gas gauge peeve

[PKRWUD]

Originally posted by Rev
My opinion is that more money would produce more accurate gauges. Do we want to pay more for better gauges. We certainly do for tachometers don't we? My rambling thoughts.

Rev

LOL. Do it the way we do in the Sprint car; with a broom handle that has been notched every 5 gallons. Very accurate, but the car has to be stopped on level ground to check it.



Take care,
~Chris

[Rev]

That's how we still do it for engine oil (wet sumps) and auto tranny fluid. Cheap method too, LOL.


Rev

[PKRWUD]

It works ALL THE TIME, 24/7, even without the key!

LOL. Actually, the Sprint car has no electrical system, other than the Mag, so any electrical gauges are out of the question anyway.



Take care,
~Chris

[Rev]

Back in 1958-60 when AJ was racing modifieds ( 1937-39 Chevy's with Offehouser engines) on a 1/4 mile track at Playland Park here in Houston, that's what they had for electrical, a magneto.

Rev

[jj_jonathon]

PKRWUD....just out of curiousity...what kind of mustang do you own? i never hear about it, nor have i seen any pics...ure one of the most, if not the most, avid user on this forum, yet all i ever hear about is your little racer ...are you just a huge ford enthusiast? ive just been kinda wondering...dont take it personally (i hate how online you lose tone and sincerity while talking) because like i said, you are definetly an asset to the site

-jonathon

[PKRWUD]

I don't own a Mustang. Never have. I work on them all the time, but have never owned one. I first came to this site almost 4 years ago looking for info for a customers Mustang, and I bookmarked the site. A few months later, I checked out the forums, and knew the answers to alot of the questions people were asking, so I joined, and started answering posts. Before long, I found myself stopping by regularly to help out. Been here ever since. I do own my own repair business, and have been ASE certified for 13 or 14 years. I have a pretty good understanding of how things work, and I enjoy helping people who are willing to get dirty. I have also done alot of race work. I crewed for Bill Elliott in '98, and have crewed for two different Sprint car teams the past few years. The team I've been with for the past 2 years is the current champ, and we run a 700 hp N/A small block in a transmissionless 1400 pound (with driver) Sprint car, usually with 6.86:1 rear gears. Racing is my passion. I spent years racing 1/4 mile, but in the past 5 years, I've become more interested in circle track. I have owned several quick cars, from a 521hp Buick to a raced out '64 Ranchero. I also owned a couple of Chevelles, a Trans Am, and a few others. Currently, I have my '95 F150, which is both my work truck and my daily driver. I have an Olds 400 out of a '66 4-4-2 on a stand in my garage, but I haven't decided what I'm going to drop it in when it's finished. I wouldn't mind having another project car, but I haven't found anything that grabs me yet.

Am I a "huge Ford enthusiast"? Not really. I don't favor any specific brand across the board. I think Ford builds the best trucks, I like the Mustang more than anything else in it's category, and I think Ford is leaps and bounds ahead of the competition with their modular engines, but they're far from perfect. I think the 5.0 is faulted in design for a few reasons. Too few head bolts, no firing order that doesn't have sequentially fired cylinders on the same bank, and an oil pump that is mounted away from where the oil goes when you accelerate.

Of my top ten favorite "affordable-when-new" production cars, only 2 or 3 are Fords, but I think that the best quality vehicles being sold today are through the Ford dealerships.

I like most manufacturers, but I seem to have the most experience repairing Fords.

So, do I pass?



Take care,
~Chris

[jj_jonathon]

Originally posted by PKRWUD

So, do I pass?

lol...yes you pass as i said, you are an asset to this forum...plus i have a soft spot for people who have at least once owned a chevelle my dad used to have a 67 ss droptop (true ss btw) 396 with all sorts of stuff done to it (he figures no that it was about a 10 second car)...said nothing could keep up with him (back in the day of street racing camaros and such ...course everyone says that...its like a fishing story..hehe) those things can be real mean tho....we even relocated it for him, to see if we could buy it back, but the guy didnt wanna sell ....but anyways....its too bad youve never owned a mustang...ive grown to love em...id be driving an 88-92 gt right now instead of my 02 if it werent for the fact that i need a car good for 3hours on the highway for those every-other weekend trips home from school...weee ...but whatever keeps my mom from crying, right? ...

-jonathon

[PKRWUD]

Originally posted by jj_jonathon
...plus i have a soft spot for people who have at least once owned a chevelle

This compilation pic is the only one I have handy right now that has the '69 SS396 in it. It's a lousy pic, but hey, what can I say. The Pinto below it is one I picked up for $15, and built into the fastest 2000cc Pinto in town, for next to nothing! I just added some parts I had lying around the garage (Holley 460cfm, MSD 6A, etc.), ported the head and the intake, put in a race cam, and a header. Total out of pocket was like $350! It may have been a Pinto, but it was a cool Pinto (1 of 3 I've owned). The truck at the top is my work truck/daily driver. My other Chevelle was a '66 Malibu with a very fast 283/M22. I agree about Chevelles being cool! Chevelles and GTO's are probably my favorites overall.

Take care,
~Chris

[Tim C]

Another reason the gauge drops faster as the tank empties is because the sender doesnt actually measure the number of gallons in the tank, but the level the fuel is at. If you look at a mustang tank from the side, it is sort of V shaped, the front is flat, but the rear slopes down. Therefore if the float is near the top of the tank, there would be more gas to burn before the level dropped compared to the bottom of the V.

-----------
|---------| Full
|---------/ 3/4
|--------/ 1/2
|-------/ 1/4
-------- empty


Does that make sense to anyone but me?

Tim

[PKRWUD]

Tim-
Do you have any pics of your car? I LOVE that paint job!

Cool!!

Take care,
~Chris

[Tim C]

For now, I just have that one pic, but its bigger and a better quality. I believe you can still get it by searching for a post from Mercury titled TimC vs LS1 Transam or something similar. He posted the full size pic there.

Tim