Vintage Speed Dehne fuel gauge – Anyone running one? Your experience/ advice?

[Deanodynosaurs]

Hi all,

Just wonder if anybody out there has fitted a Vintage Speed Dehne fuel gauge, as I’m after some advice.

I have just finished fitting the above mentioned gauges to my 58 bug (Got sick of running out of fuel!!).  Fairly straight forward, although I did have to get a whole cut in the tank and a sender base welded in. Anyway it all in and working!
 
However, I fitted a splitty (i.e. pre 67) sender, and it is not really very accurate. The tank was just over half full (22 litres), yet the gauge only showed 10 litres?. When the tank is full though it does register as so.
 
I know on the Vintage Speed website they do state that the Karmann Ghia Sender is the most accurate. Is this because the sender is physically longer? (The splitty one only seems to go about half way into the tank?). Has anyone fitted the Ghia sender, and is this more accurate?

Just thought I’d see if anybody else had any similar experiences/ advice.

Cheers in advance.

Dude 

[paul_f]

If the Karmann ghia one is longer then it probably will work better.

An early bay sender is longer than a split one, but at full and empty it has pretty much the same resistance, so shows empty and full correctly

[Deanodynosaurs]

Cheers for the info Paul.

I have actually been emailing the guy at vintage speed, who is really helpfull, and he has actually come up with 2 alternatives.

The best opition he says is a VDO universal sending unit: 1 551 004 082A.This sending unit is level style, and it can be adjusted. However, I am actually having trouble finding anyone in the UK thats stocks it. 

However, as you say, a second option which he suggested was a 1968~1973 Type 2 bus tube style electric fuel sending unit. This is longer as you say and thus should work better. 

Would be handy to know how much longer the bay one is though, so if anybodys got one lying around they could measure, it would be really apprecaited, so i could comapare it to the splitty one. 

Dude 

[paul_f]

I am pretty sure I have one under my desk at work, I'll check tomorrow for you. 

If not my bay tank is out of my split bus and I need to remove the sender to put the EFI return in the right place so I'll measure it tomorrow evening

[Deanodynosaurs]

Hi Paul,

Cheers if you could measure it, it would be great! If it gets anywhere near the bottom of the tank it will be great!!

Dude 

[paul_f]

They are 210mm from the underside of the mounting flange to the bottom.

Cheers
Paul

[Deanodynosaurs]

Right, I think I have finally found a correct length sender (well for a 58 tank), which is available in the UK.

Was a long slog to get it right, and I ended up having to talk to the UK branck of VDO who identified a appropriate sender (who in all fairness were really helpfull), finally putting me onto a UK dealer. The details of the sender are:

Part No: 224-011-000-024  (n.b. last number will be changing to 240)
Base PCD: 54mm (5 bolt)
Sender pipe length: 240
Full ohms: 0.5
Empty ohms: 60 -90 adjustable

If anybody else over here needs one, heres the contact details for the place I got mine. They were also really helpful.

Furneaux Riddall
02392 668 621

I have ordered one, and once it turns up I will post up about how it works out, and how accurate it is!

Cheers,

Dude