Reply to "Fuel Gage Question"

The gauge tells you the position of the height of the float. The shape of the Pantera tank is not uniform. Because of that, it will appear that you consume fuel faster at different levels than others. There is less fuel available in the full tank level because of the shape of the tank there and as a result won't seem to stay near full for very long.

The greatest volume is the lower 1/3 and takes the longest seemingly to consume that.

It's positioned in the tank where it can reach the lowest point and the highest point.

You can get another 1/2 gallon or so in the filler neck BUT if you look at where the vent is in the tank, it is lower than the highest point.

I don't fill it past that point. I'm concerned of leakage through that valve. It's held in place by pop rivets and pop rivets are not dependably water tight.

The '80s Pantera vent valve had a check valve in it that acted as a roll over safety valve as well. I think the original just has packing in it?

The float can be "re-calibrated" by bending the rod. When the low fuel light comes on in a Pantera, you do not have much time left. About 1-1/2 gallons in mine. Don't idle on a steep hill at a light, you will run dry.

The pickup is right in the low indentation in the tank where the drain plug is. On level ground it stays submerged but not on a steep grade with the warning light on.



I have the early design fuel tank and the fuel pick up is permanently installed in it. It's just a steel tube and that tube holed through at about the 1/3 level. As a result I'd run out of fuel with still a 1/3 full.

I got a new sender/pick up from Wilkninson that has the fuel pick up on it. I had to recalibrate the float on this one. It would read empty with 1/3 tank. All that meant was bending the rod until it read about right.

Seems like nothing is exactly a "bolt-on" for this car?