Hey Rollin',
A few years back, I had the same problem of not getting fuel to the pump in my '69. Figured the sock was plugged with rust, so I blew air back thru the gas line.....problem fixed!
Fast forward a few weeks, and my truck developed a sudden stalling/dying problem.
I'd pull over, check/change the inline carb gas filter(looked clean to me), and it would start right up and run fine!
Then a week or two later, it would die again! Change filter, and it would start right up!
After several months of this, I tried changing the fuel pump, moved the gas lines(thinking Vapor Lock),changed the carb... etc. etc. Still it would die on an irregular basis!
I drove it one day to Houston(almost 300 miles) and it died right as I reach town!
Fed up, I pulled the tank.
Like you, I found the sock was GONE!
Drained tank, and found that the sock was floating in the gas!
Every once in a while, it would get sucked up against the pickup tube, and kill the truck!
After sitting a few minutes(while I changed the carb filter!), the sock would move
away from the tube, allowing the truck to start back up!
LESSON LEARNED!
Hope this helps.
