Fix Faulty Fuel Gauges Month

For quite some time we’ve had no idea how much fuel either of Flashback Racing’s two vintage Corvettes have had. This nerve-racking issue has caused us to have more anxiety than enjoyment during many cruises – which is not supposed to be part of the experience. Thus, “fix faulty fuel gauges” was a high priority on our “to do” list during February.

The ’61 Corvette just needed a new brass float. (Unfortunately, the ethanol in today’s fuel plays havoc with old fuel floats.) Because the top of the fuel tank is easily accessible from under the convertible top, only $20 and less than 2 hours of work restored the fuel levels.

This gave me encouragement to move forward to tackle the 1975 Vette fuel gauge issue, but the real challenge still loomed ahead.

Fixing the ’75 Corvette was a nightmare. A completely new in-tank sending unit was needed, and getting to the top of the tank required removal of the spare tire, spare tire carrier, the back half of the exhaust system, a rear crossmember, and four separate hoses. The cost
was about $200 and time to complete this project was a whopping 6 hours. Whew!

Despite the trouble, though, what a relief it is to finally know and trust – for now at least – how much gasoline both Corvettes have during those late afternoon cruises!

Shown here are images of the working fuel gauges for both cars as well as a carousel of images of each step required to repair the ’75 Corvette fuel gauge.