A few of our customers have asked us about “Ethanol” in the standard UK’s petrol on their Mustangs. Yep, that very word ‘Ethanol’ the chemical formula which is ‘C2H5OH’ strikes fear into any classic car owner. Ask us the chemical formula should be ‘DEV1L’s juice. Many questions since the switch over to E10 in September this year here in the UK. A few problems have arisen from their old fuel lines now under attack the Ethanol, and leaking. If you’re not careful, you could be in for some big bills! Despite what people think and say about us, here we are going to try and stop you spending out large wads of cash with us believe it or not.

We have done a little research and collated some pointer and facts for you;

1. Ethanol is an alcohol substance, those properties will dry out the rubber components in a fuel system. This leads to cracking and brittle fuel lines, floats, seals and diaphragms, caps off’s etc.
2. Ethanol is corrosive when in comes into contact with certain materials within the fuel delivery systems and its related storage. This will be things like the flexible joining parts, rubber compounds and also the more worrying aspects of the zinc and aluminum alloys used in carburetors. Yep, your nice new shiny carb will slowly disintegrate inside out.
3. Ethanol is ‘hydrophilic’. In other words it loves water. Because of the water absorbency properties, the water content enters fuel containers when they are filled up, that’s your fuel tank, jerry cans, plastic petrol cans etc. Once water is in the fuel it forms a chemical mix that causes corrosion of internal parts. As the fuel level in your fuel tank or container drops, water condenses on the cool surfaces of the container, droplets form and run down into the fuel where the ethanol absorbs it.
4. Ethanol is also a solvent in older or classic car engines. Not such a bad thing you say? Well, the ethanol begins dissolving the varnish and other deposits in your tank and fuel lines. These deposits are then carried to the carburetor or injection system where they can clog the small or tiny orifices involved. The results of which could cause all sorts or problems, over fueling, fuel starvation, stuck floats, blocked jets, engine stumbling, idle issues, pick up issues and so on.

Facts:

• Because of the Ethanol’s love of water, petrol containing ethanol should not be allowed to sit for any length of time. This is the very reason that ethanol is not present in giant storage tanks, pipelines or bulk carriers.
• The Ethanol is added at the refinery just prior to delivery to gas stations Where it sits until it’s sold to you!
• The shelf life of gasoline or petrol containing ethanol is only about thirty days, compared to two or three months with standard petrol.
• Ethanol part fueled engines will be hard to start after thirty days without some sort of stabiliser being used.
• Petrol and milk are both organic — they decompose the same way. A foul, sour smell indicates bad fuel in your car!
• Ethanol is one-third less powerful when burned than gasoline. This has a negative impact on your miles per gallon statistics. Thought – So you have to use more to travel the same distance? Very Eco – not.

Tips:

• Don’t use high Ethanol E10 or certainly not E15 fuel in your classic, buy premium fuel with little or no ethanol mix. Yes, it’s more expensive, but a lot cheaper than a new carb!
• If possible, run any tank containing ethanol dry before putting any engine away for a season or more.
• Buy your ethanol fuel in small quantities, run tanks near dry before refilling and after use.
• Do not store in that little red container more than a month, especially not over the winter or summer months.
• If the fuel is older than that, dump it into a car or vehicle that uses gas frequently where it will mix with the fresher petrol.
• Use ethanol-resistant hoses or nylon tubing to replace any plastic or rubber fuel lines.
• Replace fiberglass fuel tanks with a stainless steel tank.
• Use a inline water separator filter leading to the carburetor. Since the water collects in the filter, you can easily remove it and replace.
• Change out any O-rings in the fuel system to ethanol compatible rings.
• A carburetor fogging solution prevents condensation from filling fuel bowls.
• Use a non-alcohol based fuel treatment to prevent excessive water collection in your fuel. Ethanol based fuel treatments worsen problems caused by E10 gas.

A couple of pics we have borrowed from the internet to show the effects of Ethanol on your classic car.

Don’t take our word for it, just do a quick google search.

WebShop:

This leads us on nicely to our latest products prompted by our customer’s requests. We are now starting to stock “Ethanol” protection products, like our first range of fuel lines:

Ethanol Proof Fuel Hose Pipe 8mm (5/16″)

Ethanol Proof Fuel Hose pipe 10mm (3/8″)

Fuel Treatment:

473ml 1pint
this bottle treats 80 us gallon 302.8 litre

1 oz treats 5 gallons usa

30 ml treats 18.9 litre

On average mustang 60 litre tank is 100ml or 3.38 oz

Lucas safeguard ethanol fuel conditioner with stabilizers was developed to specifically address issues associated with using ethanol-based fuels. This applies to e-10, e-15, e-85, pure ethanol, and any mixtures in between including gasoline. Product is completely soluble in all ethanol fuels and will not harm filters. Lucas safeguardethanol fuel conditioner with stabilizers contains effective additives to prevent rust and corrosion associated with the use of ethanol fuels.30 ml treats 18.9 l of fuel. An over treatment will not be harmful. For use in 2 and 4 stroke engines. It can be used in e-10, e-15, e-85, pure alcohol or any alcohol gasoline combination, even pure gasoline.

Main Features:

• Cleans injectors, valve seats, combustion chambers and other critical fuel components
• Stabilizes fuel and prevents varnish and gum formation in ethanol and gasoline
• Combats deposits and protects your engine oil lubricants from the harmful effects of alcohol combustion
• NOT RECOMMENDED FOR DIESEL APPLICATIONS

You may have noticed that we are starting to post a little more often on social media about our new products and special offers we have going on within the WebShop. One thing we are getting excited about the potential of free postage on some products. Watch this space and our social media for updates. 👍

Customer Cars:

‘The Pear’ is now at a stage where the little lady is rolling under her own steam and we was able to move it around the yard to settle the suspension down before we took her into Adam’s workshop for a little wheel alignment.

The outside is done apart from a few minor adjustments. The interior is nowhere near finished yet as we need to get to a few of the bolts for final adjustments. We will put a seat in, just for a little test drive for a few miles, recheck the alignment, gaps, fittings etc. Then we can start the proper process of getting the interior back in.

Remember this? Yep, its the old donor car being stripped down for ‘The Pear’.

To this, where a shell was prepped and painted then we start to put as much original parts to the car as possible.

Like we said many times before, We only need a few bits from a car, to make you a proper car. Providing it’s all legal with paper work of course. We have everything in stock you need here in the UK.

We are starting to see some of the back order parts arrive to us, but it’s a slow process not just for us but many other suppliers too.

We end this week on a nice note:

Congratulations to Yogi’s daughter Beth who married Martin last week. The getaway driver, sorry ‘chauffeur’ was Yogi in his ’69. Needless to say that they got to the church on time, it was just a quarter of a mile away. 🤣

It wasn’t really, but it would make a story though.

Stay Safe & Take Care!