Wanted: 68 gas door lid emblem

[Edward M.]

I am trying to develop an effective restoration method for 1968 gas door lids. To that end I would like to find an original 1968 gas door lid emblem. I know they are being reproduced, but I believe that the reproduction is not quite correct.

Anyone out there have an original 68 gas door lid emblem (GM part number 3926487) for sale? Please email me back directly at email address above. Thanks.

Thanks Joe, for the part number.

[Joe L.]

Re: Wanted: 68 gas door lid emblem

Ed----

I did a little more research on this one. Contrary to what I said in my earlier post, it is possible that the 3926487 emblem was NEVER available in SERVICE. If it ever was, it was discontinued before July, 1969. Either way, I wouldn't get my hopes up relative to finding an NOS example.

[Chester]

Re: Wanted: 68 gas door lid emblem

Please do some thing.. Need to restore mine and .... cringe when I look at it. Need to replace the bezel and the spring, and those spin rivots to the hindge to lid look like a b____ to redo. Even the pin looks like a treat.

[Edward M.]

Re: Wanted: 68 gas door lid emblem

I believe that the bezel (with the door hinge spring) is available reproduction from Custom Mold Trim Parts. Most of the big vendors probably handle it. I do not know how close to original it is.

I am really only working on the gas door lid with the emblem. Those 6 rivets (4 for hinge, 2 for emblem) are the big problem. Stay tuned...

[Joe L.]

Re: Wanted: 68 gas door lid emblem

The 68-70 fuel door bezel is available in reproduction. In my opinion, it's a very good reproduction, but I suffered with that original configuration from the time I bought the car new until about 1972. During that period, I replaced the bezel at least twice due to seperation of the door-open catch spring. I also always worried about the stress that I was placing on the decklid fiberglass every time I opened, or worse, closed the door. If I were ever to use that design again, it would be for show/judging purposes ONLY(and I have no plans to do that).

Functionally, the 71+ design is FAR superior. I retroffited this to my car years ago and have been consumately happy with it. To use the original 68-70 door without removing the door-closed catch bracket, you have to slightly modify the bezel. A small price to pay for such a great functional improvement. I don't know what GM was thinking when they engineered the original 68-70 design. Apart from the fact that it was a miserable operating mechanism, it would seem that it would have been MUCH more expensive to manufacture than the later design.

As far as the rivets go, as far as I know, the original rivets were an integral part of the door and emblem assemblies. I don't see how a seperate rivet could be used. Assuming that one could find a means of setting these rivets, you would still need to start with and original, uninstalled, door and emblem. As I mentioned before, that, by itself, would be a formidable, if not impossible, task.

[Edward M.]

Re: Wanted: 68 gas door lid emblem

My current thinking is to take a used, but good condition, 68 gas door lid and modify it to accept a "screw in" rivet replacement. The rivet replacement would have to be manufactured.

This plan probably means welding/brazing enough metal into the hinge mounting area of the gas lid so that it can be drilled and tapped. Then screw in the rivet insert. Once installed on the car, it will not be detectible, and the gas door lid will have the correct part number on it (which is visible with the door installed). This plan has the added advantage of making the gas door lid reusable. Just remove the rivet inserts, screw in new ones, replace the emblem, and away you go.

My thinking on the emblem is to 1) ask Custom Mold Trim Parts to revise their part so it is accurate or 2) modify the mounting studs on a 69-73 gas door emblem so that it can be riveted to the gas door lid. This would mean 1) drilling a hole part way through each stud and 2) removing the threads on the outside of each stud.

I did not say it was going to be easy, but it can be done.

FYI: I currently have 24 1968 gas door lids, including two NOS lids.

[Joe L.]

Re: Wanted: 68 gas door lid emblem

Ed--- Sounds like a great plan. One way or the other, it should work out fine. Good Luck. Let us know how it does turn out. Maybe an article in the Restorer would be appropriate