how many people have a gas door guard on their cars?

Were these standard on all 65-69 corvairs?

I don't have one on my car, but I am trying to decide if I should put one on when I paint it.

is there any advantages/purpose for it?

I do not believe the gas door guard was standard on any Corvair but may have been an option when ordering a car, maybe even a dealer add on only item.
I can't really say for sure other than I doubt they were standard.

Back when Corvairs were daily drivers, having a gas door guard probably made sense especially if the driver did not fill their own tank.

Back in the days of "Full Service" I would guess that some attendants were more or less cautious than others when placing the filler nozzle into a customer's vehicle and having the guard offered some protection for the paint.

Now that many of out vehicles are not daily drivers and the driver probably fills the tank themself in most instances (Except states like N.J.) the gas guard is probably unnecessary.

I for one feel that it detracts from the clean lines of the vehicle.

For what it is worth, this is also my opinion on Door Edge Guards today since most owners are more careful about where the Corvair is parked and how the doors are opened than they were decades ago.

1962 95 F.C. Van
1964 Greenbrier Deluxe
1965 Monza Coupe
1965 Monza Convertible
Westminster, Maryland

MID ENG enthusiast &
prior Kelmark owner.

I like 'em. Door guards, too.

I like the way they look, and what they do. Because while *I* might be careful, my passengers seldom are.

Eric C. Player
Fargo, North Dakota
MEMBER: CORSA National, Central Coast CORSA, South Coast CORSA, Vintage CORSA, Sfba CORSA, and Great Plains Corvair Club.
THEN: 1965 Monza 110, Canary Yellow - 1965 Corsa 180 Turbo, Red - 1966 Monza 110, Purple - 1967 Monza 140, Red - 1966 500 110, Black; nicknamed "Shadow" - 1965 Monza 110, Camaro Yellow; nicknamed "Silver"
NOW: 1966 Corsa 180 Turbo, Blue; nicknamed "Bluvair"
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"He cautioned me not to take notes. It would not have helped if I had, as he would start a paragraph with, 'It is therefore obvious. . .'
and go on from there to matters which may have been obvious to him and God but to no one else."
-- Robert A. Heinlein, character of Daniel B. Davis, 'The Door Into Summer.'

Guard look like a sore thumb sticking brightly out on a fender.

Door edge guards I will keep, if already installed.

Bumperettes destroy the look of the LM bumpers.

This is like asking do you want vanilla or chocolate, and the reply is strawberry. You can't satisfy everyone every time, and rarely can you satisfy everyone even once.

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Woodstock CT... Located on the Connecticut / Massachusetts border, approximately 6 miles from the center of Southbridge MA. About 45 minutes from Hartford CT. 1 1/2 hours West of Boston MA. Woodstock CT to Los Angeles CA 2,937.1 miles. 1 Mile as the crow flies to Big Bird's nest.

They are an accent, depends on what you want.

For me, I think the gas guard works better on the early models than the lates, but can add either way. On the LM’s it depends if you want that clean line look or something more accessorized. Just my opinion.

---

‘63 Monza Spyder convertible [www.corvairforum.com]
SF Bay Area, CA

I would never put door guards or bumperettes on, but my gas door guard has saved my paint many times (judging from scratches since I put it on. Gas station attendants are not careful of paint. I'd say don't car or understand that nozzles are harder than paint.




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All gas door guards were dealer installed, manufactured either by GM or some aftermarket maker.

There were two general styles of EM gas door guards, half moon and full circle. Only one for LM's.

The EM guard does serve a purpose, due to the pocket construction, the LM is mostly useless.

As to looks, it's all a matter of taste. I personally dislike them, as they clutter up the smooth flow of the car's styling.

A little less annoying are the door edge guards, which do protect the edges, but also often tend to damage them as well. They only serve to protect your own car from your own occupants' carelessness, and do nothing about damage from adjacent cars.

The most effective protection from door dings, inflicted by other cars' doors, are rub strips just under the middle character line on a LM. That is the point where LM's seem to collect the most dings. The rub strips are ugly as hell (IMHO) but the factory did put a pinstripe on the '65 Corsa models in the same location (but wrapped it 3/4 around the vehicle, from cove molding to cove molding and going across the front edge of the trunk lid.) Some EM's have a chrome strip partly or completely around the car's similar character line (the top lip of the bathtub). Effective, and factory installed, as well.

-Mark

Addition: Bumper guards - probably practical back in the day. Today mostly ornamental. In practice, I find them annoying to wash around, and mostly not attractive at all. Plus if you are ever popped by someone, they will cave into the body and slice a huge "U" shaped hole in the sheet metal nose or cove panel.

-Mark

playerpage Wrote:
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> I like 'em. Door guards, too.
>
> I like the way they look, and what they do. Because while *I* might be careful, my passengers seldom are.


X2

65 Monza Coupe
61 500 Coupe-W100181
Earliest '61 Alive?