Go Back   The Ford Barn > General Discussion > Early V8 (1932-53)

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 06-20-2020, 06:34 PM   #1
flathead34
Senior Member
 
flathead34's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Oro Valley, AZ
Posts: 433
Default Drakes Locking Gas Cap

Has anyone had a problem of Drakes locking gas cap leaking? Trying to figure out where the gas is leaking down my taillight stand onto the outside of the rear fender. Thanks, Mike
flathead34 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-20-2020, 07:11 PM   #2
HDowse
Senior Member
 
HDowse's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Hancock, New Hampshire
Posts: 375
Default Re: Drakes Locking Gas Cap

No, mine seems secure on my 1940 Fordor.
HDowse is offline   Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)
Old 06-20-2020, 07:35 PM   #3
37fatfender
Senior Member
 
37fatfender's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Mesquite, NV / Gurnee, IL
Posts: 298
Default Re: Drakes Locking Gas Cap

Mine leaked continually, I threw it away.
37fatfender is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-20-2020, 08:01 PM   #4
koates
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Melbourne Australia.
Posts: 2,076
Default Re: Drakes Locking Gas Cap

On my 34 the Drake locking cap leaked out of the key hole most of the time when the tank was high in level. Trouble is the early cars 32-34 have short filler necks and the fuel sloshes right up the neck. I went back to a standard non locking cap. Regards, Kevin.
koates is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 06-20-2020, 10:28 PM   #5
DavidG
Senior Member
 
DavidG's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: southeastern Michigan
Posts: 10,070
Default Re: Drakes Locking Gas Cap

If the Drake cap is vented, it is the wrong cap to use on a '35 or earlier tank. Only a non-vented cap should be used, otherwise you will have the problem of gas leaking out the cap.
DavidG is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2020, 01:26 AM   #6
Tinker
Senior Member
 
Tinker's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: MN
Posts: 7,053
Default Re: Drakes Locking Gas Cap

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)
Good info David. Thought most early fords were vented.
Tinker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2020, 04:32 AM   #7
deuce lover
Senior Member
 
deuce lover's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Southern France
Posts: 5,279
Default Re: Drakes Locking Gas Cap

Koates is spot on.When Drake came out with those I put one on my '34 roadster that I had at the time.Leaked out the key hole continuously.Sold it and I put the original back on.Found out they were designed for '36 and later.
deuce lover is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2020, 06:53 AM   #8
DavidG
Senior Member
 
DavidG's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: southeastern Michigan
Posts: 10,070
Default Re: Drakes Locking Gas Cap

Sheldon,

Through the '35s, the tanks were vented via the fuel gauge unit in the top of the tank and the cap was un-vented. With an un-vented cap whose sealing gasket is in good condition, gas cannot leak out through the filler pipe. Originally, there was a un-vented locking cap for the '35s and a different vented locking cap for '36s+. Sounds like Bob copied the latter design. Ford did not offer a locking gas cap prior to the '35 model year.
DavidG is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2020, 08:32 AM   #9
deuce lover
Senior Member
 
deuce lover's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Southern France
Posts: 5,279
Default Re: Drakes Locking Gas Cap

David,
Bob I believe, did copy that later design .I have known Bob since the mid 1960's and I mentioned that to him about gas leaking out the key hole. It's been so long that I can't remember what the outcome was and it was not addressed. He has since made a '34 tank with a baffle near the gas fill so that is an improvement I suppose.I have yet to see a non vented locking cap for '35.
deuce lover is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2020, 09:11 AM   #10
DavidG
Senior Member
 
DavidG's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: southeastern Michigan
Posts: 10,070
Default Re: Drakes Locking Gas Cap

Sheldon,
Perhaps Bob chose the vented version given its greater sales volume potential ('36-'39) thinking in terms of original applications. (I've got an original non-vented '35 locking cap.) If Bob advertised his reproduction cap for '32-'35 as well as for the years it was designed for, shame on him, although there is always that old saw, caveat emptor.
DavidG is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2020, 09:53 AM   #11
philipswanson
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Bonita, CA
Posts: 1,374
Default Re: Drakes Locking Gas Cap

Why would you want a locking cap on your valuable old car anyway? Are you parking it on the street at night?
philipswanson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2020, 10:03 AM   #12
deuce lover
Senior Member
 
deuce lover's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Southern France
Posts: 5,279
Default Re: Drakes Locking Gas Cap

How about in a Hotel/Motel parking lot ? I know of gas being siphoned from a classic car while parked over night. It was an authorized Ford accessory and some guys want it because of that.
deuce lover is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2020, 10:20 AM   #13
DavidG
Senior Member
 
DavidG's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: southeastern Michigan
Posts: 10,070
Default Re: Drakes Locking Gas Cap

All good, well, and understandable, but if one uses a vented cap where it doesn't belong, griping about it being somehow flawed isn't fair to Bob Drake.
DavidG is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2020, 10:45 AM   #14
Karl Wescott
Senior Member
 
Karl Wescott's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Oregon
Posts: 1,265
Default Re: Drakes Locking Gas Cap

I discussed the issue with Bob many years ago. His stand, at the time, was that his original pattern was not vented, and the costs to tool a non-vented version were not warranted by potential sales (and some costs and technical challenges as its not easy to seal the lock).


The other issue here is in the days of explosion of restoration/rodding popularity (late 1960's through mid 1980's), that the "common" parts store knowledge of fuel cap interchange was the "green bible", which shows the same fuel cap 1932-48. By the time it was published Ford had apparently forgotten or did not care about fuel spillage on the earlier cars. And neophyte parts vendors were "led down the garden path".



Bob also has a history, of once he has published an interchange, that HE is "correct" and has rarely, if ever, retracted or modified his interchange. Note that Bob is also VERY careful in his research so the vast majority of his interchanges are correct, though some are not.
Karl Wescott is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2020, 10:54 AM   #15
flathead34
Senior Member
 
flathead34's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Oro Valley, AZ
Posts: 433
Default Re: Drakes Locking Gas Cap

Thanks guys. You learn something about the flathead most every time you visit the Barn.. Off with the locking cap and on with a non vented one.
Happy V-8ing and happy fathers day to all.
flathead34 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2020, 11:03 AM   #16
19Fordy
Senior Member
 
19Fordy's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Coral Springs FL
Posts: 10,879
Default Re: Drakes Locking Gas Cap

Before you do that try adding a thicker gasket to seal better. You can make one.
19Fordy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2020, 11:49 AM   #17
DavidG
Senior Member
 
DavidG's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: southeastern Michigan
Posts: 10,070
Default Re: Drakes Locking Gas Cap

That's not where the vent in the cap is located.
DavidG is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2020, 12:33 PM   #18
Kube
Senior Member
 
Kube's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Wisconsin, USA
Posts: 8,937
Default Re: Drakes Locking Gas Cap

Bob also has a history, of once he has published an interchange, that HE is "correct" and has rarely, if ever, retracted or modified his interchange. Note that Bob is also VERY careful in his research so the vast majority of his interchanges are correct, though some are not.[/QUOTE]

Good ol' Bob advertises this cap to this very day as "correct" for '32 - '50, something many of us know to simply be untrue.
__________________
"I can explain it for you. However, I can't understand it for you".
Kube is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2020, 01:05 PM   #19
Karl Wescott
Senior Member
 
Karl Wescott's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Oregon
Posts: 1,265
Default Re: Drakes Locking Gas Cap

Another thought, is to use an expansion plug in the filler neck, similar to these McMaster-Carr offerings: https://www.mcmaster.com/plugs/expan...pansion-plugs/. They would need to be modified with a smaller outer ring and a safety chain to keep from falling into the tank would be prudent.
Karl Wescott is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2020, 01:20 PM   #20
DavidG
Senior Member
 
DavidG's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: southeastern Michigan
Posts: 10,070
Default Re: Drakes Locking Gas Cap

The company that supplied Ford with the locking caps offered a very similar product in the aftermarket both vented and non-vented. The lock cylinders and all of the parts attached to the cast base are the same. What are different are the cap covering the lock cylinder opening and the outside of the cap which is skinned in stainless steel unlike the chrome-plated version used by Ford. They show up at swap meets and on ebay with some frequency. They are possible alternative for those looking for a non-vented locking cap.
DavidG is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:54 AM.