Bought a new rear sending unit from Dennis Carpenter for my 1978 F-250 Ranger. Pulled the tank out and cleaned it. Pulled the old sending unit out and the old unit is about 1.5-2 inches shorter than the new unit from Dennis C. Tried to put new unit in tank, but sock hits bottom of tank and doesn't line up. Has anyone else ran into this? Looking online, all sending units appear the same as the new one that came in. I believe this is the original 19 gallon tank. Can I bend or cut the feed tube on the unit to make it work. Any ideas?

 

Remove the float from your original sending unit and shake it to hear if gas is sloshing around.

The float is made from two pieces of brass soldered together. Solder breaks down, gas seeps in, float settles to the bottom of the tank.

The float (C0AZ-9202-B replaced B7A-9202-A) is the same 1957/79 all FoMoCo vehicles, it's available from Ford and all the repro parts sellers.

If the float is OK, what is your truck...a Regular, Super or Crew Cab? Is the aft axle tank steel or plastic? Is the truck 2WD or 4WD?

 

Which tank? Rear or side? The one for the side is much harder to find, and if you look it up on many parts sites, they just say the one for the rear tank will work.

 

OP said he bought a new rear (aft axle) sending unit.

1978/79's were available with mid-ship and aft axle fuel tanks, both of which are located on the inside of the left frame rail.

There were no in-cab fuel tanks installed after 1977.

 

This is for the rear tank, and bought supposedly the correct sending unit. All the sending units that I can find look exactly the same as the one I bought from Dennis Carpenter. The old one that I took out of the tank however is 1-2 inches shorter, and the new sending unit hits the bottom of the tank, therefore does not fit as is.

 

Float is OK. Truck is a 2wd, regular cab. Tank is steel, not plastic. This is the sending unit that I bought:

Gas Tank Sending Unit | Dennis Carpenter Ford Restoration Parts

 

I think that might be meant for the large 33 gal capacity tank, not the 19 gallon.

I think you need D7TZ-9275-D.

 

Carpenter shows the following Ford part number, but his F100/350 applications are BS!

D8TZ-9275-C .. Fuel Tank Sending Unit - Use with 33 gallon fuel tank / Marked with ID engineering number: D8TF-9275-CA / Reproduced

Applications: 1978/79 Bronco.

Carpenter claims this sending unit fits 1978/79 F100/350, but this is BS!

This part number (or its ID engineering number) is not listed in the 1973/79 Ford Light Truck Parts Catalog, but it is listed for 1978/79 Bronco's.

1966/79 Bronco parts are listed in the 1965/72 & 1973/79 Ford Passenger Car Parts Catalogs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~
D7TZ-9275-D (replaced D3TZ-9275-A) .. Aft Axle Fuel Tank Sending Unit - Use with steel fuel tank / Marked: D3TF-9275-AA or D7TF-9275-DA / Obsolete

1973 F100 2WD/4WD; 1973 F250 2WD; 1974/79 F100/350 except F350's on the 140" wheelbase; except 1978/79 F250/350 Crew Cab; except 1979 F350 4WD Regular Cab.

KARLSON MOTORS in Ketchikan AK has 1 = 907-225-9022.

KLIMESH MOTOR SALES in Calmar IA has 1 = 563-562-3241.

GORDIE BOUCHER FORD in Menominee Falls WI has 1 = 262-255-9010.

KAMA OBSOLETE PARTS in East Bethel MN has 2 = 763-434-0123.

OBSOLETE RELIABLE PARTS in Nashville GA has 2 = 229-686-5101.

RPN PARTS in Erie PA has 3 = 888-864-9305.

NOS PARTS LTD in Waxahachie TX has 4 = 972-937-2201.
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D3TZ-9275-A =

MUSTANG'S ETC. in Van Nuys CA has 1 = 818-787-7634.

NOS PARTS SOURCE in Olathe KS has 1 = 913-220-5746.

GREEN SALES CO. in Cincinnati OH has 1 = 800-543-4959.

MILLER OBSOLETE PARTS in Binghamton NY has 1 = 607-722-5371.

 

Make sure the fuel screen is pushed on the tube enough. I would not push it all the way on, it might close up the end of the tube if it is cut square. If need be you can shorten the tube. Make sure the wire on sending unit is against the stop when the float is at bottom of tank. You can bend the float wire to adjust.

 

So you think it might be possible for me to pull off the sock, cut the tube, and put the sock back on and make this work? I can buy the actual sending unit that numberdummy posted, but if I can make this work I would like to try.

 

Yes it will be possible. I don't think they glued the sock on. Pull the sock off your old one first and see.

 

I've seen them with what looks like sealant or epoxy there, but originally the sock filter was meant to be a replaceable item. I bought just the filters new from Ford (still have them in fact) and they had them in stock at the time.
Two sizes, to fit both 5/16" and 3/8" tubing, and the ones I've replaced were just slip-fit. A bit tight at first, but came loose relatively easy.
After this long however, had to say until you try.

Paul

 

D1AZ-9A011-A .. Fuel Tank Sending Unit Plastic Mesh Filter Screen - 3/8" I.D. / Available from Ford

All 1957/79 FoMoCo vehicles except 1957/77 trucks with in-cab fuel tank; except 1970/77 Maverick/Comet & 1971/80 Pinto/Bobcat (these use a 5/16" I.D. filter).

 

To answer the original question, you can both bend and cut the pickup tube without any ill effects. Be sure to adjust the float so that your range of E-F corresponds to reality. Ideally the end of the sock should sit in the little depression in the bottom of the tank (so you use ALL the gas in the tank before it sucks air) and your float arm should be bent so the float sits just a hair above the bottom of the tank when empty.