Re: Unleaded gas

Posted by Packard Newbie On 2017/11/9 15:49:10

A lot of interesting and informative stuff here! Before I purchased my Packard, my wife asked the question on unleaded fuel - would it be okay in a car that old? I gave her kudos for the insight and have to admit, that had not occurred to me! I did do a ton of online research and, although I am the first to realize you can't believe everything you read online, the vast majority of what I found, seemed to concur that the absence of lead did not harm an engine. The much bigger threat seemed to come from ethanol. Apparently fuels with this additive attacked much of the 'old rubber' in pre-70's engines. To that end, I have used only premium 94 octane fuel in my '39 as it says it contains 'no ethanol'. I know when I purchased a rebuilt carb from the 'Carburetor Exchange' in Del Monte, they seemed to make a big deal out of certifying that their rebuilds were all re-manufactured with 'ethanol-compliant' rubber components. This seemed to reinforce the risk of exposing 'old rubber' to ethanol.
The bulk of the owners who responded here say 'no lead additive'; yet there does seem to be that issue with valve faces and seats. Does adding lead do any harm?? i.e. over time, could I end up with a bunch of muck in the bottom of my gas tank?? I have to say, I'm betwixt 'n between on this one.
I do intend on using my car as a near-daily driver when I get it all sorted out and want to do the right thing for the 'long haul'.