Guys, I am starting to restore a 1949 F3. My question is what type of fuel and or additives do you use for a stock 6 cyl type set up?
Thanks
Dave

 

They do fine on regular unleaded without additives.

 

Dave,

If you already have hardened valve seats, or are willing to have them installed, you can run regular unleaded gas. If you don't want to have the hardened seats installed, you'll probably need to use a lead additive to avoid premature valve/seat failures.

 

Is that the only mod for the use of unleaded , a valve seat upgrade?I appreciate your help.
Dave

 

Best to upgrade the valves as well. I've seen them wearout too. (longterm unleaded use) No other mods should be required. For a low use vehicle, additives might start looking cheap after you price the mods out. Quality head work is usually expensive.

 

I just went thru my engine after running it as a daily driver for the past 3 1/2 years. Not using additives and using 87 octane regular in this flathead V8. I've put over 50,000 miles on the truck during this time including several long distance trips and one cross country event.

When I pulled the heads recently I found one exhaust valve that showed some beginning erosion. I replaced that one valve, but all the others looked fine. I'm writing it off as a lean condition on that cylinder. If it was a lack of additives, all the exhaust valves should have shown similar erosion.

On full race engines there may be some advantage to 'lead' cushioning, but on a street engine it isn't necessary. On the other hand, it won't hurt anything if you feel the need to run it. The internal combustion engine was developed long before the gasoline barons decided lead should be added (and of course raised the price - then they raised the price again when they started 'removing' lead from fuels). My dad owned a gas station in the 50's and I needed a step-stool to clean the windshields. Remember when they used a squirt bottle and a rag? And every gas station sold 5th Avenue candy bars and 10 oz Coke in glass bottles? Maps were complimentary, S&H green stamps lured in customers, and the place actually had a service bay with a mechanic on hand?

And now I'll return to the interstate after this brief jaunt down memory lane..........

 

Mike -

Yes, I do remember the "full service" stations. Good memories. Thanks.

Now, Ahmed doesn't bother putting any squeegies in the window water thingy and makes you wait in the line at the bulletproof window to pay first. 50 cents for AIR or WATER! And you'll find that around the corner.

Ah, progress.

 

Howdy,

When I was a kid my dad worked for an oil company.

Back in those days they used to have access to what was called "drip gas" This was a liquid gasoline that condensed from natural gas pipe lines in cool weather and was basically the main component of regular gasoline....minus the lead and other key additives.

It had a very low octane number since it would ping "like a son-of-a-gun"!! we would even retard the spark a little to reduce the ping but it still would ping if you stepped on it.

Some people used to say "if you run that stuff in your car it would burn the valves" because there's no lead in it.

I ran it in my 57 ford (292) for probably the whole 10 years that I had it. It never burned the valves. I came to realize that the no-lead = burn the valves thing might just be an old wives tail. We also had a 1973 Ford LTD with a 429 V-8 in it. We bought it from a guy that worked in a natural gas plant. (Natural gas plants also produce what you could call raw gasoline that is sent directly to regular gasoline refineries)

He bought it new and ran it about 75,000 miles on unleaded plant gas. (in 1973 regular was still leaded) My dad bought the car from him and ran it another 75,000 or so on unleaded gas and sold it to a friend who ran it up to about 250,000 before he sold it. That car almost never got leaded gas gas since it was new. I don't know if it ever burned a valve. they never took the heads off in the 250,000+ miles it was driven.


I know all these examples are anecdotal......But I do know we never worried about valve problems running no-lead gas.



There was a few cars back then that ran on propane. An add on system that worked pretty well. I knew a few people with propane systems in their trucks and they didn't pull the heads and replace the valves and seats before installing the propane systems.

Not only did they NOT burn the valves but not much else went wrong with the engines....even the oil stayed cleaner and plugs seemed to last for ever!


Personally I would just run the unleaded without any additives.



Cheers

 

BTDT! People would pull up to the pumps to have their oil or water or tires checked or ask directions (for free of course!) then start blowing their horn if you weren't at their window by the time the engine shut off in the pouring rain.
Remember gas wars? I would have to climb up a ladder to the price sign to change the price two to three times a day!
Interstates? They were IntrAstates then just between major cities.

 

Here's some more anecdotal evidence. I've seen a considerable number of pre-emission era heads that were virtually destroyed from lack of lead lubrication. Doesn't happen everytime. Doesn't happen overnight. The auto manufacturers aren't in the habit of cutting their own profit margins. I doubt they would install hardened seats if it wasn't advisable with todays fuel.