66 factory locking gas cap

[Hector G.]

About a year or two ago, I had a discussion regarding Briggs & Stratton keys. The discussion lead to gas caps. Here's what I was told.

Some C-2s came with factory locking gas caps made by GM. The key for the gas cap was the same key used for the glove compartment and spare tire lock. On some orders, where the option was called for, the dealer installed a locking gas cap similar to the GM factory cap, but made by Stant. The Stant cap was much cheaper in price. I think the dealers pocketed the difference. What's interesting to me about this story is that I have a locking gas cap on my 66. I've had the car with the locking gas cap since 84. The key for the cap, Briggs and Stratton [B-11], fits the glove and spare tire locks. Unfortunately, at this time, it does not open either. The spare tire lock was replace recently and I'm not sure about the lock on the glove compartment. Does anyone know if there is any truth to this story?

[John H.]

Re: 66 factory locking gas cap

Hector -

There was no way to order a '66 Corvette with a locking gas cap - it wasn't an available factory option. Any customer who wanted a locking gas cap had to purchase it over the dealer's parts counter as an accessory item (or tell the salesman he wanted one, and the salesman would handle it, get one from the parts guy, and give it to the new-car prep guy to install prior to delivery).

[Joe L.]

Re: 66 factory locking gas cap

John and Hector-----

Yup, that's definitely how it was. If there were ever any situations in which the gas cap key matched any other locks on the car, it had to have been because of a later effort by a locksmith, I don't even know if that would be possible because the locks may have been enough different that the same key could not have been used for both.

Also, the "GM" caps were NEVER manufactured by GM. The "New Departure-Hyatt" division of GM did manufacture some fuel caps, including some originally used on mid-70's Corvettes (after Corvette fuel caps became the same as those used for other GM cars). However, Stant manufactured the 63-74 STANDARD gas caps. I don't know what company made the locking ones for GMSPO, but I don't think that it was Stant. All of the ones sold under GM part numbers did use the "Briggs and Stratton" marked key and SOME available through the aftermarket did, too.

[Hector G.]

Re: 66 factory locking gas cap

Thanks John and Joe. I forgot to mention, the locking cap has the following letters and numbers on the inside. EE54-3-Z-75. Is that the GM # you were referring to?

[Joe L.]

Re: 66 factory locking gas cap

Hector-----

No, that's not any sort of GM number. That's some kind of coding that the manufacturer of the cap used. I recall seeing something like that on the caps, too.