DB26 Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 Hello all, I recently acquired a Stewart vacuum tank and was planning on using it on my 1926 Dodge Brothers Deluxe Sedan. Currently installed (but not hooked up, as there is a electric pump installed by the previous owner) is a Stewart vacuum tank that has two outlets on the bottom of the tank. The unit I acquired has only one outlet of the bottom. I assume the unit with the extra outlet is just a drain? Does anyone know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minibago Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 G’day, There were many different Stewart Vacuum tanks on many different marques of car. the early DB cars had one outlet on the base to the carburettor. The essex had two outlets, the one in the centre was the drain and the one closer to the side was to the carburettor. The centre drain allowed any water collected to be drained off. I am not sure if later DB cars had one or two. Regards, Nige. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nearchoclatetown Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 Yes, you can use it. If you want a drain use a T plus your fittings. Some of the six cylinder tanks are larger but other then that I know of no difference. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 Yes, later ones had two (My 27 does). One was a drain and the other, the fuel feed, was slightly raised in the tank so as to reduce any sediment and water going down the fuel line. They would be interchangeable. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minibago Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 The Hudson also used a two outlet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Lawson Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 My 2249 has a single outlet and I also fitted a sediment bowl that incorporates a tap Not sure if it was original to my car but it's the one that I am using 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWPerry Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 Ron My 2249 also had a single bottom outlet and a sediment bowl when I got it. It works fine so I am keeping it that way and assuming that it is correct. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB26 Posted March 21, 2020 Author Share Posted March 21, 2020 That great news guys. Thank you. But I have more questions. I just now realized, the tank I bought to replace my original tank is a bit smaller than the original. Will that be a problem with proper fuel delivery? Also, I was thinking about using the innards from the old tank in the new smaller tank. But the old tank has a much larger flapper valve: Will this cause an issue inside the small diameter outer tank? Here is what the small tank had in it: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 Looks like that elbow above the flapper will unscrew so you can use whichever you want. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeke01 Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 Vacuum tanks with one outlet at the bottom had a unique petcock. A quarter turn of the handle opened a drain out the bottom of the petcock. Another quarter turn would direct gasoline flow to the carburetor. In practice, while you turned the gas from shut to flow to the carburetor the drain would spit a little gas out the bottom. This was usually corrupted fuel anyway. These petcocks are somewhat rare anymore. Zeke 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB26 Posted March 21, 2020 Author Share Posted March 21, 2020 The larger flapper is in better condition. Would there be a disadvantage to using the larger flapper in the smaller outer tank? I’ve checked fitment and everything seems to fit into each other. Here is what the insides of the inner tanks look like: Large flap: Smaller flap: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 Should be fine to use the one with the larger flapper If there is sufficient volume between the inner and outer tanks (you don’t want this emptying before the inner tank has filled). Just make sure the inner tank doesn’t leak and the flapper valve seals (I don’t think the flapper valves ever seal perfectly but should be pretty good). Also, make sure the rod from the bottom of the float still locates in the locating hole in the outlet and can move freely without being too sloppy. You also need to ensure a good seal at the top of the tank. Your inner tank with the large flapper valve has the small lip at the top and only requires a single gasket at the top. Not sure what your smaller tank has but some had a larger flange and a gasket on both sides. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB26 Posted March 21, 2020 Author Share Posted March 21, 2020 Both inner tanks have a small lip with no need for a gasket. Thanks for the advice. I will be ordering a gasket up for this and testing it out soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyAus Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 (edited) You might have difficulty buying the exact gasket due to differences in diameter and screw hole pattern. However, these are easy to make yourself. Get some 1/8" nitrile cork gasket material. Cut the outer and inner (outer first!) circles with a well sharpened pair of spring dividers. Yes, this does work and provides a clean cut if the dividers are used with many gentle turns and have a fine point. A 1/8" wad punch or rotary leather punch will deal with the holes. One thought on the flapper valve. Its closing and seal is probably proportionate to the volume and subsequent pressure of the fuel in the lower part of the tank. The larger valve may not seal as well in the smaller tank due to reduced pressure. Perhaps go with the sizing determined by the manufacturer and use the smaller valve . Just my two cents (AUS)- currently worth around one cent US! Edited March 22, 2020 by TonyAus (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB26 Posted March 22, 2020 Author Share Posted March 22, 2020 25 minutes ago, TonyAus said: You might have difficulty buying the exact gasket due to differences in diameter and screw hole pattern. However, these are easy to make yourself. Get some 1/8" nitrile cork gasket material. Cut the outer and inner (outer first!) circles with a well sharpened pair of spring dividers. Yes, this does work and provides a clean cut if the dividers are used with many gentle turns and have a fine point. A 1/8" wad punch or rotary leather punch will deal with the holes. Good idea. I will try this first Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Lawson Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 There is no difference in the top sizes just the tank is smaller diameter below the flange I have a unit off a V8 Cadilac and the top and inner tank are the same size as on our 27 Chev Just the tank is a lot larger in Diameter Without going down to measure it I would guess about 6 1/2 inches Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old car fan Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 (edited) Our die cut gaskets will fit either inner tank.if you need a kit,let me know Edited March 22, 2020 by old car fan (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB26 Posted March 25, 2020 Author Share Posted March 25, 2020 I made my own gasket, worked great. I just bench tested the new tank with a vacuum pump. It drew fuel quite well and shut off and turned on when the float was in the correct position. I think it will work quite well. One question though, I need to remove the engine head bolts where the vacuum tank bracket is mounted. I cannot reuse the old bracket as it is too big. Do I need to worry about causing a head gasket leak if I only loosen the two bolts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB26 Posted March 31, 2020 Author Share Posted March 31, 2020 Anyone have a yay or nay on loosening those 2 head bolts? I don’t want to open a can of worms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 Never tried it, good practice suggests it’s not good though. That said, I think the heads are pretty sturdy and if it’s not been apart for a long time it’s likely that it’s pretty much locked in place anyway (rust etc) - I’m sure back in the day they would have been swapped on the side of the road. Another option may be to mount on top of the existing nuts but that would only be possible if there was excess thread on the studs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nearchoclatetown Posted March 31, 2020 Share Posted March 31, 2020 This is a loaded question kind of like what kind of oil should I use. What are your options? Take the two nuts off and it MAY leak or not. I'd be more worried that the stud comes out of the block or breaks off. You won't find out until you try something. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB26 Posted March 31, 2020 Author Share Posted March 31, 2020 Thanks guys. I will leave the bracket alone. Don’t want to risk it. I will put some wrap some sort of spacer on the vacuum tank and leave it be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB26 Posted April 2, 2020 Author Share Posted April 2, 2020 Well, my solution was to use an old belt and wrap the new tank to fit the old bracket. I think it looks quite nice. Here is my setup: I have a question regarding the carburetor. I noticed that the steel part of the carb that attaches to the engine was getting quite cold. It had a layer of moisture building up on it. Is this normal? I’ve never noticed this before when I had an electric pump. Maybe I was oblivious. And also, something I could have been oblivious to, there is a small puddle of what appears to be fuel just below the air intake of the carb, pooling in the block. Is there something I can fix here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 2, 2020 Share Posted April 2, 2020 The gasoline is being vaporized in the carb venturi and this take heat out of the air and the metal that the carb is made from. This external condensation is similar to carb icing which is freezing condensation inside the carb. Externally it is nothing to worry about. At the right humidity and temperature they all do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB26 Posted April 2, 2020 Author Share Posted April 2, 2020 Thanks for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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