fuel fill behind license plate

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Bill V

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Today at lunch some coworkers of mine were discussing car features of the past which you either rarely or never see today, and someone brought up how some cars once had the fuel fill cap located behind a flip-down rear license plate. At which point the question turned to why this is no longer done. Some thought it was purely aesthetics/styling, others thought it was a driver convenience concern, and still others thought there may have been safety issues with having the fuel fill located in a vulnerable area for rear-end collisions.



Anyone here know the actual reason, or have any other thoughts on this question? Thanks!
 
Good question. I liked it back there though. You could fuel with the car at either side of the pump.
 
JohnnyB--Agreed--although the person in my lunch group who thought it might have changed for driver convenience thought that at a gas pump, you're more likely to be crowded from behind (someone at the next pump parking too closely behind you) than from the side, and therefore at times that could be a difficult location. Which I have to grant that I can see as a potential valid point.
 
still others thought there may have been safety issues with having the fuel fill located in a vulnerable area for rear-end collisions.
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Government intervention...
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I think both are true. If you look back on car design, the rear gas caps started to disappear right about the same time that gov't-mandated 5mph bumpers started to show up on cars. That was in the early '70's.



Then, with the evolution of car design, bumpers came to be covered by a body-covered plastic fascia. Again, due to more gov't intervention: To meet gov't-imposed CAFE standards, automakers looked for ways to lighten their products by adding more plastic in lieu of heavier metal.
 
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Thought this was fitting since I just brought this home today from my parents' house.



My fuel filler isn't behind a license plate. Cougars are more stealth than that.



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:back2topic:

I agree with the previous posts about the reasoning behind the demise of rear fuel fillers. Safety, government intervention, and convenience.



It is admittedly a hassle when you have a car as long as mine and can't pull up far enough to fill from the rear because of a big truck or van at the pump in front of the one you pull into. Of course, it's not that difficult to just pull past it a little and back in.:grin:
 
I agree that it gas fillers on the rear of vehicles died out about the time the 5MPH bumpers appeared. It also made the gas tank more vulnerable if hit from behind,...so I suspect that it was both a safety issue as well as incompatibility with the Federally mandated 5 MPH bumpers.



I also like the fact that the centrally located gas filler meant that you did not care which side the pump was on...now I have to stop and think which vehicle I am getting ready to gas up when I arrive at the station since the gas filler is ont the drivers side on my Toyota, and on the passenger side on my Mercedes. I prefer the drivers side so I can read the prices on the pump as I pull up.



I have noticed that most stations have shorter hoses on their pumps now, which would barely reach the center gas fillers, and making it almost impossible to get the hose to reach to the other side of the vehicle...especially an SUV where you must go all around the back because cannot stretch the hose over the trunk to shorten the distance.:angry:



...Rich



 
My '69 Camaro had it there same with my '72 Nova and IIRC my '71 Torino had it there too.



About the safety issue of this, One Word "Pinto".... wait two words "BOOM" !!!!!

:rofl::bwahaha:
 
I think they moved it to the side because of crash standards.

The most stealthy gas cap of all time was in the '57 Cadillac. The left side taillight pivoted out and the gas cap was underneath it. My uncle had one when I was a kid.
 
when i was a kid (16) i worked at a gas station and remeber this well. what i remember the most was the night i only had a few minutes left on my shift and a vehicle with this type of fuel fill system pulled in for $2.00 of gas (back then that was common). i put the nozzle in and on full blast and i was bent right over with my face near the filler and the nozzel flew out and sprayed me down and the filler clip did not release. real nice getting about 2 gallons of gas in my face and eyes. don't try this at home :grin:
 
JohnnyO,

The 1956 Caddy, 1956 and 1957 Chevy's (and several Olds and Buicks) also had the gas fillers hidden behind the driver's side taillights. I think that was the novelty back in the late 1950's as the tail fins got bigger and higher...:grin:



...Rich







 
real nice getting about 2 gallons of gas in my face and eyes. don't try this at home
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Been there, done that. It was a gas can that the nozzle flipped out of. I thought I was going to be blind.
 
"I thought I was going to be blind."



that was the first thing that i thought was happening.



i do remember when i arrived at the ER/local hospital, they told the people in the waiting area to put their cig's out. not kidding. the good ole' days of no smoking bans :boohoo:
 
Richard L,

Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure a few years of late-50's Corvettes had the fuel filler behind the taillight too.
 
JohnnyO,

I belive you are correct...I think the 1957-1958 Corvettes had the gas filler behind the taillight.



gary s,

The worse gas spill I ever got was from a car with a side mounted gas filler on the back fender. I was working part time at a friends gas station in Washington, DC while I was in the military. I was all alone and it was in the winter time. I started pumping gas in at the fastest nozzle speed when suddenly..Whoosh, abouta half a gallon backed up the pipe an sprayed all over the front of my pants.



At first it was just cold, but within an hour it started to burn something fierce. :cry:

I eventually had to go into a small inside restroom, rinse out my underwear, wash myself down and put on an old pair of coveralls to finish out the day. It continued to burn, but just not as bad.:angry:



...Rich
 
Back when I was a kid, my dad had a full-service station. I would go to work with him on the weekends and follow him around. I would wash the windshield while he pumped the gas for the customers. (I was 8 at the time.) Once, I decided I wanted to pump the gas. I put the nozzle in behind the plate and away I went. I had seen my dad let the handle rest on the license plate, so I let go of the handle. The whole nozzle flew out of the car and blasted me full in the face. Dad shut the pump off and started spraying me in the face with the water hose to get all the gas out of my eyes. That didn't stop me from helping out. It did take me a while to take up a gas nozzle again, though!
 
Nothing with gas, but. When I was four. My Dad had a Mobil station. He was repairing a truck tire. The big ones with split ring bead retainer. While airing it. It exploded and came apart. I dont remember it, but. He said I ran all the way home, about a blockaway.LOL
 

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