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I've already extended my fuel pick up for my 38 gallon tank but does anyone have any ideas how I can extend the float arm without welding?
I've tried solder, stuck to the bare coat hanger but not the float arm.
I've tried battery welding with 3 car batteries and flux, but it just breaks too easily for me to feel confident in it staying together in the tank.
Any ideas on how to open it up maybe to replace the arm all together?
without seeing it, is it large enough diameter to thread it and connect it with a coupling nut? Are you asking about alternatives to welding because you don't have a welder? if so, you might just check out what a welding shop would charge to just weld it, and save you some time/frustration.
I am up against the same thing. The reason your welds aren't sticking is that the new float arm is stainless steel unlike the original, go to the weld shop and get stainless steel TIG rod the same diameter and use that. I am going to weld mine when I can go and pick up a stick or 2 of the SS rod. It only needs a few inches of length. You need to remember to not weigh the float down more than needs to be or you will probably get wrong readings. If you are dead set on not weld. Go to the hardware store if they sell steel cable they have the aluminum Ferrules to cinch the cable on itself or around whatever you need. so you would cut the arm slide a ferrule at the end and and the new length of your choice of rod or hanger, then crimp it same with the float end with another ferrule. You have find a store that has a big crimper on hand or you can accomplish the same with a vise and a couple of nails( to form the dimple on each side of the ferrule. Voila'. By the way did you order your hoses yet?
Is this sender a factory style? Or does the tank have the smaller diameter holes of the universal aftermarket stuff? If full size with a retainer/locking ring, I'm not sure what to do yet.
But if it's a smallish hole maybe one of the standard big tank units will fit?
Like this but with a longer backbone: https://www.wildhorses4x4.com/produc...eel_Fuel_Tanks
That's just an example as it's obviously for a different tank. But the concept is the same and if you had a measurement for the depth of your tank it would not take long to verify it'd work.
One thing I can tell you is to NOT try JB Weld - it turns to mush after prolonged exposure to gas.
I found some hollow brass stock about the right size at Ace Hardware. Solder did not stick to the original float arm, but I sanded it to make a rough surface and after that it stuck just fine. There is effectively no stress on the joint, so even a relatively light mechanical bond is sufficient for my purposes. Make the lever arm twice as long as original.'Tune' it by bending the pickup tube to rest in that little square indentation in the bottom of the tank, and when the tank is empty the float should be right at the bottom of the tank or a tad above to give you some reserve. At least on mine, it takes several gallons of driving to drop to full, and when I show empty I still have about 50 miles left. Close enough for me.
I know that it's not too accurate, but I just bent the existing float mechanism until it was almost straight down. This gives me an empty read with 7 gallons left. That was verified when I filled the tank up to check it out the first time.
So what I ended up doing is getting a wire crimp and filling it with gas tank sealant before inserting the two ends and crimping it. Looks quite ugly and a weld would be much cleaner but I try to do as much as possible by myself, and I don't have a welder. Car batteries can only do so much in that regard. After a 24hr cure, I left it in gasoline from the old tank for 12 hrs. When I pulled it out of the gasoline it had not softened and was still holding together. I attached the float and stuck it into the gasoline and the float was able to lift it up. It'll work till I get a welder in the distant future.
