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----- Original Message ----- From: Ron Waters I've always used mid-grade octane gasoline for my 58 Plymouth with a 318. Here on the east coast, mid-grade is 89 octane. I was told recently that 87 octane would be fine for this engine. When I questioned this in comparison to the old 89 octane leaded gas that we used to put in our cars, I was told that octane is now calculated differently and, again, the 87 octane would be fine. What do most folks use for small blocks engines like the 318 ? ************************************************************* Ron, Since most of us face an engine rebuild in the course of a restoration, a key consideration in the driving of said vehicle is the fuel you want to use and the availability thereof. As Jim mentioned, fuels have changed and thinking in terms of 1950's tech, it simply does not compute to what is going on today. You can run low grade fuels with perfectly fine results if a few adjustments are done when building your engine. Dropping compression is the first step, followed by changing your camming and carb settings to compensate. I run 8.5:1 pistons in all my rebuilds, and even in the 440 magnum have no trouble getting the car sideways on 87 octane with no pinging. A lot of the old heads were buying $5 a gallon av-gas (when regular was under $2) and hanging on to the old school thinking that you had to have the octane to make it work. Well, maybe so in an old school engine / car, but most of us are interested in driving and enjoying the cars with a lower level of fuss than knowing where the local airport is along our routes of travel and make some changes. You should be fine on 87. If not, talk with a good motorhead / tech and find out what engine mods best suit your needs. B. ************************************************************* To unsubscribe or set your subscription options,
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