Anybody got a 60's Halibrand gas cap commonly referred to as Monza or LeMans style with the 2 levers that cross over the top to lock the cap down? Have a CAD model almost complete for a production run of replicas and need a tracing of the bolt pattern as I would like them to be a bolt-on replacement. Chaparral Mk1 has 2 of them if anybody knows the whereabouts of that car since the auction at Monterey last weekend. I'm located San Francisco. Email: [email protected] THANKS!!
Here's my Halibrand fuel cap. If it's what you're talking about phone me at (602) 233-8400. Dave http://www.roadsters.com/
Dave, any chance you could show the cap with the levers unlocked, then pulled to the open position and finally with the cap open? I'm wondering too if the caps - in race car configuration - sit down in a well so they wouldn't contact the pavement if the car was upside down. The few I've seen looks like they'd get yanked open in a situation like that. Regardless, coolest fuel cap ever....
Are you planning on producing a run of these? Any chance you'd be willing to sell one to a HAMB friend I'd love to have one of these for a project. Thanks! PM me and let me know . . .
Many thanks. The brilliance of the designers who knock out complicated looking stuff that's actually simple is amazing. Complicated answers are easy, it's the simple stuff that's tough. Looks like it wouldn't be too difficult to knock out a one-off that's smaller than the cap in the pics. Todays fuel nozzles aren't all that big anyway and neither are roadsters....
Dunno. As noted, it would be smaller than Dave's. I think those were used on Indy cars and fairly large for the big fuel cans they had to manhandle into place.. Measuring my 32's present aircraft cap shows it to be 5 1/4" on the OD of the aluminum trim plate. Filler tube diameter on that is 2 1/2". The sail panel - piece between cockpit rear and front of trunk lid - on the 32 is flat. Model A sail panels have a bit of a curve to them so you'd have to account for that. A slightly sunken sheet metal well would work there. Since a cap I'd make would not be cast, but machined there would be some compromises in the design. The tabs or whatever you want to call the pieces that carry the pivot pins on the base would have to be either TIG welded or drilled and tapped for machine screws. Looks like it would be a fun project and it's just about as easy to make multiples of something as vs a single product. Haven't got a clue what it would cost though....
To BoredandStroked, Yes planning to make a batch, took the pattern to foundry this morning for estimate and have a prototype made. Have several enquiries from Australia as well.
To Dave, Thanks for the quick reply.......6 minutes. Will call u asap. Was first inspired to make these from the fab photo on your website (and above). By chance the Chapparal was on display at Monterey where I managed to measure and photograph one without being arrested, couldn't measure inside as all the gas caps on display cars were taped shut with race tape. Youv'e got some great stuff well protected by Gibbs, have recommended it to my ex-employer who has a workshop full of CanAm cars with magnesium wheels and Hewland mag transaxles. Jim
The Monza and Lemans cas gaps were originally made by Enots of Birmingham and look nothing like the Halibrand cap. Monza style on the right, Lemans with the release lever on the left The lever design was not new on the Halibrand caps. A lot of vintage cars have the same design e.g radiator caps on 30's Bentleys.
More on the Monza caps: http://64.202.180.37/files/cap2.pdf Never dealt with this co., so no testaments to their quality, customer service, etc.
Cool! Keep me posted and drop me a PM when you have some ideas as to timing, costs, etc.. Much apreciate the info and this thread.
I'm a little confused here. On the spring loaded latch caps that are open - far right and left in the photo - is there something else to remove so you can add fuel? Or is it a spring loaded flapper valve that the fuel nozzle depresses when fueling?
Check EBAY there are about 3 of them for sale just about every other week. One guy sells quite a few designs and sizes Carcraft or something like that.?? Type in HALIBRAND as your search.
These are cast by the guy that made them before halibrand. I think he's in his mid 80's. This one's on Tim Allen's car
To 1badnov, Thanks for the dectective work. Nice shot! I believe this to be a prototype of the Moal cap. Must scan my photos from Goodguys. Thanks! Jim
From kk500: Ha! Just found the Moal roadster at Goodguys Pleasanton 2004 for another shot of the Moal cap. Check it out, it's a finished version of Tim Allen's. Hope the attachment worked.
Am hoping for mid $300's pricing, still negotiating with foundry for their price, will cost me couple of thousand dollars to get this project going, plus machining and plating costs. Got off-tool sample today and patternmaking starts asap. Am working pedal-to-the-metal toward production. Will keep u up to date. kk500
They are a modern option in order to get the a locking cap. It's basically another cap under the original one. The Moal one look exactly like the ones that some guy from Wyoming used to sell on Ebay. I have exactly the same one. Like Moal I had to make a new cap and levers as the ones that came with it was of quite bad quality, while the base was excellent. The "moal" size are not a gas cap but for the oil tank. The Offy 270 used dry sump, look at the football shaped oil tank on 50's Championship cars.
That's a cool cap but definitely chopper sized. I'd like a bigger one if I were going to put it on a car.
One off caps are relatively easy to do. I have done quite a few over the years for my own cars. They definetly are not cost effective to do. The main difference in mine are the blind mounting holes in the flange. I have done them in several different sizes. In the mid 50's I bought a genuine Halibrand which became the basis of all my copies.
I bought my cap from them several years ago and they are heads up to deal with. The wrong cap was sent initially but they made the correction immediately. They also have a lockable plug that fits inside the neck to keep someone from opening the cap and putting something directly into the tank. This is without a doubt the best security going if you place it on the sail panel behind the cockpit like I did.
Anyone have an image of a current Mustang fillerneck not installed in the car?? Aparently they have a large mounting flange to the body just below the cap (to cover the hole for the larger GT type cap, maybe?) I would like to incorporate this flange inside my cap if packaging goes ok. UPDATE........have a dozen cap sets almost final machined and have to polish and weld the levers to make complete assemblies. Stay tuned. Photo on the weekend maybe. Jim
Here's pics of the caps that are being made by Frank Wallic from Colorado.This set is alodine coated, and has the correct clasps.The set shown above does not..........Frank makes the bitchin rivited aircraft seats, aluminum dashes and interior parts featured in many Street Rodder articles.They sell for $275.00 and Frank can be reached at [email protected]
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