The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Fuel Filler Neck Grommet Question

Hi Guys,

The facts: I'm working on a 1953 Chevy 3100.

I'm in the process of replacing the entire fuel system (tank, sending unit, lines, etc). I am using the original fuel filler neck and purchased a replacement grommet since the original one was dry rotted and no longer weather resistant. I read many older threads about how hard it is to install the new grommets and had prepared myself mentally for a challenge. After removing the remnants of the old grommet and wiping down the outside of the cab with a cleaner, I easily slid the new grommet into place. The problem is that it is a loose fit. It fits in the space and certainly won't fall out, but it can be moved, maybe an 1/8" inside the hole. I haven't tried to fit the filler neck into the grommet yet and am wondering if putting the filler neck into the grommet will force it outward and snug it up inside the cab opening? If not, then I would have to buy another one that has a better fit.

Any ideas on what's going on?

I wasn't sure where to put this question, so if it is a better fit in another section that's cool.

Thanks,

You may find that it will expand to fit. The tank filler will be very tight in the grommet. Lubricant will be your friend.🛠

Before putting the grommet into the truck, I did a test fit of the filler neck into the grommet and it slid in easily. Out, too. I was kind of thinking (at the time) that the pressure from the tight fit in the cab opening would tighten up the fit with the filler neck. Now I'm thinking that it is just a poorly made part that is too small in OD and too big in ID....

Makes sense.🛠

I replaced the filler grommet on my 1950 3100 a couple of weeks ago. Went into the body just fine but the filler neck was loose. So I purchased another grommet from a different vendor hoping for a tighter fit. No luck. Second one was loose also. I think the molds are off. Going to just have to live with the loose fit.

I guess the obvious question is: has anyone bought one recently that fit correctly? If so, who did you buy it from?

First-resort/last-resort is to buy from Steele Rubber.

I have not bought that part in the last 10 years, but I got mine from Jim Carter and Classic Parts. They are listed here in the Vendors section.

Years ago there was a product which was used by heat and a/c contractors. It was black and it dried very much like rubber and came in a small (maybe 4 ounce) tube with a nozzle type tip. It was sold by a plumbing supply store here in central Dallas. The stuff was designed mainly to be used with rubber grommets that were not the right size and it was very commonly used to protect where a copper gas line entered a heating cabinet or where wiring entered. The neat thing about it was that with a wet finger (spit or water) you could make the "skin" very smooth so that an artful user could make his work look like the grommet it was used with. Sorry but I don't remember the name of it. I suspect silicone became more popular it is possible this stuff is still made. You might ask your a/c guy.

If that stuff is no longer made, there is an alternative I have used to rebuild several rubber connectors, plugs, sleeves. It is sold by almost any hardware store and is called liquid electrical tape. It reminds me very much of the old a/c stuff but it isn't in a tube. It is in a plastic bottle with a small and nearly worthless brush attached to the cap. If you apply it carefully and smooth it before it starts to skin over (and it skins MUCH faster than the old a/c stuff) you can make it look very nice. It is resistant to gas and oil and heat doesn't seem to bother it and it isn't sensitive to UV rays either. The last time I used it was to make a replacement rubber sleeve for a lawn mower engine...the equivalent of their pcv system. The old one had cracked and split to the point it allowed the little metal tube to fall out. It gets plenty of heat, oil and oil vapors and for a while the gas tank was dripping right on top of it before I replaced the fuel line.

Hope it helps.
Jon

Gray Ghost - I purchased the filler neck grommet from Classic Industries for my 1954 , 3604 , and it fit very well, nice and snug all around. Classic # 23-013.