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TR2/3/3A TR-3A - Locking Gas Cap???

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angelfj1

angelfj1

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Is it possible to retrofit an original TR-3A gas cap to have an internal "plug" that can be locked? The goal would be to have a locking gas cap that looked completely original from the outside.
 
There is (or was) a replacement locking gas cap that could be used on Spitfires and TR4s. I seem to recall that most TR3s had the same cap -- the kind that simply went through a grommet on the tonneau panel and fastened via clamp to the connecting hose. No idea if they're still available new.
 
Would be an interesting fabricaton project, but I don't know of anyone making something that fits inside the original cap.
 
Victoria British has one on this page but they say it's for TS60000 and later.
 
Moseso said:
Victoria British has one on this page but they say it's for TS60000 and later.
Click to expand...
That would be the one Andy is talking about. It replaces the original cap and doesn't look the same. Don't see any reason it couldn't be fitted to earlier cars, but you'd have to add the grommet and perhaps enlarge the hole. Might need a new (longer) connector hose too.
 
A few, but none of them any good. Unfortunately I didn't find time to dig out an original cap, so I'm doing this from memory. But as I recall, there is a post that sticks down into the opening when the cap is closed, meaning that you couldn't put a lock in the top of the opening. And to put a lock down lower is going to require something to prevent it falling into the tank.

Wonder how the size of the original opening compares with a modern screw-in cap ? Perhaps you could fabricate threads (or modify a filler neck from a modern car) to fit inside the original opening. Then you'd have to cut down a matching locking cap, but that should be easy.

Another, more radical approach might be to blank off the filler neck from the original cap (leaving it in place for appearance, but useless) and fill the tank from inside the trunk. Probably lose some tank capacity (and trunk space) that way, though.

A sleeve to fit inside the opening, with holes for a custom cap to engage is about the best solution I see, but lots of fabrication there.
 
Well, considering that my original gas cap was stolen with the car parked in front of my house (police said it was the first time they had ever taken a report on a stolen gas cap
grin.gif
) and gasoline appears headed for $5/gallon; the interest in a locking gas cap doesn't seem misplaced to me.

But I was just responding to Frank's question, not planning to do such a thing to my own car.

Randall

<span style="font-size: 8pt">PS Not whining about gas prices, just stating the obvious. </span>
 
TR3driver said:
PS Not whining about gas prices, just stating the obvious.
Click to expand...

I saw something positively scary tonite: Regular gas $4.83. Premium $5.33 Diesel $5.83 Yikes!
 
mrv8q said:
TR3driver said:
PS Not whining about gas prices, just stating the obvious.
Click to expand...

I saw something positively scary tonite: Regular gas $4.83. Premium $5.33 Diesel $5.83 Yikes!
Click to expand...

Holy crap! Where in L.A. did you see this?
 
TR3driver said:
Moseso said:
Victoria British has one on this page but they say it's for TS60000 and later.
Click to expand...
That would be the one Andy is talking about. It replaces the original cap and doesn't look the same. Don't see any reason it couldn't be fitted to earlier cars, but you'd have to add the grommet and perhaps enlarge the hole. Might need a new (longer) connector hose too.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I'm working from memory here, and that's sometimes NOT a good thing for me. ISTR that the "big" difference between pre- and post-TS60000 cars' gas caps is the fact that the earlier cap has an outside threaded neck and a large nut to hold it to the tonneau panel. The later caps are more like that of Spitfire and TR4, where they're primarily held in by clamp to the tank connector hose. Does that sound right?
 
Don: Two reasons. Believe it or not, I have had things stolen from my car while participating in car shows. Case in point, remember the nice magnetic number plates they gave us last summer at the VTR - Valley Forge. Well mine got pinched while we were parked in Phoenixville for the concours. I don't think this was done by one of our "people". I think that there are scum bags who prey upon people who attend these types of events. I have heard of car owners having their fuel contaminated with sugar by jealous or disgruntled car "enthusiasts". Finally, at $4.05/gal and headed up, anything is possible. The latest scam in our area, crooks are stealing catalytic converters from cars while they are parked in public parking lots, malls, etc. They crawl under the car and hack-saw the unit out while your shopping. Unbelievable!
perhaps I'm getting paranoid, but like Ben said, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"
 
Andrew Mace said:
ISTR that the "big" difference between pre- and post-TS60000 cars' gas caps is the fact that the earlier cap has an outside threaded neck and a large nut to hold it to the tonneau panel.
Click to expand...
We've had this debate before; and I still don't know the answer. There were at least two different gas cap assemblies fitted to TR3/A that did fasten to the body. All but one of my TR3/As have been pre-60K, and most of them had the even earlier type of cap where there is a casting below that the upper casting screws into. The one that was stolen was this type, the thieves simply unscrewed the upper cap from the threaded casting inside the body.

It's my belief that the documented change at TS60000 (P/N 700923 to 704551) was from that type of cap to the type you describe, with the outside threaded neck and the big nut. (Which, BTW, makes the tank a whole lot easier to get in and out.) The one post-60K car I parted out did have this type of filler.

Then the SPC shows a different cap, 650266 fitted to early TR4, and a change to 613506 at CT19971.

Possibly 650266 was also used on very late TR3A or TR3B; but there's no indication of that in the TR2-3 SPC I have. It also fails to list the 650247 grommet used with the TR4 style cap; which Revington notes must be used when fitting the TR4-6 style cap to TR2-3B.
https://tinyurl.com/6jf5qt

But of course that doesn't jibe with the VB listing, nor what others have said, so ??? :crazyeyes:
 
Well,
if your gas is what you want to protect, install screen basket into your gas tank nozzle so no one can put a hose into your tank. can't siphon it out at least.
Rob
 
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