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Bend Stewart Warner Float Wire?

S

SonexGuy

Active Member
I used pieces of metal coat hangars to test the bends needed for the Stewart Warner fuel float to read full and empty. It took a lot of trial and error, but I finally came up with something I was happy with.

So I transferred the bends to the wire arm of the float, and made the bends. The float arm is MUCH stiffer steel than the coat hangers, and the coat hangers are a little thinner. When I went to put the 90 deg bend into the sender body, I found the bend radius was too large to fit! The plastic body of the moving arm requires a nearly 90 degree bend, with almost no radius, something the instructions never point out.

I tried hammering the wire over an anvil to try to get a 90 deg bend, but nothing worked. I've ordered a new float arm so I can try again, but I'm reaching out here for help/ideas on this. I could use my welding torch and heat it to bend it 90 deg around a steel edge, but I'm afraid I'll accidentally cut through it, or that the heat transfer will reach to, and melt, the float.

http://www.mykitlog.com/users/displ...mith&project=2878&category=0&log=305642&row=1
 
Hand seamers

Just stick the marked point (center of the 90 bend) at the edge of your hand seamers and grip hard and just fold it over til it looks about 90. I've done 6 floats this way (2 on my -4 tank repairs and 4 on my -10 LR tanks). I've even straightened using them if I scree up or over bend an angle.
 
I ruined two float arms, one due to making the bends in the wrong place, one due to a bend radius that was too big. Extra frustrating because I was unable to purchase replacement arms--had to buy complete sender kits. This is all to say I feel your pain, but unfortunately don't have any advice. I kinda wish the kits came with a piece of spare metal rod of the same kind just for us to practice making precisely placed small radius bends.
 
RVFan671 said:
Just stick the marked point (center of the 90 bend) at the edge of your hand seamers and grip hard and just fold it over til it looks about 90. I've done 6 floats this way (2 on my -4 tank repairs and 4 on my -10 LR tanks). I've even straightened using them if I scree up or over bend an angle.
Click to expand...

I can't get enough leverage to hold the seaming pliers closed. I did the original bends in a vice, with 2 pieces of hardwood. I bent the 90 deg using a hammer, and still came up with an excessive bend radius. Such a heavy piece of metal doesn't want to bend that tightly. The hardwood dented, so I suppose I can try just putting it in the vice jaws; I was just trying not to gouge the rod with the texture of the vice, or to snap the rod trying to make such a tight bend.

I've emailed the SW company to ask for their suggestions.
 
I put thick aluminum angle pieces in the vice jaws with a very slight radius on the Al angles. Clamped tightly in the vice and bent with a hammer and piece of wood. You can also pop the float off the wire if you’re worried about damaging it. Then just carefully snap it back on when you’re done.
 
Oh yeah, like the other member I popped out the float before bending. And to bend the tight radius I had no issue with leverage or clamping strength but I did align the rod in one of the small notches or grove looking spots on my seamers. Just start the bend way out on the rod and to finish I used my palm (with glove on) right close to the bend.
 
RVFan671 said:
Oh yeah, like the other member I popped out the float before bending. And to bend the tight radius I had no issue with leverage or clamping strength but I did align the rod in one of the small notches or grove looking spots on my seamers. Just start the bend way out on the rod and to finish I used my palm (with glove on) right close to the bend.
Click to expand...

I got 2 different float styles in my kit. One was the pop-off kind. The other had the float wire through the center of the cylinder so it rotated like a wheel, and the end of the wire was pinched to keep it from coming off. So that style does not allow for removing the float.
 
RVFan671 said:
Oh yeah, like the other member I popped out the float before bending. And to bend the tight radius I had no issue with leverage or clamping strength but I did align the rod in one of the small notches or grove looking spots on my seamers. Just start the bend way out on the rod and to finish I used my palm (with glove on) right close to the bend.
Click to expand...

I have the wire that doesn't work to use as a test, so I'll give that a try, thanks.
 
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