...and other things I found at Spring Carlisle
today...
Despite the stereotype of Spring Carlisle being a
fairly Mopar-free event, and despite my going today
(saturday) and missing the first two days, I did
manage to score some good finds. I also had a few
interesting encounters.
The first was a demonstration of the previously herein
mentioned Spark Make Bigger (or some such nomer).
Basically, the demonstrator, a slicked-up redneck with
a pickup truck engine, ran the engine before and after
installing the Spark Em-big-gener inline with the coil
output to the distributor. He was able to get the
engine to run on 2 cylinders using his little device.
Also, he showed how the RPM of the motor increased
significantly (using some sort of a tach), while
maintaining a constant throttle position, after
installing the device, which he was selling for 20
bucks. Any thoughts on this theatrical majic?
In a completely unrelated event, I spoke with
representatives of Duracool, a supposed R12
substitute. I mentioneed I had just converted my
system to R134a, to which I received a quick (dare I
say, stock?) retort "Oh, that's corrosive to your
system". They then told me that the Duracool was a
direct drop-in replacement, compatible with all types
of refrigerant oil, as well as R12 and R134a.
However, it said on the can specifically NOT to mix
the stuff with R134a. Hmm. I wonder how much else
these uneducated salespeople told me that was
fabricated?
Finally, I spoke with a gentleman selling actual
honest-to-goodness tetraethyl lead additive. Got his
sales pitch too...for $13 a quart, treating 25 gallons
of fuel (which somehow devides out to "pennies" per
gallon, at least according to their flyer) you can
"increase octane to up to 103 octane!!! and thus
advance timing to factory stock and regain 8-10% of
lost power!!!"
When I queried him about the legal ramifications of
the lead, he said that it was "pre-ban" lead (gee, I
feel like I'm talking about semi-automatic weapons,
here!) and that it was legal to sell, just not to
produce or use in anything with a catylitic converter.
He said it would "save my engine...make it last
300,000 miles" when with regular 93 octane they sell
today, it might only last half that.
I didn't bother to try to inform him that lead doesn't
actually increase octane...*shrug*
Oh well. It was a fun day at the show, regardless of
the shameless hucksters hawking their questionable
wonder-wares. I did bump into that fellow with the
'67 Imperial Vert...Haze green, very nice. He sold
the car today, to some fellow...didn't catch his name,
but I was dealing for some of the left over parts
(much like a vulture waiting for the carcass to be
picked clean), and I did mention the IML to them...so
we may be getting a new member with a Haze Green '67
vert soon. :)
=====
--Mike Pittinaro
Piles of pitted chrome
Hubcaps along the floorboard
My junkyard-bedroom
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