My first thought was to find just a replacement float. My preferred local parts store was closed for the evening, so I had to call the national chain store. The guy had no idea what I was talking about when I asked for a fuel sender float and said, "Hang on, let me Google it." I told him never mind and hung up. I do like the idea of soldering the float, may give that a go.
As far as rebuilding vs buying a new replacement - I'm not 100% sure the one I have is original. I mean, it definitely doesn't look 50 years old. It looks fairly new.
