Since my fuel gauge, sending unit, grounding points, etc started giving me issues, I finally created what I’ve been wanting for an ever long time…….a fuel tank dipstick.
Pretty simple thing being a piece of ½” flexible water tubing, about 36" long used in gardening drip systems, with a cap over one end. Measuring the height of the truck’s tank being 11 ¼” tall, I simply divided that by 4 and got about 2-3/4” for each increment for 2-3/4” (¼ tank), 5-1/2”(½ tank), 8-1/4” (¾ tank) & 11+”(full). Made these markings on the dipstick (capped end) using a fine tooth saw blade with just a tiny amount of pressure. Just enough to make the scratch marks.
Now I insert the tube with the capped end into the filler neck, working it way down til it bottoms out. I already have another scratch mark on the tube right where it meets the filler neck. Wiggle the tube in and out a couple times just to make sure I am the bottom.
When I feel good about it, I simply pull the tube out looking for where I start to see the wetness from the gas. Being on flat colored black, it’s very easy to see. The only hitch is that gas evaporates very quickly so you need to be ready for a quick view.
First pic is the tube with the end capped (the end that goes into the tank). 2nd pic shows the quarter tank increment markings.
Of course now that I created it, my gauge is working again…….go figure.
Craig
My '50 Chevy 3100 5 window, '62-235cu, 3:55 rear My truck ....... Respect The Rust If I'm not working on my truck, '65 m00stang or VW camper, I'm fishing with the wife or smoking Salmon.
Anyhow, Finally got the tank down to just south of the half tank mark on the gauge. Check the level via the dipstick and sure enough, just under the half marking. Filled the tank and both gauge and dipstick read the same at full. Can't say how often I will ever need to use the dipstick, but if the gauge goes south again............
Craig
My '50 Chevy 3100 5 window, '62-235cu, 3:55 rear My truck ....... Respect The Rust If I'm not working on my truck, '65 m00stang or VW camper, I'm fishing with the wife or smoking Salmon.
That would have been cool if so, but the sending unit is quite a ways away from the path of the dipstick.
Craig
My '50 Chevy 3100 5 window, '62-235cu, 3:55 rear My truck ....... Respect The Rust If I'm not working on my truck, '65 m00stang or VW camper, I'm fishing with the wife or smoking Salmon.
Similar to how Bob Uecker described the best way to catch a knuckleball by, "Simply wait for the baseball to stop rolling and just pick it up", I simply just wait for the needle to stop jiggling and know that I have 30 miles to find a gas station. For every mile after the 30 Mark equates to how many miles I need walk to a gas station. Perfect plan? No, but I do generally get to meet a lot of nice people who want to give me a lift when they stop to look at my old truck. I never seem to have to wait very long for someone to stop.
1952 5-window - return to "as built" condition | 1950 3100 with a 235 and a T-5 transmission
Why not just keep a gallon or two of gas in the bed?
1950 Chevrolet 3100 (Ol' Roy)
1939 Packard Standard Eight Coupe (The Phantom) | 1956 Cadillac Coupe de Ville (The Bismarck) | 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 coupe |1966 Ford Mustang (Little Red) | 1969 Pontiac GTO (The Dishpit) I 1979 Ford F-100 | 1976 Ford F-150 (Big Red) | 1995 Ford F-150 (Newt)
Having this dipstick snoozing on top of the fuel tank behind the seat is so much easier than carrying extra gas, which the wife claims I already have too much of........
Craig
My '50 Chevy 3100 5 window, '62-235cu, 3:55 rear My truck ....... Respect The Rust If I'm not working on my truck, '65 m00stang or VW camper, I'm fishing with the wife or smoking Salmon.
I have owned my 53 3100 for 45 years. It has never had a working gas gauge but the odometer worked. I was a carpenter and always had a tape measure on my pocket. I would run the tape measure down the tube until it hit the bottom and read it like a dipstick. With my 235 I found that I got 10 miles to the inch. I also carried a jerry can on one running board and a cooler on the other.
