Well everyone, I bit the bullet and made my own locking gas door. Here are the photos. Total cost 25.00 (20.00 being the 3/4 in drill bit). Entire project took about an hour, mostly due to making sure I drilled in the right spot. Works great and will keep the casual passerby or prankster from getting into your fuel system. Definitely not bulletproof, but since no one else makes anything other than those chrome door replacements.. It will have to do. All I used was some masking tape, first watch cabinet drawer lock (1/4 max thickness one) and a 3/4 in drill bit. If you’re going to attempt yourself, the only thing i would do differently is probably take the door off, as you can see in the pictures there's a slight dent around the hole from the drill pushing through. Other than that mask real well and you won't get any scratches. I think it actually gives it a factory appearance especially since my truck has the chrome package. The only other thing i might do, is epoxy some additional metal on the lip where it locks as you are can pull the door open about 1/4 in.

 

This is great. Thanks for the write-up.
I don't want a chrome door so I'm adding this to my future project list.
I see the dents on the 4th picture but you'll forget about it eventually.
I will take the advice and remove the door.

Did you paint white flames on your key up from the Ford logo?
I don't have anything on both of my keys.
Also, looks like Ford changed the fuel caps since my May 2010 build.
Mine doesn't say "DIESEL" on the finger grip.

 

No that's the factory key. Ya the dents aren't noticeable except in extremely bright light. I'm ok with it. The piece of mind is worth the dents

 

Nice job! Wish I would have went that route. I prefer the OEM look. Plus, that is a heck of a lot cheaper than the route I went, AMI fuel door plus paint. It turned out pretty good, but with the billet styling.

Pictures by txfordguy1 - Photobucket

 

The "white flames" are a sticker with the directions for remote start. In the 11 months that I've had my truck that sticker has started to wear thin.

I like the idea of the locking fuel door. It has to be almost impossible to put a 3/4" hole in metal that thin without some sort of distortion.

 

Very nice DIY job!

I've got a Stant locking fuel cap, but am still concerned that some bonehead will try to add something to the DEF tank.

It's disappointing that Ford does not include an in-cab release for the fuel door.

 

Something to keep in mind though is that those cabinet locks are made for indoor use and may rust or sieze from being outdoors. Be sure to keep it well lubricated.

 

Ya I sprayed the inners good with wd40 next time I'm at a marine store I'm gonna see if they have a similar lock. But I've used these before and they hold up fine if I have to change it out in few years no big deal

 

Ah, that explains it.
I couldn't zoom in enough to figure out what was printed.

 

I have used those cabinet typ locks on other things, you might be able to take the tab off the back (the thing that turns to overlap the body metal that you need more thickness on) and just flip it over to get a snug fit.

Also, you could fasten a wedge shaped piece of plastic cutting board (white slippery kind) to the body where the tab turns, so that the more you turn it, the more snug it gets, pulling the door closed tightly. Getting it just right will result in a nice solid feel.

 

This is a cool idea. I would be concerned with seizure and rust also. I've had the locks on a couple Leer caps I have owned seize up in the winter time and require a propane torch to melt the ice out with. I would hate to have that happen to the fuel door. The lock on the door is a good idea to prevent easy access though.

I would be curious if there are any stainless steel models that would work? Then maybe pack with grease or something so it doesn't seize.

Something I thought of a month or so ago is to wire up some reed switches in to the alarm system. One of them is going inside the fuel door and the others at the corners and sides of my tonneu cover. If any part is opened it will set off the truck's alarm. I have the reed switches, I just need to get some magnets that will work with them and get it all wired up.

 

Did a little research and went online to a Marine store. They have they have the same locks and say they are stainless steel and zinc coated I believe. I live in fl so seizure in winter is not much of an issue. I was even thinking of how to attach a electric lock actuator to the fuel door. Just thinking outside the box.

 

You can get the stainless locks at RV stores also. Some come with extra locking bars for different thicknesses.

 

I was going to say that it looks like the same lock that is used all over RVs and they seem to hold up just fine. They even make a more secure model with a circular style key. The problem with the regular key is that probably 80% of all people that own RVs have the same key!

 

Ya I'm not to worrie about rust sprayed some clear auto paint on it. And I've used these outdoor before. If it starts to rust down the road I'll switch it out for a marine grade. The holes there now.....