The Taylorcraft fuel gauge is about as simple, light, and reliable as can be made. It is simply a cork on a rod that sicks up through the fuel cap directly in front of the windshield. It's identical to the J-3 Cub fuel gauge. They are expensive to buy, but cheap and easy to make. ( Photo 1)
The original unit (Photo 2) had a couple of small design flaws, which we will correct on our new gauge. First, the cork is literally a cork like comes out of wine bottle. The cork (1 1/2 corks really) was coated with shellac to make it last longer, but when exposed to modern ethanol blend fuels they will quickly fall apart. The solution is to use a synthetic fuel float designed for modern fuels. They are available from Synder Antique Auto Parts as the Ford Model A fuel float. You need two. They cost $4 each.
The second problem with the original fuel gauge is the fuel cap itself. The original had a cork gasket that, again, will deteriorate when exposed to modern fuel. And the original caps are prone to rust quickly. The solution is to make your fuel gauge/cap out of a tractor gas cap. Tractor caps ($6) are designed for use with ethanol blend fuels and have an excellent gasket. We can keep the cap from rusting by sandblasting and painting it with epoxy primer.
So, gather your parts. Two Model A fuel floats, a tractor gas cap, 2 inches of 1/4" copper tube, and two #4 washers. You'll also need a stainless steel welding rod, 3/32 diameter ($2) and at least 16" long.
Solder (silver solder or braze) one washer on the welding rod about 3 1/2 inches from one end. Install the fuel floats and then solder the other washer on the end of the rod leaving a 1/4" gap between the washer and the now-trapped floats. A little trick to keep from melting the floats when soldering the washer onto the rod: cut a 2" circle out of poster board, poke a hole into the center of the circle and then soak the poster board disk in water for a minute. Push the wet disk onto the rod so it rests against the float and protects it from the heat. When done soldering, simply cut the paper disk away. (Photo 3)
The fuel cap is prepared just like wing tank caps. (See the "Fuel Caps" entry). The difference is that the copper tube is only 2" long, with about 1" extending above the cap. Blast and paint the cap. Install it on the rod, check rod length in your tank, and then cut to length and bend the end of the rod. (Photo 4)
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