Has anyone ever considered attaching, through whatever means, a dipstick to the gas tank cap? That way, you open it up, the dip stick is already there, and you can instantly tell what the fuel level is in the tank!
Anyway, I thought that this might be a good idea, so I figured that I'd share it with you all!
Here are some old and new versions
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/118802/133830.html
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/29/24446.html?1171209023
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/257047/304942.html?1346263614
Fantastic! I knew I couldn't be the only one who had that idea!
Splashing might give a misleading reading.
I am in the process of having some made,Bob
Here is an original, period, 1920's float type fuel gauge I bought on ebay in the original box, that I use in my 1926 cowl tank. Very useful. One of the best purchases I have made on ebay. I've posted a few photos of the gauge and the box which will hopefully allow you to read more about it. Jim Patrick
I have a similar one on the '14. It's working, the tank is indeed empty.
Oh man! Those gauges are super cool! I'd love to have a brass one on my speedster.
Seth, buy a brass sight gauge and plumb it to top and bottom of tank. You can mount it on the end of the tank, like Humble Howard has his. McMaster has them, I think.
Don't forget the "emergency quart" gas gauge!
For those who don't remember, it was a fuel cap with a canister attached to the bottom that held a quart of "gasoline." The canister was narrow enough to slide through the filler hole, and there were graduations on the side you could use to measure the fuel level. The idea was when your tank was empty you could dump the contents of the canister into your fuel tank and you had a quart to get home on. Someone made a comment about it being a perfect place to hide some illegal substances during prohibition.
I can't remember who posted it, but I do remember thinking it would be a lovely addition to my farm truck. Along with a "Repeal the 18th Amendment" license plate topper.
Jay of California posted that in one of his accessories postings a couple of years ago. Also a very neat idea. Jim Patrick
I hope Jay doesn't mind me posting these photos for him. He gets all the credit. I found this in a 2010 thread by doing a search using the keywords: "gas cap".
Jay has posted over (300) very interesting and educational "Accessory of the day" threads of the various Model T accessories in his vast collection, which can be viewed by doing a keyword search in upper case for "ACCESSORY OF THE DAY". Jay has also posted several lists over the years listing the accessories and when they were posted on the forum in chronological order to help access his collection. Jim Patrick
PS. The below accessory would not be a bad idea for modern day cars if there weren't so many anti-gas theft restrictions in the modern day filler tubes.
Attaching a wood gage stick will not work, the gas will wick up the stick and you will not be able to read an accurate level, just a wet stick.
Maybe a gage stick with a float in the end going through a tight fitting hole in the cap - as soon as you lift the seat, the stick floats up and shows the gas level inside
Thank you Jim for finding it, and Jay for posting it originally. Definitely a novel idea.
A wood stick would wick the gas, but a brass rod wouldn't. Maybe a rod brazed to the inside of the gas cap?
All I can say is WOW! They all must have stolen my idea!
A surface rusty steel stick is easier to read than brass and does not wick like wood.
Just an observation.
Thank you all!
Me think's if your wood stick is wicking gas you might be to s l o w?? Bud.