Technical What’s the trick to pumping fuel in old car without spilling it

Did you also have to replace the fitting on the tak were the vent tube connected?

 

Only problem I have is getting the nozzle turned right to go in my filler neck. It sits a few inches down under the door on top of the fender, so you can’t just stick it in like you can where the fill neck is on the side. We don’t have those goofy sealed boots, there would be no way they would work on my car.

 

Yes, I put a larger hose nipple in the tank too. It's all about airflow out of the tank as the huge volume of fuel flows IN. And yes, that's the painful part, you gotta weld the tank.

 

I'd agree that this sounds like an improperly vented tank. On both of my hotrods I have fuel cells and my vent lines leave the tank with 3/8" line, and go a good 9" above the tanks, and then have a 360 degree loop bent in the vent lines. Then they go down below the bottom of the tanks and end with a vent filter to keep bugs and debris from getting into he end of the vent. They fill effortlessly, and never shut off until fuel level gets high enough to reach the end of the nozzle.

 

Yes they do and that's the biggest problem. I fill the tank slowly and rarely fill it full. Both my 57 T-Bird and 64 Chevy truck are prone to major splash back.

 

This is the issue I deal with ('41 Merc & '51 Chev). The hose nozzle does not reach the filler neck deeply enough to have the splash-back boot do it's job; plus, the necks and vents on the vintage cars are not conducive to a fast fill. You will always find me bent over the fender with my ear as close as possible listening for the whistle to change pitch all the while squeezing as slowly as possible. After all that, I go in to tell the attendant there is an environmental spill under my car.. The tribulation of owning a nifty car I guess..

-Dave

p.s. The nozzles back in the day did not have those blasted chunks of advertising plastic on them which allowed you to insert the hose all the way into the filler neck.. Progress!

 

I've found mine fills with no drama if I point the front of the car downhill. Most stations I can put the nozzle on the 1st click. My problem is when the tank reaches "full". It spews out about a quart from the vent. I always act like I don't see it and drive off.

 

Even 'back in the day' some cars were a pain in the ass! "53/'54 Plymouths come to mind... Some OEM designs just don't breathe well. Now, your Tesla is just plug and play, so drive it instead!

 

The real trick is this, "for every gallon of gas that goes into the tank, a gallon of air must exit." Those old tanks don't have a separate vent, so the air must exit the filler neck and when it can't do so fast enough, there is blow back from the pressurized air in the tank. So, either add a vent or go slow. Those are your 2 options.

 

on my 40 ford coupe I owned couldn't hardly get gas in it. took a coat hanger & ran it up the vent tube to clean it out after that no problem. Your experience may vary. 2 photos of my 40 sedan fill neck. But as others have said the air has to go out as the gas goes in

 

As Algoma56 stated above if you have the stream wash against the side of the fill pipe it tends to dissipate the bubbles? and it's less likely to spit back at you and the side of the vehicle

 

Sometimes you gotta pull the foreskin back and watch what’s going in……

 

Oy gevalt!

 

My 56 F100 is getting the top fill filler. I am done with gas running out on the fenders.

 

My 71 Maverick used to spit up all over my leg when the tank was full, it was frustrating if you didn't time it just right.

 

I have a 5-gal can of toluene to add to the tank of a particular car I have when I want some extra high-octane smack. The spout on the can is normally flush but it can be pulled out but only 3" or so. I haven't bought a special funnel in a while. I just cut the bottom off a plastic one or two-liter juice or whiskey bottle to make a temporary funnel. I wrap an oil rag to hold it snug at an upward angle while I carefully pour the big can with both hands into the "funnel".
I probably use funnels more than I used to because one is so easy to make. It's also easy to make a scoop the same way.

 

Ger a hearing aid they are cheap ones now easy to use.

Listen and watch

 

My experience says yes and even pumps that are new rather than three or four years old pump faster. Old cars weren't designed to handle the volume that the new pumps put out.

Yuppers, air has to be able to get out as fast as gas goes in.

The stock tank and filler neck on my 48 was the worst though, that one was a pain in the butt to fill 30 years ago because you had about 5 inches of drop and a level filler hose for a foot and then a 90 into the tank. Plus no vent hose.

I've got one of these Perko tank vents on the back of my Bayliner with a 350 in it and a 60 gallon fuel tank and the chrome part that shows is about an inch long. That would let a guy run a 5/8 vent hose up to a discrete spot.
Marine supply stores usually have an assortment to pick from Amazon.com: Perko 0506DP4CHR Chrome-Plated Fuel Tank Vent with Black Polymer Splash Guard for 5/8" Hose : Automotive

 

On the 65, check the breather hose on the gas tank. Theres probably a better name for it. small hose at the front of the tank

 

My 39 Ford pickup took forever to fill so I welded a vent tube to the filler neck. It goes into the tank and turns up to the top of the tank and works right now.

 

What could possibly go wrong??

 

Someone mentioned parking downhill and that got me thinking. We only have one gas station in my town and it’s sloped fairly steep. I always face the store uphill. I fueled both cars downhill and it made a huge difference. Thanks guys.

 

Nothing... It's Diesel.

 

I knew a guy that had a 5 skin!

 

I have a 37 Chevy. Tank is in stock location, but the filler was moved to above the fender, with a modern inlet and cap. Flow in to the tank is ok, but the auto shut off doesn’t always trip quick enough. I stuff paper towels around the nozzle to catch the splash back. Usually works. Keep some cheap hand sanitizer in the trunk, it helps take the smell of gas off my hands.

 

Yikes…..we don’t need to know how you found out

 

Hmmmmm no vent at all on the 41 except for the cap. I wonder what it's gonna be like filling up. I'm guessing very slow and possibly messy......