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I searched this and didn't see any threads. That doesn't mean that there aren't any, it means that I didn't see any.


Now that I have a regular driver 282-powered car which seems to be a happy runner, it seems to me that finding a good source of no ethanol (as long as it is also no water) gas would be in order. This is in light of the fact that a tank might take awhile to burn through and to avoid storage of several gallons of fuel and the attendant junk-n-gunk with comes with it and which it created. Kind of like the small engines and for the same reasons.


I'm thinking no Sta-Bil or similar additives if it can be avoided.


What do you do in yours?

No choice for me locally (northern New Jersey), only 10% ethanol/gasoline is available. Though I detest the stuff on economic and scientific grounds, I must say I've never had a problem with it. I do like to have as little as possible in the tank when I lay up the car in late November and I try to seal the tank filler with a membrane to limit intrusion of moisture. I recent years I've used Stabil though for many years I didn't and can't say I observed any differences.

Some places sell non ethanol gas for use in boat motors and chainsaw and other 2 stroke motors. But not all places have this available.

Fortunately I am able to buy non-ethanol gas in numerous outlets here in SC at both 90 and 93 octane, however, when I lived in Maryland I was able to buy non-ethanol at a local airport. Most small airports will not sell for non flying use, however this guy would sell to old car guys. You do have to be aware of the octane level usually 100 in av-gas but an inquiry might yield something. Sta-Bil won's hurt, but keeping as little ethanol gas in the tank is a better solution, and refill frequently to have the freshest gas in the tank. Phase separation of ethanol gas is a problem if the gas sits too long.

You should avoid gas with ethanol in it as it can damage plastic/rubber fuel system parts. That being said, I doubt that Packards have many such parts aside from things like the carburetor gaskets and probably the fuel gauge float. Aside from that it doesn't really matter. The average octane when these cars were new is less than octanes today so I'd be surprised if they have any problems using even the lowest grade of automotive gasoline in your country.

My father was a private pilot and on small airplanes, you want to make sure the tank is full rather than empty when parked for extended periods as they often are. That minimizes the space where condensation can collect. When I recently drained the fuel in my 1954 Patrician after it had sat for 40 years, the gasoline still looked and smelled like gasoline, which I attribute to the tank having been sealed.

Don, in years past I also topped off the tank to full before putting the car away for the winter. The reason I stopped was that it would take me a month or two the next driving season to burn thru the 25 gallons. Hopefully by sealing the tank filler with an airtight seal I'm minimizing the amount of condensation and have the benefit of less old gas to burn or dilute with fresh the next spring. In any case I've not experienced any fuel issues.

I suspect that if your car is stored away in conditioned space, it is most likely to avoid collecting condensation in the tank.


Mine is not, nor was it nor is it likely to be in the very near future.


I always heard to keep the tank full anyway, and I do drive in winter like I ride the H-Ds in winter. If it's kind of civil. Yesterday wasn't. Tomorrow might be.

You can also make your own non ethanol gas by removing the alcohol from the gas. An internet search will tell you how to do it.

Om my Patrician, it was not a full tank and stored outdoors for a while, then indoors but in a non-insulated environment where it get very hot and very cold and my San Jose garage where it was for a quarter of that time was quite humid.