Lead Additive/Octane Booster

[BAsque1]

I have a 427 FE S/O engine in my car and I use 93 octane fuel and normally I add 8 oz of octane booster. Hoewever, I have not been adding lead substitute to it. Can I damage my valves by not having the lead additive? Please I need a sensitive and real answer, no fooling please. I don't want to see my engine damage due to my doings/undoings.
Sincerely
Lou

[ERA Chas]

You don't need more octane unless you have over 11:1 compression and run over 38 degrees advance. I doubt you do. Race gas is a much better solution instead of booster if you did have the need.
You don't need lead substitute if you have hardened valve seats, which most aluminum heads do these days. Even if you don't have hardened seats, it will take 50,000 miles for the valves to pound out the seats. At that, seats can be cut and hardened seats installed easily. A valve job at 50K is no crisis.
Don't handle lead anything-it's bad for your tummy.
... and I'm not fooling you.

[RET_COP]

There is no magic number for you to determine whether you need more octane. Chas is correct with 11:1 being the static # most use.
Head design has alot to do with it as well as cam timing.
I will say this; If you are on the edge DO Not Trust Pump Gas quality, tests have shown this. I would run a mix of race gas for insurance if needed. I do. 10:75:1 SCR and 8.2 DCR

[rpatton3]

100 octane low lead works great with friend that race. The FBO at airport may fuel in a can or put it in car if it on trailer. Heck, they may just sell it to you. Otherwise make friends with a crop duster.

[rpatton3]

100 octane low lead work great with friends that race. The FBO will sell fuel in a can or put it in car if it on trailer. Heck, they may just sell it to you. Otherwise make friends with a crop duster.

Hard to start in cold weather but that is a minor annoyance compared to $10+ a gallon for leaded racing fuel.

[rpatton3]

Originally Posted by rpatton3

100 octane low lead work great with friends that race. The FBO will sell fuel in a can or put it in car if it on trailer. Heck, they may just sell it to you. Otherwise make friends with a crop duster.

Hard to start in cold weather but that is a minor annoyance compared to $10+ a gallon for leaded racing fuel.

How would running 100 low lead aviation fuel harm my engine? - Rennlist Discussion Forums

[rpatton3]

Originally Posted by rpatton3

How would running 100 low lead aviation fuel harm my engine? - Rennlist Discussion Forums

No O2 or cats to offer trouble.

[rpatton3]

Originally Posted by rpatton3

No O2 or cats to offer trouble.

Anybody run Avgas LL100? - Ford Muscle Forums : Ford Muscle Cars Tech Forum

[BAsque1]

Tks guys that's a relief, I do not have aluminum heads my engine is a true cast iron block and heads SO. my timing is 8*BTC and I DO NOT RACE this car, it is mostly a show and cruise with a lot of TLC. My racing days are over. I really appreciate your statements.

Sincerely
Lou (Basque 1)

[madmaxx]

the octane booster that is sold at auto parts stores is a farce. My boat was pinging so i tried some octane booster and there was zero change. I filled up with 91 octane and zero pinging over the next 5 tanks.

[undy]

Originally Posted by madmaxx

the octane booster that is sold at auto parts stores is a farce. My boat was pinging so i tried some octane booster and there was zero change. I filled up with 91 octane and zero pinging over the next 5 tanks.

Yep, they usually advertise it bringing the octane up a full point. What they neglect to let you know is there "point" is 0.10, 1/10 of a full point.

Snake oil in it's truest form...

[BAsque1]

Originally Posted by undy

Yep, they usually advertise it bringing the octane up a full point. What they neglect to let you know is there "point" is 0.10, 1/10 of a full point.

Snake oil in it's truest form...

I have never had pingging in my engine, the reason to use the octane booster is to compensate for the gas quality that we sometimes get. I have notice a huge difference between the gas in the summer and that of the winter gas. I feel winter gas works better in my car. That is why before I place the car away for the winter my last fill up coinsides with using wintergas. The lead additive I used to use it in my 67 Volvo to reduce the valve damage and thought would do the same with the Cobra. However, getting the lead additive now is very difficult, not every store carries it.

[Ron61]

Lou,

Though I run 110 leaded racing gas in the 69 Cobra, I still use Sta-Bil in it and all of my other cars and lawn equipment for the long periods they will be setting over the Winter. I have used it for years with all of the gas we get here and it works great. No problems when I go to start something after several months of setting. I just pour it in the tank when I get ready to put the stuff away and then run it long enough to get the Sta-Bil in the lines and carbs and have had no problems.

Ron

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Originally Posted by undy

Yep, they usually advertise it bringing the octane up a full point. What they neglect to let you know is there "point" is 0.10, 1/10 of a full point.

Snake oil in it's truest form...

Exactly,what your gaining is nothing,absolutely nothing......

Basque if your worried about needed lead in your engine, get some Avgas or leaded race gas and add a gallon or two to every tank full of gas.....
Around here I can get 100 LL Avgas from a jobber in 55 gal drums for little more than the price of premium 93 octane at the pump.....I've run nothing but 100LL Avgas in my race car since 2005.......
My old iron headed street engine with 10.5 to 1 compression runs just fine on 93 octane pump gas.......

[RET_COP]

Klotz octane booster has a stabilizer and a lead substitute in it. The stuff worked for my engine but I like the race gas mix.
It's not junk, you have to buy the good brands like Lucas etc. and not really cheap either.

[BAsque1]

Originally Posted by DAVID GAGNARD

Exactly,what your gaining is nothing,absolutely nothing......

Basque if your worried about needed lead in your engine, get some Avgas or leaded race gas and add a gallon or two to every tank full of gas.....
Around here I can get 100 LL Avgas from a jobber in 55 gal drums for little more than the price of premium 93 octane at the pump.....I've run nothing but 100LL Avgas in my race car since 2005.......
My old iron headed street engine with 10.5 to 1 compression runs just fine on 93 octane pump gas.......

I had a Sunoco station that had racing gas available at a premoum price, however, not available anymore. Aviation gas is hard to come by where I am but thank you for the suggestions. I will try to drive to a small airport north of me and try out buying some AV gas.
Tks
Lou

[ERA Chas]

Originally Posted by BAsque1

I will try to drive to a small airport north of me and try out buying some AV gas.
Tks
Lou

Lou-you missed the entire point. You don't need av, racing or any gas beyond about 91 octane. And you need no lead or ANY other kind of additives.
None of it will add power or increase longevity. Don't waste your money - so you can buy those fancy wheels.
Your set-up will run on chicken soup.

[rpatton3]

I admire you for driving a museum piece on the street. Maybe the 1965 fuels had much but I think most of your responses agreed to use some lead.

How about an audio to hear a "Hemi killer" or video?

Thanks,

[CompClassics]

OK, I'm probably going to open up a can of worms here but an old racing buddy of mine suggested moth balls as a way to increase the fuels octane rating, I have not personally done this so I do not know for certain if it works or not. I did some research on the Internet and it appears to have been used before but you have to be cautious of the chemicals used to create the moth ball, the type of mothballs that were referred to have Naphthalene as the ingredient.

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Originally Posted by CompClassics

OK, I'm probably going to open up a can of worms here but an old racing buddy of mine suggested moth balls as a way to increase the fuels octane rating, I have not personally done this so I do not know for certain if it works or not. I did some research on the Internet and it appears to have been used before but you have to be cautious of the chemicals used to create the moth ball, the type of mothballs that were referred to have Naphthalene as the ingredient.

This is an old racers trick and while it "might" raise the octane,it is similar to most snake oil stuff they sell on tv and in "speed shops".....if you have the right moth balls and enough of them, you "could" possibly raise the octane on a tank of gas by .1 !!!!!!!!!so you'd go from 93 octane to 93.1 octane,hardly worth it and mostly old wife's tale.....