Removing faux gas cap on California special

[ethanhunter34]

Hi
Thinking about removing the faux gas cap off my 2020 California special but not sure how to remove the faux gas cap on the rear panel. I heard they are screws if they are how do you get to them ? Anyone removed there faux gas cap or replace the rear panel? I was looking to get a rear panel but wanted to know if it’s easy to remove the faux gas cap

thanks

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[Interceptor]

Spend some money, not much.

Take off the rear panel, valuable piece for your car that future owner may want

Purchase new blank panel, install. There are some design differences in aftermarket panels so look at carefully. You most likely can do install.

Also should you like the California Special script there is someone here that makes them or has link for aftermarket scripts.

To buy script from Ford or any part of rear panel is around $700.00 if i remember correctly. So don't butcher up, you could also probably sell online if you didn't want to keep, to pay for parts needed.

 

[CJJon]

Funny, I never think of it as a fake gas cap. I am old enough to remember when it was an actual gas cap too. Now I just think of it as part of the badging of the car. I bet most GT owners don't even know that was once where you put the gas.

Reminds me of the story of "borrowing" a buddies dad's 57 Chevy one night when I was a kid. We got stranded at the gas station because we couldn't figure out how to put gas in the damned thing! Luckily some grey-hair "old man" was there and showed us the secret!

 

[br_an]

Hi
Thinking about removing the faux gas cap off my 2020 California special but not sure how to remove the faux gas cap on the rear panel. I heard they are screws if they are how do you get to them ? Anyone removed there faux gas cap or replace the rear panel? I was looking to get a rear panel but wanted to know if it’s easy to remove the faux gas cap

thanks

If you remove it you'll have holes where the mounting points were and probably a circle of goo where the adhesive was. That would be a pain to address, plus you're destroying one of the special trim accents that you may want to put back someday.

I would not deconstruct the CS trim panel, I'd take it off and replace with a blank or find a GT take-off panel on eBay.

Blank Panel

EBay take-off panel

 

[Bikeman315]

If you remove it you'll have holes where the mounting points where and probably a circle of goo where the adhesive was. That would be a pain to address, plus you're destroying one of the special trim accents that you may want to put back someday.

I would not deconstruct the CS trim panel, I'd take it off and replace with a blank or find a GT take-off panel on eBay.

Blank Panel

EBay take-off panel

Replacing the panel also removes the California Special script which is a homage to the 68’ CS. I for one would leave it alone. It’s part of what makes the CS special.

 

[ethanhunter34]

Thanks guys! So the faux gas cap is just screwed on to the panel? So I don’t have to worry about removing any screws I can just remove the panel as instructed in the videos

 

[br_an]

I believe it is only secured to the panel by adhesive and some kind of fastener... Saw this on another forum recently, should look similar to this image

You'll want to use body panel tools to remove that panel if you decide to swap it. There are plenty of how-to videos. Just use caution prying it out, you can dent the deck lid if you aren't careful.

 

[Vlad Soare]

I bet most GT owners don't even know that was once where you put the gas.

I used to read on these forums about the "fake gas cap" and didn't understand why people called it that. If I had to compare that badge to something, a gas cap would have been the last thing in the world to cross my mind.
Later on I happened on a book on the history of the Mustang, and it finally made sense.

Reminds me of the story of "borrowing" a buddies dad's 57 Chevy one night when I was a kid. We got stranded at the gas station because we couldn't figure out how to put gas in the damned thing! Luckily some grey-hair "old man" was there and showed us the secret!

Funny, this exact thing happened to me last year. I had rented a big Mercedes van for my holiday, since we had planned some long drives, and our family SUV isn't big enough to carry five people in comfort over long distances. Not to mention having enough space in the boot for all of their luggage.
So, the first time I need to fill up, I pull over next to a gas pump, get out of the car, then start going round the car, scratching my head - where the hell is that damn gas cap?
Two minutes later it occurs to me that the driver's door has an odd shape. Could that strange-looking thing be actually a flap? There's nothing to pull on, so maybe it's a push-type clicking mechanism, like my Mondeo. I push it, nothing happens.
After one more minute I give up and decide to pick up my phone to search for instructions on the internet. But I should move the car first, to allow others to use the pump in the meantime. I open the door to get in the car again, and at that moment I realize that it's indeed a flap, but you can only open it while the driver's door is open. And behind it, lo and behold, there's a gas cap!

 

[Rapid Red]

OP good idea that will clean the rear up nicely. That faux has been riding there form day 1, has run its course today.

I would guess it could be remove, still attached to the panel.

This picture seem to suggest that it can be.

 

[Coosawjack]

My "GT" panel was scratched up so I ordered this blank one from AM........less than $100 but the OEM one was a BEAR to remove.....watch videos and take your time if ya decide to go this route!!

 

[DRB]

I did sort of the opposite, recently - I installed a round rear GT emblem - the "faux gas cap" on an aftermarket decklid panel and replaced my factory GT decklid.



Here's the deal, more or less - four 7mm bolts secure the factory panel to the decklid. There are something like six metal clips at the top that hold it securely in place there, and two smaller bolts - I think 5mm - that hold the camera to the inside of the panel.

Now, the faux cap has 4 plastic locator pins on the back. They're used for accurate placement on the stock panel. They are in the same places on the faux cap, the regular GT emblem, and I'd assume also on the tribar emblem. There are also two small holes for screws placed vertically on the back of the cap. The rear surface is covered by 3M adhesive film. The cap goes into the four locator holes, is secured by the adhesive film, and further secured by two small screws from the back side of the panel.

The only useful bits of all that for your purposes, I guess, are the 4 bolts, six clips and two camera retainer bolts.

So yeah, removing the cap leaves six holes exposed on the stock panel.

 

[DRB]

OP good idea that will clean the rear up nicely. That faux has been riding there form day 1, has run its course today.

I would guess it could be remove, still attached to the panel.

This picture seem to suggest that it can be.

The 2015-2021 panels are constructed somewhat differently. Honestly, I like the 2013-2014 badges best, though I don't suppose they would work aesthetically on the new models.

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