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beetle fuel tank inner spring thingy..
~air fooled~ - March 8th, 2005 at 10:49 AM

i have a 59 beetle ban shortened for my buggy and i removed the fuel tank to hear something rattling about.. i then removed a big conical spring about 20cm long from the filler with long nose pliars... what the f is this!?

i removed the sender unit and it seems like some float setup in a tube, i cant see why the spring would be in there for that, so is it in there for a filter sock or something or did some turd put the spring down there one day for fun? haha

anyhelp would be great..


helterskelter400 - March 8th, 2005 at 11:49 AM

they used to sell big conical springs to go in fuel pipe to stop dudes getting a hose in to siphon out your fuel while youre still in bed sleeping off a hangover.

if its just a normal spring it could be for holding the inlet pipe shape?


68AutoBug - March 8th, 2005 at 11:53 AM

If the spring is about 20cms round and approx 30cms long.... I think these were used in the late model fuel filler HOSE...
What for I don't know....
I just found mine a few days ago...
I didn't re-use it.... but how it got into Your tank I don't know...
but You have a mechanical fuel sender by the sound of it.
very rare.. I've never seen one....

Lee

http://community.webshots.com/user/vw68autobug 


~air fooled~ - March 8th, 2005 at 01:10 PM

the sender is basically a big alloy tube that is closed at the end bar a few holes, and there is a float inside that would rise and fall with fuel level... on top there is a male spade terminal coming out of the centre and the negative eye terminal is under one of the 6 screws that secures the sender to the tank...

what do you think? the rare one?

helterskelter, im thinking you may be right about it being in the filler to stop siphoners... its about the width of the filler neck, and there is a bit of a rivet in the side of the filler as if its there to hold onto something/stop something from moving... i guess it was probably in upside down so as if someone did try to put a hose in there it would just hit the apex of the cone where its closed off...

good thinking man! thanks a lot!! that will be invaluable with a buggy!


Dasdubber - March 8th, 2005 at 03:28 PM

The sender you describe sounds like a standard one used on early 60s (I think 1962) and newer beetles (up to a certain year that I don't know). Sounds exactly the same as the one in my 1963 tank. The early tanks didn't come with a sender and hence a reserve lever that is attached to the petcock for when you start to run out of fuel.


~air fooled~ - March 8th, 2005 at 04:41 PM

yeah its a 59 pan apparentley, so im assumin the original fuel tank... but yeah, might be a later tank..


Dasdubber - March 8th, 2005 at 10:02 PM

later tank should look like this (but I have an autometer aftermarket sender installed so it is different to the one you are talking about). If your tank has a big hump on top and it looks totally different to this one, then it is an early tank that someone has cut a sender into.


~air fooled~ - March 9th, 2005 at 11:24 AM

hey nice lookin tank! yeah mine is the same as yours but not as pretty haha, thanks for that... is that hose comin off the side of the filler an overflow hose? or breather?


Dasdubber - March 9th, 2005 at 12:26 PM

Breather - I drilled out the stock little breather pipe and had a -4 AN bung welded onto the filler neck. That enabled me to use the AN fittings and braided line. Cheers


~air fooled~ - March 9th, 2005 at 01:45 PM

good stuff, it looks scmick...