...........need a recommendation on the type of gas to use in my 1950 flathead v8, 239 ci...........stock.........??????............thank s

thanks

 

Garden variety unleaded regular gas. Shouldn't need to fool with any lead substitutes.

 

I'd try to find fuel without ethanol if possible. A few stations in my area carry regular with or without ethanol. Most of Premiums don't have ethanol either. It seems like the farmers are the only ones that benefit from ethanol.

 

And the politicians who get paid by the agribiz lobbyists to vote for mandating it's use.

 

Not really farmers. Big business agriculture, yes. Farmers, well, if you insist on calling them that.
Think about this: A family that doesn't use any synthetic toxins on their fields must pay thousands of dollars a year to label their food as being "organic."
A business that pours drums of toxins into their crops every season pays only for the toxins.
Something is amiss.

 

Political commentary aside, there isn't a performance or equipment issue that would justify searching out non-ethanol gas. This assumes that the soft lines and fuel pump have been updated for the current gas formulations.

 

I don't know any company offering carb or fuel pump parts with gasahol resistant rubber. Most fuel line hose sold in aftermarket is not resistant. Even the auto manufacturers are having problems with gasahol. Chrysler and I believe Ford won't warantee engines running 15% gasahol (mandated in certain high pollution areas like northern NJ)

 

whoa !

...so the answer is since can not buy/find " resistant" fuel lines,
etc............and since premium does not contain ethanol, I should use premium............?

 

My last memories tell me that gas pumps are supposed to be labeled with their ethanol content but I sure haven't seen many lately. I fueled up this evening in another town and asked if premium contained ethanol and I was told "yes- 10%." Try Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada and it list stations that sell non- ethanol fuels. That's "pure-gas.org."

 

I agree with trying to stay away from ethonol. 3 reasons. The corn alcohol in the gas tends to lower its boiling point making it more prone to percolation and vapor lock. Ethanol acts like a cleaning solvent. So if you have any rust or debris in your tank you're going to need a good fuel filter to keep it from attacking your carburetor needle and seat. And the final reason is phase seperation. I really dont understand it, but i think it has to do with when the moisture in the fuel rises to the top which makes a corrosive type of fluid that attacks metal such as your gas tank and carburetor bowls. (if thats not right I hope someone would correct me).Not to scare you away from ethanol. Every now and then when your out crusin it might be the only thing available. With ethanol just use a good quality fuel stabilizer such as Stabil. Stabil I hear even has one specifically for ethanol. With that you should not have any worries.

 

Gasahol as hooler1 said is subject to phase separation. What this means is gasoline and "dry" ethanol will mix , but they aren't really happy about it. (like many dates) But ethanol really LOVES to mix with water (ask your bartender!) and will readily pick up any moisture it can find, typically from humid air. When the ethanol picks up enough moisture to increase it's density sufficiently it will no longer mix with the gasoline but will separate out. Here's what website says about the dangers of gasahol phase separation:
And about the effects of ethanol on the vehicle parts:

Quote:

"Gasoline containing Ethanol provides further challenges and dangers for marine operators (Boaters) and other users of seasonal equipment such as motorcycles, personal water-craft, snowmobiles, ATV’s, RV’s, yard maintenance, generators, and other equipment.

Ethanol is a strong, aggressive solvent and will cause problems with rubber hoses, o-rings, seals, and gaskets. These problems are worse during extended storage when significant deterioration will take place. Hoses will delaminate, o-rings will soften and break down, and fuel system components made from certain types of plastics will either soften or become hard and brittle, eventually failing. Fuel system components made from brass, copper, and aluminum will oxidize to the point of failure."

 

A more practical way of dealing with the deterioration of rubber parts is to keep your tank full especially when storing, avoid gassing up in the rain or pick stations with pumps under cover, Replace rubber parts especially hoses (after storage especially) and plastic carb floats every year.

 

I run the regular corn gas in mine....not really any options as even most premium here has it. I do add Marvel mystery oil at every fill up. Seems to help..
Ethanol blends have been around here since the 70's, nothing really new. What makes todays fuel worse is the removal of OTHER additives like MTBE.
My flattie has the hard valve seats as well, I think having the fuel sitting in the system for long periods is what does the damage......
Drive the wheels off of it!

 

Illinois only has ethanol gas
I put mavrel mystery oil at every tank fill
sea foam for storage

Joe

 

We have been replacing the standard gas line hoses with fuel injection
hose we buy by the roll at Napa. That solved that problem with this junk gas.
sam