Questionhi do you know of anybody that rebuilds sending units i have a 1978 ford bronco that i cant get a new unit for
thanks for any help
John
AnswerThe usual failure mode for a tank sender is for the wire wound resistor element to come apart - this is nichrome wire, so it is impossible to re-connect without special equipment. If your failure is electrical, that is most likely the problem, and they are really not repairable.
If, on the other hand, your failure is that the float has developed a pin hole, this can be fixed by draining it and then soldering the hole. If yours has a plastic or cork float, then it probably wouldn't have failed that way.
There are universal fit senders available at most auto parts places, you may have to bend the swing arm to match your factory unit in length and angle at full and empty, so be sure not to damage your old one - you'll need it to match to. I'd go to NAPA and get a universal fit and just follow the instructions. If you draw a blank there, just ask for one for any other car with the same mounting provisions (there are only a few styles of these amongst all US built cars). You might have to bend the float arm to make it read right, but you can figure it out pretty easily. I discovered that the ones for VW Beetles (the old style) are a very close match for most earlier US cars, strangely enough. If you ask the counter man to let you scan through his "buyer's guide", I think you can find one that will work.
With old cars, it is usually nothing but trouble if you say "I need a whatever for a 1967 bleepmobile", because as soon as they hear it is more than 10 years old, their eyes glaze over and they just want you to go away. If you can look at the buyer's guide, you'll find most everything is still available. As a for instance, my 47 Packard needed a new radiator cap, and I found that one from a John Deere Tractor is an exact match for the factory original! If I had asked for a radiator cap for a 47 Packard, they would have laughed me right out of the store!
Good Luck.
Dick
