noob fuel question

[Joe Johnston]

Thank you. Hopefully I encourage more than discourage, but being an analog guy in a digital world, its difficult for me. Us old men have the advantage here - big block Fords, Morepars, & Chebbys were on our streets and went at it stop light to stop light. We have been around these cars since they were new.

We have to pass our knowledge and experience along to the new kids on the block to keep the hobby alive, without coming across as a grouchy old man (which I fail at quite often!!)

I know today's crowd is different - "lets buy several new parts all at once and that will fix it" when no one even thought about using a compression gauge to see one cylinder has no compression.

No one "reads" a vacuum gauge, or a shop manual either (which is another issue of mine!) or understands electricity not only has to get to the component, it also has to get back to the battery.

As I said, I'm not a mechanic but know where the shop manual is and the importance of basic diagnosis.

Time for another cup of coffee!

[simplyconnected]

Yes Joe, we grew up with tons of HP and loads of compression ratio. Engines were more difficult to keep in tune, spark and plug heat ranges were more critical in high compression, we dealt with vapor lock and fuel line freeze. When is the last time anyone flooded their daily driver? That commonly happened in winter from that 'extra' gas pedal pump needed to close the choke and prime the intake. When was the last time you saw 'dry gas'? Now 10% ethanol is already in our gas and it sucks up water like scotch, at the gas station and in your tank.

Our engines would load up with lead deposits around the intake valves, which was remedied by a good long trip on the highway.

Joe, we need your advice because you went through the days of non-detergent oil and you may even remember when people used alcohol in their radiator (the first antifreeze). Keep us going, Joe. Our Squarebirds were built for those conditions, before everything changed. - Dave

[Joe Johnston]

To stray from the thread a bit - I was born in 1950 - don't remember alcohol use in the cars but we did in the older tractors & truck we had. Those old 6V magneto systems started easier with a crank than the starter - no reserve to run the ignition and the starter too when cold. By the early 60's I could drive the farm machinery and everything used in the winter was 12v and green Prestone! Now anti-freeze comes in almost any color you want!!

Some old timers even used kerosene in the tractor radiators - probably cheaper than alcohol.

[Yadkin]

...Morepars, & Chebbys ...

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Born '59 here. The first car I worked on/ owned was a '72 full size Ford with a 351W that my dad bought new and gave it to me at 90k miles, floors rusted through and burning oil. In '73 the 5mph bumpers came in along with some very detrimental emission controls, and things only got worse through the mid to late 70's, while the Japanese cars were cleaning up at the dealerships.

As I recall, my dad had removed the "smog pump" from what would become my car as soon as the warranty period was over. So I had, in effect, a very simple car to work on and tune. I got to where I could do a full tune-up, including rebuilding the carburetor, in about an hour. I routinely got 18mpg. Once I ran it well past "pinning the needle"; I estimate I was going 125 or so, still accelerating. I drove that car through college and my first two jobs, put another 95k miles on her before I sold.

The whole 70's thing with the American automotive industry caused me to rethink my aspirations at becoming a mechanical engineer and finding a job in that industry. I went with my second choice, civil engineering, but kept up my hobby.