Gas tank/sending unit questions

[Izodness]

I am currently working on a V8 swap into an 84 regular cab ranger. It's the one with the 114" wheel base. The old gas tank (17 gallon) and sending unit were coated with a black sludge/crust from sitting for about 10 years.

I can get a replacement gas tank without much problem. The real problem lies with trying to get a sending unit for that model ranger. Ford doesn't make one anymore, you can't get one from local parts shop, and a big maker of plastic tanks and sending units told me they don't make it. I don't want to go hunt in a junk yard because I've seen several units in the same condition as mine and they do not look good. Is there any option for a new sending unit/fuel pickup, or could another tank fit in it's place? I have seen a 19 gallon tank with a sending unit brand new, but that sending unit is a different shape, as mine is pretty much a straight tube from the lock ring to the bottom of the tank.

Any thoughts?

 

[88mudder]

Same exact thing happened to me, and trust me, you will not be able to buy a new sender new.

1st option - Junkyard

2nd- Send ur old unit out and get it rebuilt, its like 2 times the cost of a new one but they work better than new. I had to do this. This company rebuilt mine totally and put all GM sending unit parts on it, thing is great! PM me if you want to know the link of the company i dealt with. They are very fast, i got it back in a week and they are in New York.

 

[bobbywalter]

i would just make what i needed.


you can adapt a later unit as well.


its a good time to upgrade to a plastic tank in this case, yards that deal with them generally run 40-100 bux complete.

 

[doorgunner]

you can adapt a later unit as well.

I got a Classic fuel guage/sending unit combo for the '36 truck project.......do the ohms/volts on the OEM Ranger tank sending unit need to be fairly close to the ohms/volts on the Classic sending unit?......I'd like to keep the OEM sender as is in the Ranger plastic tank & tie the Oem Ranger wiring harness to the Classic fuel guage....but don't want to make a 16 gallon gasoline bomb after the ignition switch is turned on.....

What'cha think about the swap?

 

[RangerFabWorks]

doorgunner, the ohm reading on the new sender is higher for the new gauge then the old one, your new gauge will pin itself way past full. you need to install the new sender. i had the same problem on a 55 chevy pickup, put an autometer gauge and used the old sender and the gauge almost went full circle, installed new sender and problem fixed.

 

[doorgunner]

Tin4

the reason i asked.......I did a sending unit swap on a '41 rat-rod back in the last century......and when i turned the key on......i could hear the gas boiling in the tank fron the glowing wires on the tank unit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[bobbywalter]

I got a Classic fuel guage/sending unit combo for the '36 truck project.......do the ohms/volts on the OEM Ranger tank sending unit need to be fairly close to the ohms/volts on the Classic sending unit?......I'd like to keep the OEM sender as is in the Ranger plastic tank & tie the Oem Ranger wiring harness to the Classic fuel guage....but don't want to make a 16 gallon gasoline bomb after the ignition switch is turned on.....

What'cha think about the swap?

what is the ohm value of the classic gauge? likely the classic gauge is a gm type, in which you just adapt the gm float/sender to the ranger sending unit chassis. just use the orange or yellow wire to run it since they are there and make sure the ground is solid.


real simple stuff. for carbed applications to spend more then 20 bucks to make the lines and existing sender work for ANY gas tank would leave me ill.