A fuel gauge fix

Question:

Last fall I noticed that the gas gauge in my 1949 Olds Coupe was reading empty even though the tank was full. As soon as warmer weather arrived I pulled the sending unit from the tank and discovered that the float was half full of gas. There were two pinholes in the groove where the wire arm attached.

I drilled a small hole through the soldered hole in the end allowing the gas to drip out. I then forced carb cleaner into the float and carefully heated with a hair dryer to dry out the inside. I then soldered the circumference of the groove and the hole in the end. The gas gauge now shows a full tank.

Answer:

That sounds like a good fix Dick. I would be very careful when drilling a hole in the float not to get the float too hot because you could have a mini-explosion if you did. Also, use an electric soldering iron to do the job, not a torch, and I would also use the solder sparingly so as not to make the float appreciably heavier. That could make the gauge read incorrectly.