Ted, late news releases in my farm paper talks about Trump wanting to switch to E15 gas year 'round instead of winter only.  You had bad gas at the Engine Masters, did they supply you with local pump gas?  My race car ran 12.0s at the beginning of the season with last year's gas still in the tank.  Then after I filled it with fresh 93 octane, it slowed to 12.5s, slowed from 112 mph to 106.  I couldn't find anything mechanically wrong, so I performed a crude alcohol test of the gas in the car, and sure enough, it checked well over 10%, nearly 15%.  My local Marathon guy assured me that they never have more than 10% in any of their three grades of gasoline.  Then I noticed that local gas pumps no longer have stickers on them saying they have 10% alcohol like they used to.  No stickers at all.  The fresh gas I put in in the spring was probably remaining "winter" 15% gas.  Also, my 2014 Chrysler van dropped from almost 22 mpg last summer to about 18.5 since September.  The supposed 15% gas was said to run from September to June.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

That sounds like whats going on with me.  Car couldn't even pull itself up the driveway if I put the back tires in the gutter of the driveway.  That hump just caused the motor to bog down and not pull itself up.  I had to get a running start.  Think this fuel is my problem cause around here its up to 15% ethanol and the fuel only lasts about 2 months before it goes bad without stabil in it.

Im going to just dump my tank and get some 93 octane and run that.  I don't know what jets are in this carb but this carb is listed as being for a 312 and its on a 292 right now so the jetting should be a bit fatter than usual.  Car runs great its just is sluggish off idle, going to the richer winter setting on the accelerator pump did take some of the hesitation out but there is a moment where it goes flat and picks up.  I can step down on the throttle harder and it doesn't hesitate as bad.

I am going to try and pull a plug out tonight after work if its not raining just to check it and see what it looks like on number one.


1956 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan - 292 Y8 - Ford-O-Matic - 155,000 mi

Same thing going on in Michigan. Went from 31 MPG to 28 with the Focus and 18 down to 16 with the F150. Gasoline is much cheaper but were burning more fuel. Sometime earlier last year I read about a plan  to offer only one grade of fuel. Like, eliminate mid grade and regular.  The added alcohol can improve the fuel's resistance to knock?  I can't find this information so take it with a few grains of salt or maybe someone else can comment.  We can re-jet our carburetors for additional alcohol content but neoprene parts would last even less time and more water vapor would condense in a given time in an open fuel systems.  I haven't yet done an alcohol test but will soon and report my findings. JEFF.....................


64F100 57FAIRLANE500

My local Marathon guy also told me that he has 90 octane non-alcohol gas available.  He said he sells it to other local farmers for their chain saws, lawn mowers, 4 wheelers, and older gasoline tractors.  He said they love it.  He'll deliver it to me if I have a drum he can pump it into.  Didn't quote a price.  Makes me wonder what new "stuff" is in the furnace oil I get from him?????  I suspect soy bean oil like they are making diesel fuel from now.

The Midwest farmers love the idea of E15 year 'round.  They grow more corn that ever, and there are a lot of ethanol plants around here.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

Amid mounting calls to phase out fossil fuels in the face of rapidly worsening climate change, the United States is ramping up oil and gas drilling faster than any other country, threatening to add 1,000 coal plants’ worth of planet-warming gases by the middle of the century, according to a report released Wednesday.
 By 2030, the U.S. is on track to produce 60 percent of the world’s new oil and gas supply, an expansion at least four times larger than in any other country. By 2050, the country’s newly tapped reserves are projected to spew 120 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.

SO WHY BOTHER WITH CORN? FARM SUBSIDIES!


"FREE SAMPLE"

There is only one non-alcohol fuel retailer near me but it costs about a whopping 70 cents more/gal in my area.  I have tried it in all my vehicles including my modern daily drivers and small engine appliances. Every engine loves it. Like, engines will give you a big hug for feeding them that stuff.  Several years ago I tested it for alcohol and found none, at that time. As far as what it is?  I'm guessing it may use av-gas as its base stock with out the lead, of course. I remember very well what 100LL smells like from my aviation days and the non-alcohol fuel has a hint of that "sweet" smell like av gas. Non-alcohol fuel doesn't have that nasty smell and the exhaust smell is much better. Since refineries are still producing av gas for piston engine aircraft, it would make sense to possibly use that stock for non-alcohol fuel IMHO.  If it were reasonably priced and available more places, we and our Y-blocks would have it made in the shade.  


64F100 57FAIRLANE500

DYI Ethanol free gasoline;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH2zgomFdEM
I can see this as a winter project for those of us in cold climates and on a tight fuel budget!  Use 5 gallon ex-water bottles, start with 93 octane. The dye in the water is crucial. Get some 55 gal drums for storage. How about it?
(Don't be like this guy and do it near an open flame or source of spark...hot water heater behind him!)


"FREE SAMPLE"

Very interesting, hopefully someone with more fuel chemistry smarts than I will comment. Isn't the alcohol used to support the octane number advertised on the pump? Removing the alcohol would seem to bring the fuel close to "white gas" which may be ok for small engines. Not sure how this would play out for our classic engines. I do have a friend who built a screaming strictly race (stroker 351+) vehicle running on pure (neat) alcohol very successfully. He claims higher compression ratios and very predictable 1/4 mile times but burns almost double the fuel. Looking at the carburetor jets tempts me to see if a pencil will fit.


64F100 57FAIRLANE500

The racing alcohol is METHANOL, not ethanol.  My buddy using it in his big engine drag car used 3 times as much as he did gasoline.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

Same thing I noticed here, my old 82 F150 when I was still driving it went from 15 mpg city down to 12 mpg city after the switch to this ethanol blend.  Sad thing is winter is worse I get about 9 to 10 mpg city in winter.  With the regular gas used to get 14-15 year round.

Once I move there is a gas station small one in a small town that sells ethanol free 93 octane at nearly $3 a gallon.  Im thinking about just running that to get my mileage back as well as to help out my old vehicles run better.


1956 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan - 292 Y8 - Ford-O-Matic - 155,000 mi