Just a tech. ? for gearheads,

[MarineCombatEngineer]

how many are old enough to know where the gas tank filler tube is on a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air is located?

[amerikat]

1. Raises hand (nt)

[MarineCombatEngineer]

2. (Points at hand)

And the answer would be?

[amerikat]

9. Drivers side rear tail light.

hinged. open to the fuel filler tube as I recall.

[amerikat]

10. Drivers side read tail light .

[Oeditpus Rex]

3. Yupyup

That's what made it fun working with the new kid at the service station.

Also on '57 Chevies and Cadillacs of a similar era.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

4. Yup.

Last edited Sun Sep 7, 2025, 12:32 AM - Edit history (1)

The '56 was definitely unique in it's fuel tank filler design, along with the others you described.
You just don't see that kind of uniqueness anymore what with the mass production these days.

[Oeditpus Rex]

13. The fuel neck on my '66 Bel Air wasn't nearly so cool

but it was still hidden. The rear license plate holder was hinged on a spring, and you pulled it down to reveal the neck.

Quire handy, too, since it didn't matter what side of the pump island you were on.

[LudwigPastorius]

14. Same way on my '72 Chevy Nova.

Fortunately, I never got rear-ended in that car.

[Oeditpus Rex]

15. What if you had?

The tank's still in the same place as on the same or similar car with a side filler, and you'd have to get hit pretty damned hard to damage the tank enough to cause a leak. Those things are made of heavy-gauge steel, unless they're on a Pinto or something.

[MichMan]

5. Probably wouldn't meet modern crash standards

[MarineCombatEngineer]

6. LOL,

yeah, I think not.
I remember my '62 Ford Ranchero taking fast turns like a drunken sailor compared to modern suspension.

[MichMan]

7. I meant the fuel filler placement, not the entire car

[MarineCombatEngineer]

8. Well, you are certainly right about that,

I remember when the Chevy C10 trucks had the fuel tank right behind the seat, gee, who was the genius that thought that wouldn't be a problem?

[Wounded Bear]

11. Since I pumped gas in the 1960's, I think I could find it...

Yes, I used to get paid to pump gas at a service station.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

12. As did I,

my dad owned a Union 76 station back in the early '60s and I was paid $1.00 an hour to pump gas, clean windshields, check engine fluid levels and tire pressures, which, back in that day, was a pretty good wage for a teenager.
Nowadays, you pump your own gas, clean your own windshields, when there's actually washer fluid and paper towels available, check your own fluids and tire pressure, the good old days of service stations are a thing of the past.

[ProfessorGAC]

16. They Aren't Service Stations Anymore

They are merely gas stations. Or a MiniMart.
But, certainly not service stations.