Anyone remember this type of fuel conditioner?
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Knuckle Bandage Sales Rep
Joined: Feb 2011
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From: Maine
Anyone remember this type of fuel conditioner?
A friend of mine dragged home a '31 Ford that has been sitting in a garage since 1961. Along with the misc. parts and pieces was a full case of this stuff unopened.
'STEED Fuel Conditioner'
There is no indication of manufacture date and the label has all sorts of claims on it, just like snake oil. You know - frees stuck rings, cleans gum, varnish and stops pings and unfouls plugs, increases compression. Cures asthma, gout and balances the national debt. It does contain XYLOL What does that do? Brightens teeth with a minty taste - I don't know.
The can he gave me is still factory sealed and shakes normally as a liquid inside. Could it be 30-50 years old? I'm tempted to put it in my truck to make it like new again.
Any recollections of this stuff?
Tom
'STEED Fuel Conditioner'
There is no indication of manufacture date and the label has all sorts of claims on it, just like snake oil. You know - frees stuck rings, cleans gum, varnish and stops pings and unfouls plugs, increases compression. Cures asthma, gout and balances the national debt. It does contain XYLOL What does that do? Brightens teeth with a minty taste - I don't know.
The can he gave me is still factory sealed and shakes normally as a liquid inside. Could it be 30-50 years old? I'm tempted to put it in my truck to make it like new again.
Any recollections of this stuff?
Tom
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 16,174
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From: Burbank, WA
If there's no UPC bar code, it's pre '74. I don't recall ever seeing or hearing of the brand. But from this google search, there seems to be quite a bit of those old cans around, especially on ebay. https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q...el+conditioner
FTE Chapter Leader
Joined: Dec 2001
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From: Crossville, Tn
The 'snake oil' salesman moniker fit this thing perfectly. This product came out in 1972 and was gone by the end of 1973. Two con-men, Harvey Brown and Chuck Bissel set up Steed Industries and began packing some crap that ws marketed as Fuel conditioner and oil conditioners. STP sued them for copyright violation for the packaging and the SEC got them for securities violations. The company had no legitimate interest in any kind of products, it was a Pyramid scheme where they sold multi level distributorships and the two 'partners' took all the money and left the 'investors' holding an empty bag (or cans).
Logistics Pro
Joined: Sep 2014
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From: Bothell & Silverdale, WA
Bardhal, Marvel, Lucas, STP, Sta-Lube, Seafoam, etc. with "secret proprietary petroleum distillate ingredients" are all pretty much the same interesting snake oil. There may be more than one way to skin a cat, but it's still a cat.
the FTC and Slick 50
cleansed, not coated
"In 1997, three subsidiaries of Quaker State Corp. (the makers of Slick 50) settled Federal Trade Commission charges that ads for Quaker State's Slick 50 Engine Treatment were false and unsubstantiated. According to the FTC complaint, claims such as the following made in Slick 50 ads falsely represented that without Slick 50, auto engines generally have little or no protection from wear at start-up and commonly experience premature failure caused by wear:
On the other side of the engine block are those additives which will cleanse your engine, not coat it. Stuff like Bardahl, Rislone and Marvel Mystery Oil claim they can make your engine run quieter and smoother, and reduce oil burning. These are products which contain solvents or detergents such as kerosene, naphthalene, xylene, acetone or isopropanol. If used properly, I suppose these products will strip off your Teflon and zinc protective coatings! But unless you have a really old and abused car, you probably have no need of stripping away sludge and deposits from your engine. Thus, you probably have no need for these wonder cleaners. If you overuse such products you can damage your engine by promoting metal to metal contact."
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More Turbo
Joined: Jul 2012
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From: Columbus, IN
Xylol is xylene, a product of the petroleum distillation process. Used extensively as a solvent, paint thinner, cleaner, etc. Would probably work pretty good for removing tar, fuel varnish, grease, etc.
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Joined: Jul 2012
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From: Columbus, IN
What does it do, seize the motor? If that is the case, it certainly would actually do several of the things it claims, like quieting the motor, stopping oil burning, lowering fuel consumption, and stopping exhaust smoking.
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Knuckle Bandage Sales Rep
Joined: Feb 2011
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From: Maine
I laughed my butt off when I read that.
Good stuff right there. If we were all physically sitting around a shop talking like guys do, that is the sort of stuff that would be said.
Tom
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Knuckle Bandage Sales Rep
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 3,676
Likes: 1,245
From: Maine
The 'snake oil' salesman moniker fit this thing perfectly. This product came out in 1972 and was gone by the end of 1973. Two con-men, Harvey Brown and Chuck Bissel set up Steed Industries and began packing some crap that ws marketed as Fuel conditioner and oil conditioners. STP sued them for copyright violation for the packaging and the SEC got them for securities violations. The company had no legitimate interest in any kind of products, it was a Pyramid scheme where they sold multi level distributorships and the two 'partners' took all the money and left the 'investors' holding an empty bag (or cans).
Thanks Joe,
That explains why we never heard of it.
If I see a dried-out snake around, I'll open the can and pour it on for a full revival. The snake will be good as new again.
Tom
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