gas cap on the right side?

[Alpo]

All old pickup trucks that I can recall had the gas filler cap - now this is back when the tank was behind the seat, and the filler cap went through the wall of the cab. Not the newer ones where the tank is underneath the bed.

 

All old pickup trucks that I can recall have the gas filler cap on the left side. The driver side.

 

I am watching the Andrew Griffith reunion, and the first episode where Opie says he doesn't want Aunt Bee to leave, Andy is putting at b in the pickup truck to take her to the bus station and the filler cap is on that side of the truck. It's on the right side - the passenger side.

 

Of course I can't find a picture of that but I did find this.

 

You can see the cap even with her left wrist.

 

So my puzzlement is, what kind of pickup truck had the gas cap on the passenger side?

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

1950 Chevys did.

[Linn Keller, SASS 27332, BOLD 103]

Dear old Dad had a '50 model.

Reliable old machine, stove bolt six, it would have run forever if the body didn't rot and fall apart.

I recall it rusted out around the headlights so bad that, when he came home from work, one headlight fell out and hung from the wires -- still shining brightly, but shining straight down -- the other fell back into the fender and shone up into the trees.

He said it was not a comfortable drive home that night.

[Sawhorse Kid]

Yes, some vehicles do/did have the gas cap on the right side. Not that uncommon. 

My 56 F100 did.

[sassnetguy50]

That is a 42-47 ford 1/2 ton.  Probably a 46 or 47, civilian model production stopped early in 42 for the war.  The million dollar cab started the F series in 48.  The 41 had the filler on the drivers side.

Edited May 9 by sassnetguy50

[Pat Riot]

I was a little kid but I recall my Dad having a truck with a gas cap on both sides of the cab for the behind the seat gas tank. 
I have no idea what make or model truck it was. It was a late 50’s model, I think. 

[Sedalia Dave]

Both the 1947 and 1950 Ford trucks had the gas cap on the right side.

[Eyesa Horg]

My '34 Ford Dump is under the passenger seat. The tank is the seat support! Lift off the passenger seat and the cap is under it!

[Rye Miles #13621]

My 2022 Buick Encore has the gas cap on the right.

[Dawg Hair, SASS #29557]

Somebody may know why car manufacturers select one side or the other to install the gas cap.  I'm sure there is a reason why.  Most American  and imported cars have it on the left side, BMW always have had theirs on the right side.  Big mystery of life.

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

28 minutes ago, Dawg Hair, SASS #29557 said:

Somebody may know why car manufacturers select one side or the other to install the gas cap

 

That's simple...it always goes on the side with the filler tube. Well, except for the 1949 Lada 1/3 metric ton.

 

 

[Rye Miles #13621]

2 hours ago, Dawg Hair, SASS #29557 said:

Somebody may know why car manufacturers select one side or the other to install the gas cap.  I'm sure there is a reason why.  Most American  and imported cars have it on the left side, BMW always have had theirs on the right side.  Big mystery of life.

 

All my Buicks that I’ve had the last few years were on the right side.

Edited May 9 by Rye Miles #13621

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

I'm absolutely no help to the OP.  However, every car I have owned for the last 20 years  had the gas fill on the passenger side (right side).  Oh, and "others" provided the answers to the OP quite well. 

[sassnetguy50]

12 hours ago, Pat Riot said:

I was a little kid but I recall my Dad having a truck with a gas cap on both sides of the cab for the behind the seat gas tank. 
I have no idea what make or model truck it was. It was a late 50’s model, I think. 

Was it a single tank or dual tanks?

[Stump Water]

A vehicle would have to have some really desirable qualities to offset the fuel door being on the passenger side for me to buy it.  Yeah, I'm like that.

 

 

[Cypress Sun]

 

I know....let's put it under the spring loaded license plate or, even better, tail light!

[sassnetguy50]

20 minutes ago, Cypress Sun said:

 

I know....let's put it under the spring loaded license plate or, even better, tail light!

And make the vehicle 21' long. 

Edited May 9 by sassnetguy50

[Rye Miles #13621]

1 hour ago, Cypress Sun said:

 

I know....let's put it under the spring loaded license plate or, even better, tail light!

I remember that but I can’t remember what car I had that had it there!🙄

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

2 hours ago, Cypress Sun said:

 

I know....let's put it under the spring loaded license plate or, even better, tail light!

 

16 minutes ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I remember that but I can’t remember what car I had that had it there!🙄

Mid 60s to 70s GM cars had the gas cap behind the License Plate in the middle of the rear bumper. 

Some 50s GMs also had them behind the taillight.

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

Interstingly, with their old XJ series, Jaguar almost had a perfect solution:  a filler on each side!  

 

However, in typical British fashion for the time, they kinda missed the mark ~ the twin fillers were actually for twin tanks, one in each rear fender.  Not plumbed together; rather, there was a push button on the dash to switch from one to the other.  So ya had to fill each separately.  Now, pay 'tention there, Nigel!  You already switched two days ago and never re-filled the other tank!  

 

 

 

[Stump Water]

1 hour ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

Not plumbed together; rather, there was a push button on the dash to switch from one to the other.  So ya had to fill each separately. 

 

Back in the day when American pickups could be had with dual fuel tanks that's the way it worked.  I know Ford had two fuel doors on one side.  I think Chevrolet had a fuel door on each side.  No idea about Dodge.

 

1 hour ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

Now, pay 'tention there, Nigel Bubba!  You already switched two days ago and never re-filled the other tank!  

 

[sassnetguy50]

52 minutes ago, Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 said:

 

Mid 60s to 70s GM cars had the gas cap behind the License Plate in the middle of the rear bumper. 

Some 50s GMs also had them behind the taillight.

And 80-90s with the Caprice, ending in 1996 I believe. 

[Rye Miles #13621]

I had a 75 Chevy Impala, I think that was the one I had with the gas cap behind the license plate. 

[PowderRiverCowboy]

Right side was safe side if you ran out of gas on road you were not in the road.

The gas gauge on older models also is the side of the fuel filler

[Alpo]

1 hour ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I had a 75 Chevy Impala, I think that was the one I had with the gas cap behind the license plate. 

My 64 Fairlane, 69 Biscayne, and 70 and 72 Le Sabres all had the tank behind the license plate.

 

2 hours ago, Stump Water said:

I know Ford had two fuel doors on one side.  I think Chevrolet had a fuel door on each side.

Company work truck in 1989 was a Ford diesel. Left side. One cap in front of the rear wheel, one cap behind the rear wheel.

 

I have an 86 Silverado. One cap on each side. That's fine if you remember to do dual tanks intelligently - drive on tank number one until it gets below a quarter, switch over to tank number two and immediately find a gas station and refill tank number one. You only have to refill one tank so you don't have to worry about location. But if you have run both of them down and need to fill both of them up you have to fill up one tank and then turn the truck around to fill up the other tank. That Ford with them both on the same side was sure nice.

[Pat Riot]

7 hours ago, sassnetguy50 said:

Was it a single tank or dual tanks?

Pretty sure it was single. I was like 5 years old. 

[Sedalia Dave]

 

Yep 80 series Chevy and GMC with dual tanks had a filler neck on each side. While Ford had both on the same side. The Chevy / GMC tanks were both the same capacity while the rear tank on Fords was about 1/2 the capacity of the main tank.

 

I used to like filling up at Flying J stations because they had 1 or 2 lanes with dual pumps so that I could fill up both tanks on my Chevy 1 ton without having to turn around.

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

3 hours ago, Stump Water said:

 

Back in the day when American pickups could be had with dual fuel tanks that's the way it worked.  I know Ford had two fuel doors on one side.  I think Chevrolet had a fuel door on each side.  No idea about Dodge.

 

 

My '94 F-150 has such an arrangement, with a rocker switch on the dash (tanks are approximately 16 gallon and 18 gallon).  There's obviously a solenoid-actuated valve someplace; the gauge always reflects the "active" tank.  It's never failed, but for some reason, I just don't totally trust it.  Just never have come to terms with the "pump in the tank" set-up.    

 

 

Back in the mid 70's I had a 60's vintage Chevrolet 3/4 ton "Camper Special."  It had two tanks, and as I recall, a toggle switch for the gauge.  One had to remember to toggle when switching tanks with a manual valve.  Not remembering could result in an annoying outcome.  Don't ask me how I know this...  

 

     

[Jimmy Reb, SASS #54804]

My 69 road runner had the filler under the license plate.

I wish all vehicles would have their fill on the left side. Would make things much less frustrating at the gas station.