Someone on another board states the Feather had a smaller tank, by 2 gal, than a reg Duster. Purpose is to reduce total weight. He says 12 instead of the std 14. I think Dusters have 16 as std, so if it is smaller by 2 gal, then a 14.
So, is the tank another part of the special parts the Feather and Lite came with?
Any Feather/Lite owners know how big their fuel tank is?

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Slant Cecil

The Feather Duster Gas tank is indeed 14 gallons (the one in my car is almost funny as the tank sender reads 'E' when I have 4 gallons left...LOL).

I have both tanks in 'the shed' a Feather and a 1974 A-body 16 gallon tank...they don't look too different, but the Feather one is a bit more shallow...

My 1976 Parts book does not list a separate number for the Feather Tank, but then again it doesn't have all the 'addendums' in it either...

I'll see if I can find a parts number stamp on my two tanks tomorrow.

'Tanks!'

-D.Idiot

Are the tanks different, or did they put the filler neck deeper into the tank so you can't put as much fuel into it????????????


I'm just thinking they did that so the car would have less fuel weight and then it would come out lighter for the EPA classifications and testing............

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

In general, it seems the auto makers decided that having a car that would cruise more than about 400 miles was not desirable. Pretty much any car made I know of has the tank sized in inverse proportion to the fuel economy numbers (higher economy --> smaller tank). Probably a tacet deal with oil producers or something...

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

So I went out to the magic 'shed' and invoked the keeper of spare parts...

I'm weirded out by my find and can't explain the mechanics of 'why' yet...

Anyhow:

Ed has part of the puzzle with some speculation, other theories would be welcome:

Fuel Tanks...I looked at my 1976 Feather Duster Tank, and I looked at my 1974 Duster Tank....did some measuring (lots of it)....both are the SAME size...(plus or minus the dents)...so my bad, on smaller 'tank'...it's not

Parts Manual says:
Export A-body 3404474
Domestic A-Body 3906518 ALL


Now...

1976 Parts Book says:

Fuel Filler Necks:(Fuel Tank Filler Tube 14-86-40)
A-body 2/4 door (Dart/Valiant/Scamp) w/ECS 3906579 (unleaded)
Duster/Dart Sport w/ECS w/o Fold down back seat 3906581
Feather/Lite w/ECS w/o Fold down back seat 4002241
Duster/Dart Sport w/ECS w/Fold down back seat 3906580
Feather/Lite w/ ECS w/fold down 4002242

A-body w/ ECS w/o unleaded restrictor 3642004
Duster/DS w/ECS and fold down seat 3642194
Duster/DS w/ECS and w/o fold down seat 3642007

Export w/o ECS no restrictor
A-body 3404478
Dart Sport w/o fold down seat 3404534


My Feather Duster filler neck is currently installed in my Feather Duster (with Fold Down Back Seat and had ECS)...so I can't measure that one.


But...
I did have the filler neck from my 1974 Duster (16 Gallons, fold on back seat), and the 'Red' Feather Duster Parts car (14 Gallons, no fold down backseat, ECS)...





Lower is the 1974 fold down filler neck, Upper is non-fold down filler neck Feather Duster



The part that weirds me out is the Feather Duster neck is slightly shorter than the fold down older neck...





By 1/2"...so does the shorter neck allow for fuel vapor pressure to build up sooner and 'click' the pump nozzle off sooner so you lack the 2 extra gallons...or ????...both have the unleaded restrictor, both have the same designed 'tongue' on the bottom...

So you can go back and tell the guy, 16 gallons and change his filler neck so he can make believe it's 14...or just fill up to the 3/4 mark on the gauge and save 20 lbs...


-D.Idiot

Maybe this summer, I should swap filler necks to the '74 model and see if I can stuff 2 more gallons in there. 'for kicks'

Hacksaw+imagination=Feather neck?

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....

LOL...

I remembered that the FDX hull still has her gas tank and fold down back seat filler neck...time to run out to my buddy's shop and pull the neck for some 'comparison'...

more tomorrow.

-D.Idiot

I forgot about the vent line......

So the limiting factor would be how far the vent line goes into the tank.

As long as there is a path for the air to escape (filler neck & vent line) fuel can go into the tank before it starts coming up the filler neck


BTW, 1 gallon is 231cuin. Since you have the measurements of the tank, you can figure out the height difference for the 2 gallons at the top of the tank. (also what's the absolute max capacity of tank)

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

So here we have 3 filler necks...The new one is the Feather Duster Fold Down Seat w/ECS neck next to the chair back...



The length is the same or slightly longer by 1/2" than the 1974 fold down tube...but,

When looking down the throat of the 1974 tube, it had no unleaded restrictor hole and spring loaded flap, and the 'vent' openings were in the upper arch of the filler neck (about 3-4" past the gas cap locking ring)...

THe Feather tube, has the unleaded only flap, and the vent is somewhere farther down the body (not visible with screwdriver in the flap and flashlight in hand...)

SO in conclusion, Ed wins the cookie, the vent placement restricts full filling of a standard 16 gallon gas tank...

Sometime when it stop raining a buddy of mine wants to 'plug in the tubes' and fill up the gas tanks and see where the 14 gallons 'tops out' vs. the 16 gallons...


-D.Idiot

I wasn't thinking of the vent line on the filler neck, but the one that's on the sending unit/fuel pickup.

With a 74,76 tank, I think think the fuel return line also acts as a vent line. There may even be another one.


Look at your manual for the charcoal canister hookups and vent lines to see if there's another line to the tank.

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

There is a vent/vapor return line exiting the top of the tank (5/16") that goes to the charcoal cannister (same with the '74 tank too).

I use the export configuration with the Hpak currently, vent/return line hooked to the can, other lines (purge/fuel bowl) lines plugged.

????

-D.idiot

Ok, ascii art time..............

gas tank representation.
(ignore '.....' )

................ fill pipe ........................ vent
________ ###_______________$______________
|...............###................................$............................|
|...............###..........air..................$............................|
|...............###................................$............................|
|::::::::::::###::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: |
|::::::::::::###::::::: fuel :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: |
|::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: |
|::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: |
|__________________________________________|


the max level in the tank is determined by how far the opening of the vent line is from the top of the tank, not the fill pipe. A shorter vent tube would allow more fuel

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes