C15A Restoration

[jim sewell]

I have very little in the way of fittings for inside the van section , as it is going on Lang's Normandy trip I have left the rear so we can sleep in it .
Would appreciate any pictures of fittings etc as you come across them .
Regards
Jim S.

[John Stokes]

Hi All,
Has anyone any clues on how to fix or restore fuel sender units? John Stokes

[Phil Waterman]

Originally Posted by John Stokes

Hi All,
Has anyone any clues on how to fix or restore fuel sender units? John Stokes

Hi John

Look around on some of the antique car parts suppliers I think you will find that new units which have the same head and bolt pattern as the CMP Chevy gas senders are available. I've seen both adjustable as well as standard style units. I used a one that the length of the float arm was wrong but by lengthening the arm and bending it a little I got it to read from the bottom of the tank to the top. One thing to watch for though if you find a NOS unit is the gasket, some of the old rubber gaskets don't like the alcohol that is added to a lot of gas (here in the States) and the gaskets soon leak.

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by John Stokes

Hi All,
Has anyone any clues on how to fix or restore fuel sender units? John Stokes

John

In most cases the problem with them is : gunk or oxidisation on the wiper contacts .. Inside the sender unit, there is a length of fine coiled wire on which, a wiper arm runs over . Some types you can disassemble and clean .. drill out the rivets that hold the body together . One trick .. drill a small hole in the body and spray some electrical cleaner into it .. move the arm up and down .. this may clean it without having to pull it apart .

On some of them.. the moveable wiper is earthed through the spindle shaft in the body .. there has to be a good electrical contact between the spindle shaft and the body .

You can use a cheap multimeter .. and check the thing out .

They normally don't ' wear out' in the normal sense of the word .. it's nearly always a good clean that is required .. and it will work fine .

Make sure you use twin core wire , from the sender unit , to the gauge on the dash .. one wire is your earth return .. attach it to one of the sender unit mounting screws.. the other end you attach to an earth point on the instrument panel e.g., a mounting screw or similar .. this means you will always have a good solid earth for the system .

CMP's have a peculiar 90 degree corner in the float arm device from memory .

Mike

[John Stokes]

Hi all,
Thanks for the advise on the sender,i have got one working by cleaning the contacts but the other needs more work.I had the front sandblasted today and fixed the rust in it no filler required all metal dont know what the red is in the photo looks like fibreglass filler but its not all primed and ready to final rub etc.Still too busy with work to get a good run on it but holidays are coming so look out Blitz.

[Bob Carriere]

John

Around here we have a discount Auto Princess that sells a generic sender unit that has the same universal bolt pattern as the CMP..... they are made in China....but then what isn't.

Massey Ferguson tractor dealers sell a similar unit.... a few $$ more... may be made in India..... they are also identical....... most of the universal units have an adjustable arm for the depth of the tank and a bendable float arm for specific adjustment.

Good luck.

Boob

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

John

Around here we have a discount Auto Princess that sells a generic sender unit that has the same universal bolt pattern as the CMP..... they are made in China....but then what isn't.

Massey Ferguson tractor dealers sell a similar unit.... a few $$ more... may be made in India..... they are also identical....... most of the universal units have an adjustable arm for the depth of the tank and a bendable float arm for specific adjustment.

Good luck.

Boob

Bob .. the sender unit has to be matched to the gauge ... this is important if you want it to function. The sender resistance range must be 'tuned' to work with certain gauges .... e.g., with a 6v or 12 volt systems ... You cannot swap senders and gauges around willy nilly and expect it to work. It's a 'tuned' or 'balanced' system that you cannot fiddle with.


WW2 Jeeps and Dodges have a sender unit that is opposite to Chevs in terms of resistance .. low ohms at the full end .. whereas the Chevs are high ohms at the full end ... or vice versa !

Fords have a system all their own, bi-metal arms that heat up and contact points at each end ... very different , unconventional compared to other makes.

Many of the parts vendors don't have a clue ..they'll sell you anything that looks similar .

Mike

[John Stokes]

Hi All I am chasing the small filler cap for my C15a sig van tank.I have posted a picture of the tank on previous post it is actually the dipstick neck for the fuel level.If you have any ideas on where to get one let me know please.I will post pics of progress soon.