1957-through 1959 fuel sender

[a58pacer]

Can anybody give me the physical dimensions of the fuel tank level sending unit for any of these three years of Lincoln or Continental?

I would like to know the diameter of the mounting plate and the length of the float rod, and whether or not the sender is integral with the fuel pick-up tube and filter.

Gunther

[mjs]

Don't know anything about the 58 or the 59 sending unit, but I am familiar with the 57. With the 57, the top of the unit is 3 1/2 inches across with six screws to hold it in place. It has a single terminal on the top for 1 wire only. It is not integral with the filter or the pick up tube. The length of the float arm is an 1 1/2 inch from the pivot to the bend, and then 5 inches to the float.

In my 57 2dr, I had a bad sending unit and tank, and I actually replaced them with a tank and sending unit for a 57 Ford. They both bolted right in with almost NO modification and work just fine (including the low fuel warning light)

[a58pacer]

mjs,

I had heard that if you try to use the non-fuel warning sender with a low-fuel relay in the circuit, you will add 7 to 8 ohms of resistance, which will cut the current through the gauge, and the needle will not read as high as before, especially with a full tank. It sounds like in your case it's close enough, eh?

Thanks for the info. BTW, if you had not replaced the tank, there's no way you would have gotten the Lincoln sender to fit...is this correct?

Gunther

[mjs]

Actually, I didn't have a problem. What I did was to bend and adjust the float arm to give it more travel. As a result, when I have a full tank, the gauge reads right at the full mark, and when the low fuel warning light comes on, I have about 3 gallons of gas left. Keep in mind when you adjust the throw of the arm, you can change the resistance at the upper and lower end and change the reading of the gauge (I pulled the cover off of the new sender and discovered that the resistance coil went further than the arm travel).
Since the tank and the sending unit in my 2dr was completely rusted, what I actually did was to replace them with a tank and sender for a 57 Ford. The tank fit right in, but there were just a couple of minor issues that I had to deal with. First, the dimensions of the tank were just a little different, but the tank still holds 20 gallons and the straps were plenty long enough to compensate. Also, the sending unit changed from one which was held in by screws to a newer style that fastened in by a locking ring (remember, a 56 Ford still had the six screws). And, the location of the sending unit changes from the Ford tank to the Lincoln tank. This simply means that you loose access to it through the hole in the trunk. If you need to pull it, you will need to drain the tank. And, last of all, the angle of the filler neck changes. I simply cut the neck and inserted a fuel hose so it would bend to the needed angle. (with my convertible, I plan on removing the fill neck and soldering in the correct one from a junk tank) I was told by some Lincoln experts that switching tanks and senders would not work, but I have had excellent results, and plan on doing the same with my convertible.
Keep in mind that from MarkII, a rebuilt tank would cost $425 and a rebuilt sending unit $150. That means you would be looking at $575 plus shipping, plus core charges (if you didn't have any). With core charges and shipping, you would be looking at over $800.00. But my way, I paid $260 for the tank and $60 for the sender (both new from Concours Parts). With shipping less than $400. Quite a savings.
If you have any questions, I do have pics of the tanks and sending units that show the differences.
Now, the next question is whether or not this will work on a 56. As we both know, the 56 lists a different sending unit than the 57. However, on the MarkII website, they show different rebuilt units for the 56 and 57's, but also NEW units that will fit either. This leads me to believe that the ONLY difference between the two years is the capacitor on the 56 and the constant voltage regulator on the 57. I believe that one simply replaces the other. Anyway, I do have a 56 with a bad tank and sender, but I do have new Ford replacements that I hope to have installed this weekend. I will be happy to forward the results along to you (and DanC) if you wish.

Oh, and to answer your question, a Ford sending unit will DEFINITELY fit in the Lincoln tank.

[a58pacer]

MJS

Thanks, you answered the question I didn't ask, but meant to!

But what's still confusing me is if the Ford sender fit in with a notched ring, and the Lincoln tank has six bolt holes, how would you fit the Ford sender to the Lincoln? There are no bolt holes on the Ford sender, and the mounting plate looks small enough to fall right through. Don't there have to be matching notches on the tank to accept the Ford-style retaining ring?

Gunther

[mikem]

'58 -'60 tank seding units are separate from the fuel supply tube.They are held in with a locking ring.The arm is about 5" long.
Hope this helps.
Mike

[mjs]

Since I had to replace the tank AND the sending unit both, I matched them up for a 57-58 Ford, which uses the locking ring style. Now, I could have gotten a tank and sending unit for a 56 Ford which requires the use of the six mounting screws, but the catalog I ordered out of indicated that the 56 tank held 17.5 gallons, while the 57-58 tank holds 20.

So, to answer your question, you can't switch from one sending unit to the other unless you also change the tank. I simply did this to try and save some cash.

I do have photos comparing the tanks and the sending units in case your interested.

[a58pacer]

Mikem,

So the 1958 through 1960's all use the same sender? I think Ford went over to an integral sender/pickup tube in 1960...perhaps Lincoln was stuck with the old system until the 1961 redesign of the Continental.

DanC was kind enough to give me the part number and description from the Master Parts Catalogue, but they don't specify locking ring size. Would you happen to know the diameter of the sender mounting plate or the locking ring? It sounds like 1957-8, or maybe 1959 Ford/Edsel/Mercury would fit.

TIA

Gunther