and then confirm that the rattle had disappeared? Or is the source of the rattle an assumption?

  If the source of the rattle is indeed contact with the nipples on the sending unit a thin compressible rubber pad, or various other materials, can be used on the top of the tank to establish a small amount of clearance between the tank and trunk floor.

  Also, the `66 Nailhead fuel pump has a "chamber" built into the fuel pump body/housing which is designed to eliminate the "hydraulic hammering" in the fuel lines as per a `66 Buick Service Bulletin.

  Hope you follow up on your experience re this issue because it is a very, very common issue which surfaces and has surfaced for years.

  Tom

[Riviera63]

4 hours ago, 1965rivgs said:

Hi Bill,

  Did you have the shop drop the tank away from the trunk floor and then confirm that the rattle had disappeared? Or is the source of the rattle an assumption?

  If the source of the rattle is indeed contact with the nipples on the sending unit a thin compressible rubber pad, or various other materials, can be used on the top of the tank to establish a small amount of clearance between the tank and trunk floor.

  Also, the `66 Nailhead fuel pump has a "chamber" built into the fuel pump body/housing which is designed to eliminate the "hydraulic hammering" in the fuel lines as per a `66 Buick Service Bulletin.

  Hope you follow up on your experience re this issue because it is a very, very common issue which surfaces and has surfaced for years.

  Tom

 

Hi Tom,

 

I printed off everything I could find on the forum about the infamous rattle and gave it to the guys at the shop. So, they are aware of all of the causes and all of the fixes. They inspected and tugged on the fuel lines. The fuel lines are very solidly in place as my car has been undercoated. That has also given them some insulation as well. They also got a mirror up by the top of the tank and saw that the nipples on the sending unit were hitting the trunk floor. I stopped in and they showed me everything before they dropped the tank. I know that the fuel lines still could be a possible source of the rattle but, we all concurred that seeing the sending unit in contact with the trunk floor that dropping the tank would be a good place to start. Even if it is not the cause of the rattle it was worth doing as we discovered that the filtering sock was falling apart on the sending unit. Of course once it is done if the lines are rattling also that can be dealt with at that time. I will let everyone know how everything turns out.

 

Bill

[1965rivgs]

17 hours ago, Riviera63 said:

 

Hi Tom,

 

I printed off everything I could find on the forum about the infamous rattle and gave it to the guys at the shop. So, they are aware of all of the causes and all of the fixes. They inspected and tugged on the fuel lines. The fuel lines are very solidly in place as my car has been undercoated. That has also given them some insulation as well. They also got a mirror up by the top of the tank and saw that the nipples on the sending unit were hitting the trunk floor. I stopped in and they showed me everything before they dropped the tank. I know that the fuel lines still could be a possible source of the rattle but, we all concurred that seeing the sending unit in contact with the trunk floor that dropping the tank would be a good place to start. Even if it is not the cause of the rattle it was worth doing as we discovered that the filtering sock was falling apart on the sending unit. Of course once it is done if the lines are rattling also that can be dealt with at that time. I will let everyone know how everything turns out.

 

Bill

So they didnt drop the tank slightly and check for any change in the rattle?  Keep in mind the fuel lines themselves are also mounted to the body via solid metal clamps, not insulated clamps, but all metal. Thanks for any updates including any info re the sending unit filter,

  Tom

[Riviera63]

On 9/6/2017 at 11:54 AM, RivNut said:

The TS1000 has a metric sized hole in it, just a smidgen smaller than the tube on the sender.  Hopefully someone kind find a sock with the correct sized hole in it and let others know.

 

Maybe not metric, but not the exact size.  At least that was my experience.

 

Got the car back today. As Ed said the TS1000 was just a hair small. They were able to ream it to fit with no problems. I have attached a picture of what the old sock looked like. I am very glad I had the tank dropped and found this out before it caused any problems. That was the only issue found. The inside of the tank was very clean

 

Bill

 

 

[Riviera63]

The "Riviera Rattle" has been solved. They found 3 areas where the rattle was occurring. The tank was rubbing back near the fuel filler neck. (pictures 1 & 2) The sending unit inlet/outlet was making contact with the trunk floor (pictures 3 & 4) They used different clamps that would not protrude as far up as the old clamps and they put topper tape along the top of the fuel tank to create  some separation between the fuel tank and the underside of the car. They also ran a new ground wire from the sending unit for me. (pictures 5-7) To fix the frame rattle they just put rubber fuel line around the metal line to keep it from rattling. I am glad this has been resolved. While not a problem that will keep you from driving the car it is one of those annoyances that drives you crazy. I hope this will be a help for others suffering from this problem. I will also post this with the pictures under the "Riviera Rattle" thread. 

 

Bill

[Loren@65GS.com]

Good information Bill, thanks for the pictures too.  All good things for me to keep in mind as I work on Roxy's Riviera.

 

  Loren@65GS.com

[RivNut]

Good call on the dedicated ground wire.