Early A=Gas Spiller!

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65Valiant310

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Do all early a bodies spill gas when you fill them up?
Im guessing this is from the new style gas nozzles they use at gas stations??

I have to hold the filler upside down and it still leaks a little!
 
Yes they do and it sucks!! It's faster to fill a 5gal gas can and then poor it in. Takes 10 to 15 minutes to fill up with a 16gal tank.
 
Yep, I gotta turn the nozzle upside down on my 63 Dart, too. And when it's full, the pump doesn't auto-shut off until the fuel shoots out the filler neck and down the car/on the ground. So I usually try to estimate how many gallons I'll need based on how low the fuel guage is and only pump that much so I avoid the auto-shut off.
 
Try turning the nozzle/handle sideways. Listen for the change in the sound
as your filling it up.
I also estimate via the fuel guage,
and try to not go over 90% full.

Ask any old timer, that used to pump gas, at a Service/Gas station.

There are many cars with some kind of quirk to filling them,
like many Full sized GM cars, with the gas cap under the rear
license plate. Be careful your not right behind the filler tube,
or you will be covered with gas.
 
Not a problem with my 68 & 69 Barracudas but, it sounds like an air venting problem with earlier cars. My tanks will COMPLETLY fill then the auto-stop will shut off the pump. If I then try to top off the tank, (even just a little bit) gas will immediatly over flow from the filler neck. Likely adding a vent tube would solve the problem on earlier cars! M
 
The vent tube for the gas tank is attached to the top of the filler neck just inside the trunk. Don't know what more could be done. Maybe a larger diameter vent.
 
CudaNut said:
Not a problem with my 68 & 69 Barracudas but, it sounds like an air venting problem with earlier cars. My tanks will COMPLETLY fill then the auto-stop will shut off the pump. If I then try to top off the tank, (even just a little bit) gas will immediatly over flow from the filler neck. Likely adding a vent tube would solve the problem on earlier cars! M
Click to expand...


The problem is in the angle of the filler tube in earlier a-bodys versus todays high volume pumps. There is a fix for it. Someone offers/offered a modified tube (Laysons maybe ?).
 
I have the same style vent on my '74 Ramcharger and it always barfs fuel. The auto shutoff will kick on randomly every 4 gallons or so too.

I found that if I only pull the lever halfway back and listen very carefully I can judge when to stop without splashing gas all over myself, the truck, bystanders, etc.
 
We do offer a "filler tube conversion" for the early A-bodies, part # RN-636AFTC, $179.00.

Here's a 'copy and paste' from our master catalog........

FIX THAT QUARTER PANEL FUEL SPILLAGE !!! Here we have converted filler tubes for 1963-66 A-Body Mopars (Darts, Barracuda's, Valiants) that will eliminate that fuel spillage on the Newly painted quarter panel. Our conversions include original filler tubes that have been converted internally so that you keep that stock look, New filler tube tool, New filler tube to body gasket and even a New filler tube vent line. Road tested for over 18 months on various A-body models and up to 70mph on Highway onramp cloverleafes.

P.S. CORES>We accept good cores only - must not be broken, ripped, torn, excessive rust (cancer), or warped to qualify as a good core and MUST be submitted with 90 Days of Invoice Date!!!!

RN-636AFTC 1963-66 Filler Tube Conversions (with core exchange) $179
RN-AFTCORE Core Charge $120
 
Mine does if I'm not SUPER careful.. love the look on peoples faces at the station when prices were $4/gal, or when they look like the place is going to blow up when there is a splash on the ground..

I wonder if the ones that have the crooked filler tube do (space duster)
 
Same here :-DVictoria likes it at a med speed like the older pumps did it.
And yes I had a gas filled leave on my shirt before :angry7:.
 
Now here's a theory for you to ponder. When most of our cars were made, you had regular and maybe unleaded gas. When mandatory unleaded fuel cars came out, the filler neck opening was smaller to prevent a regular gas nozzle from fitting the filler neck. Regular fuel cars have much bigger filler neck openings than unleaded filler necks. Since the pump handles work off of air pressure to trip the handle and prevent overflow, it is possible the newer unleaded pump handles in the older regular filler necks cannot handle the pressures properly and the handle will not trip when it is suppose to. The suction in the handle that is suppose to trip the handle when the tank is full can be bypassed by the larger opening still allowing the handle to suck air even when the tank is full. If there was some sort of insert made or adaptor used that limited the size of the filler neck to mimic newer filler necks, you would not have the overflow and splash problems. After all the newer filler necks basically have a splashguard built into them by only allowing the pump nozzle to fit into the smaller sized opening in the filler neck. Just a thought.
 
My 66 Barracuda and 66 Valiant wagon both are very bad to fill up. I listen for the change in sound but still spill on the paint. Have learned to have a bottle of water along to wipe it off fast. I would like to know if the gas tube from Layson's is a fix for this.

Jay
 
Hey all, I caught this on the newsletter email thingy (I don't have the time to frequent here, unfortunately.. Darn teaching career..!)..

But, this is a sore spot for me because my car pukes the quarterpanel as well.. Here's what I do to fix it--

Take 3-4 sheets of paper towels from the paper towel dispenser by the window squeegee.. Put them all on top of each other, then fold in half, and fold in half again..

Fold one more time, rip in the middle about 1/2" and you've now got a splash-guard for the quarter [edit-- put the nozzle through the hole you just created with the small tear)..... I do have to hold the gas nozzle while fueling (I do this anyway-- I don't want a gas nozzle to eject on me in any car..), but it auto-offs almost every time.. I then throw away the square of paper and get on my way.. Wasteful? Probably.. But, the reality is I'd rather waste some paper towels than my quarterpanel :)

Raj
...has also twisted the paper towel around the nozzle but this was a much less effective method.. The paper-square works great for me..

'67 Beatercuda
 
Something like the Stant instant fill cap would probably solve the overfill problems. They don't seem to make one to fit older cars though. Maybe someone could find another manufacturer that sells a similar product that fits older cars. Its something I would only use while fueling and not leave on the car all the time. Maybe even take a cheapo gas cap and drill a hole in the middle the size of the pump nozzle would probably be about the same thing.
InStantFillCap_topLR.jpg
 
Here's a couple of pics of the filler tube conversion kit, it includes a re-worked filler tube, a flange gasket, an expansion plug, and a handle for the expansion plug. Note the inside of the filler tube has a "shoulder" welded to the inside where the expansion plug installs. I don't know if this shoulder would aid in the shutting off of the gas nozzle at the pump, but it is very similar in size to the opening that modern filler tubes use for unleaded fuel.

clickable thumbnail pics.....


 
I'm thinking if I take my gas cap design I have and just drill a hole a little over the size of a filler nozzle , that should work. I think I will make one today and try it. Would be an extra cap to bring with you in the glove compartment, but might solve the problem. What do you think ?

Steve
 
Damraider: So have you tried this yet and did it work? Just wondering so I can do the same thing if it works.
 
Wow glad to see I am not the only one. I did some research as well, seems that the volume of gas coming out is way to fast for the vent. So I went and got about 2 feet of 5/16 fuel line and I stick it down the fuel filler tube about 18 inches in. I can pump a full tank and it shuts off with no fuel spillage at all. Then I pull out the fuel handle pull the 5/16 line out clean it off and stick it in a zip lock bag and put it in the trunk. Works real good for me.

I don't drive it too often so its not that much of a pain, and it works just fine.

I did try various things like cleaning out the vent line, blowing LP aird in it, nothing really works. I did find a super old gas station with really old pumps in it and that station pumps gas just fine.
 
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