[Dynaflash8]

I bought some race car stuff called "Cool Tube" but it would have looked so lousy on the car I didn't use it. So, yesterday I gave in and installed a fuel pressure regulator and by-passed the mechanical fuel pump so as to run off the electric fuel pump all of the time. First time out, I turned on the turn signal and immediately ran out of gas (hahah). The guy who installed the electric fuel pump (which takes a 15 amp fuse) hooked it to the turn signal circuit (controlled by a 5 amp fuse). You guessed it, I blew the 5 amp fuse. I guess I never turned the pump on before and the turnsignal at the same time. So, today we will hook to a proper source and see how the car runs on electric. Of course today we have a cool spell. Anyway, if it works, we'll replace the rubber hose with a custom-made piece of steel line. I don't think I need to insulate the lines, because gas was boiling in the fuel pump sedament bowl, but we'll see. If it works, I'll do the other old Buicks, or I'll make necessary changes until they'll run on this lousy gas.

[R W Burgess]

Speaking of Alcohol additives, we had a major problem on the Founders Tour in South Carolina recently. I bought all of my gas from the nearest, cheapest, local gas station (sue me, I'm a cheap skate!).

My Corvette ran fine the first 2 days, but the 3rd day, it ran so bad that I gave up and put it back in the transporter. After returning home, I refilled the car and it ran fine after that new tank of Virginia gas.

I will admit here, that I probably got a load of water in my tank in SC. Alcohol attracts water, right? I'm assuming that's what happened. So, with this assumption, I'll add that it's advisable to buy gas from a station that has a lot of customers, thereby keeping the water, if any, in suspension.

Share the wealth, or misery, in this case!

Wayne

[Dynaflash8]

Wayne, Alcohol gas makes water, separates it differently too. You can't use Dry Gas with this junk Ethanol as it will make it worse. That's why some people are trying this Sea Foam stuff, but I got a load of watered gas at the station in Village, VA in the 76 Lincoln I owned at the time. Seafoam didn't help at all, but Dry Gas did --- and of course that was real gas up there. Hey Wayne, we're going to look at a foreclosed house in Coles Point this weekend. We'd still like to have a summer place up there. Miss all the Northern Neckers in the club up there.

[Dynaflash8]

Well, today was another trial and failure. Now we have to try Dean H's idea of putting rubber hose over the fuel lines. We redirected the electrical circuit for the electric fuel pump so it wasn't hooked to the 5 amp fuse for the turn signals today. It was time for another trial run. Oh Boy, it was great! I ran about 10 miles, some of which was 60 mph and some stop and start, and the car ran perfect. So, I came home and parked it for 10 minutes and watched the temperature go up from 180 to 200, 205 something like that. I took off up the road and strung it out in first, second, dropped into third and tromped it, great! Turned into a side street, around the block and back out onto the main road after a couple of stop signs, and tromped it...........buzz, running out of gas.......pumped the heck out of the accelerator and it picked up, jerked some, and came on home. Parked it for a few minutes and went out again, and darned near didn't get back home......I was peddling for about a block, bucking and coughing and then it smoothed out. I backed it into the driveway and it sat there and purred, so I backed it into the garage and sat there feeling sick. So, it wasn't just the boiling in the mechanical fuel pump. I guess next we'll get some hose and cover the fuel lines. At one place the metal fuel line is only about one inch from the exhaust manifold, but that's how it came from the factory. Come on guyss, there's a whole bunch of mechanics out there aren't there? Dean H., tomorrow or when I get back from Hershey, we'll put the rubber hose over the lines and see what that does. Everybody pray for me.

[kaycee]

You might try the 'woven' tubing cover they used on choke tubes going into the exhaust manifolds on the '50s-'70s GM cars. It should fit over fuel lines, and must be some type of asbestos material which may insulate the line from heat versus keep the heat in as it does in choke tubes.
kaycee

[Bill Boudway]

I've installed an electric fuel pump on our Chrysler and will also add an adjustable fuel pressure regulator.
Does anyone have a source for one of these?
A few years ago, a friend had similar problems with his Packard Twin Six. He solved it by cutting the volatility of the fuel by adding 20% kerosene to the gasoline.
Has anyone tried this?
Bill Boudway

[ex98thdrill]

Originally Posted by Dynaflash8

Since they have forciably introduced alcohol gas at all stations here in Florida, I've come upon a knotty problem. I'm looking for anybody out there who has solved it. My 1939 Buicks will occasionally vapor lock running along the highway with temperatures of 90 or so and up. After stopping for gas or any other reason, when the temperature gauge goes up to the top while stopped, they will start right up and within 100 feet simply run out of gas. I've installed an electric fuel pump in line with a switch. When the car starves, I switch on the electric fuel pump and within seconds, the gas picks up and off we go again.

This is a pain to say the least. So, I bought some race car insulation for the fuel lines, but it's going to look horrible, and I'm not sure it will solve the problem anyway. This is because (1) while the car is stopped, the gas starts to boil in the sedament bowl on top of the fuel pump and (2) the car starts right up and goes, which indicates there is gas forward of the fuel pump until it's used up. To me that means the boiling gas at the fuel pump is creating a vapor or vacuum.

I thought of wrapping the fuel pump in home fiberglas insulation, but sort of discarded that idea. My current thinking is to install a fuel pressure regulator and go strictly to the electric fuel pump; piping around the mechanical fuel pump so as not to destroy the authentic look. I've been warned that if I don't take the mechanical fuel pump out of the line, I risk the rubber diaphragm breaking and having the electric fuel pump put lots of gas into the crankcase to ruin the engine.

So, you've read all of this. Who else is having this problem? Have you done anything about it if you have? What did you come up with?

Hey Earl, while you're still a national director you might want to address this issue with the class judging committee. If these cars won't stay running, you won't be able to get them on the showfield without modifications.

Of course if you modify the fuel lines you'll face a deduction in judging based on what's written in the current judging guidelines.

If you're having problems getting your car to run, just picture 1,500 more of them lined up at Hershey waiting to get onto the showfield. It has the potential of getting ugly.

I'm not taking a shot at the rules or at anyone, but I understand that vehicles were not delivered new with tin foil on the fuel lines, electric fuel pumps are not permitted on anything post war, yet all vehicles are required to be driven onto the showfield. If the current fuel won't allow the cars to run on their own without modifications, we have a problem, which in turn could cost owners awards if they point judge their vehicles..

The Class Judging Committee might want to get this on the radar screen to think about how they're going to address it.

[R W Burgess]

Originally Posted by ex98thdrill

Hey Earl, while you're still a national director you might want to address this issue with the class judging committee. If these cars won't stay running, you won't be able to get them on the showfield without modifications.

Of course if you modify the fuel lines you'll face a deduction in judging based on what's written in the current judging guidelines.

If you're having problems getting your car to run, just picture 1,500 more of them lined up at Hershey waiting to get onto the showfield. It has the potential of getting ugly.

I'm not taking a shot at the rules or at anyone, but I understand that vehicles were not delivered new with tin foil on the fuel lines, electric fuel pumps are not permitted on anything post war, yet all vehicles are required to be driven onto the showfield. If the current fuel won't allow the cars to run on their own without modifications, we have a problem, which in turn could cost owners awards if they point judge their vehicles..

The Class Judging Committee might want to get this on the radar screen to think about how they're going to address it.

Pat,
I don't consider this a problem yet. You will always be able to buy additives or even higher performance fuels to make it onto show fields for national meets. Personally I don't think we have a situation where rules need to be changed.

Wayne

[ex98thdrill]

[/QUOTE]

Originally Posted by R W Burgess

Pat,
I don't consider this a problem yet. You will always be able to buy additives or even higher performance fuels to make it onto show fields for national meets. Personally I don't think we have a situation where rules need to be changed.

Wayne

You're right, but it might be worth putting on the radar screen. Can you imagine having a line of cars at Hershey waiting to get onto the show field and having 20 (or 100 cars) vabor lock??

That line through the car corrall back in 2007 was bad enough, but mass amounts of vapor lock would be a Chief Judge's and traffic nightmare.

[1950SuperBlueBuick]

Hi Dynash8,
I went the same route as you with the insulated foil... looked terrible and didn't help much. Other folks have suggested running a temp rubber line from the pump over the top of the valve cover and into the back of the carb. Reconnect your stock lines for judging.
I've had several stalling issues with my '50 Super 263. Finally installed a 6V fuel pump & regulator set at 4lbs. along the frame rail by the right rear wheel. I only use it to prime the lines after sitting a couple weeks. Run pump for 15 seconds, then hit starter. Turn off pump once engine fires. I also turn on the pump just when the car starts to stall at speed for a couple seconds. Then it clears up.
My Buick is also knocking/pinging pretty bad on E10 so I'm retarding the timing to 3BTDC. Will experiment with that for a bit.
Winning trophies takes a back seat to having the car run acceptably well IMO. The rest of the car is all original and anyone doing research for their own Buick would know this is an obvious modification to keep the car on the road.
Not looking forward to the day when E15 and E30 are the choices.