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For what extra av-gas or lead additive will cost you, you'll likely be better off running the lowest-cost pump gasoline until valve recession becomes an issue and then doing a valve job with hardened seats.

I don't find vinegar to be very effective at removing rust and it's not that great at removing scale either. I found citric acid to work well. See Cooling System.

The 28th annual Rods & Relics Car Show is scheduled for June 9 this year on the grounds of the Fort Erie Conservation Club. Fort Erie is at the end of the QEW and is just across the river from Buffalo, NY. Admission is $10 for participants and net proceeds go to Tender Wishes Foundation. This year, we are including an alternative fuel trophy so, if your vehicle runs on a fuel other than gasoline or diesel, be sure to attend! For more information, please visit the club's web site: Rods & Relics - Fort Erie

Vaporizing gasoline absorbs a lot of heat at at part throttle (when manifold vacuum is high) so the heat riser system also replaces that heat thereby preventing the manifold from collecting condensation or frost. See Model T Forum: Intake Manifold Iceing

The heat riser is there to provide a HOT SPOT under the carburetor so as to vaporize any liquid fuel that has fallen out of the air stream. It doesn't do a very good job of preventing carburetor icing and the hot air stove on more modern vehicles is much more effective. See Intake Manifold Heat. Keeping the carburetor as cool as possible minimizes the possibility of percolation. See Vapor Lock. The purpose of the heat riser is explained starting at 5:20.

A 30 grade oil would be good choice for your engine and using a multigrade (0W-30, 5W-30, 10W-30, 15W-30) would allow all-season use. The Corvair Oil Guide has a lot of good information for flat tappet engines and recommends the use of heavy duty engine oils. HDEOs have detergents to keep your engine sludge-free and the dispersants keep the crud in suspension. See Engine Wear. If you're looking for specific recommendation, I like using Petro-Canada Duron SHP 10W-30 (easy to find in Canada) because it uses the same additive package as the 15W-40 grade that is approved for API CK-4/SN and Ford WSS-M2C171-F1 (1000-1200 ppm of phosphorus). Shell Rotella T4 10W-30 is a good alternative because it's also approved for Ford WSS-M2C171-F1 but only API CK-4. As for transmission oil, there is no harm in changing it but it is high temperatures that are damaging. If you have a maintenance schedule, I would go by distance and change it when it's due. The corrosion inhibitors in coolant definitely get consumed over time so I would do a coolant flush & fill. See Cooling System.

The strength of the spark depends upon many factors including thee the ignition system's ability to saturate (ie, build a full magnetic field) the coil. High engine speeds and incorrect dwell (related to points gap) adversely affects coil saturation. High combustion chamber pressures (ie at full throttle) increase the voltage required for the spark to jump the sparkplug gap in the engine. Points & condenser ignition system need good components and proper tune to work properly. A high performance aftermarket ignition system will not cause the engine to make more power than a old points ignition system in good working order under normal driving. Variable dwell electronic ignition systems (like the GM HEI system) were designed to provide a hot spark with a minimum of maintenance. I would say that the cheapest and most effective ignition upgrade would be to switch to the GM HEI system and most of the parts required can be sourced from the junkyard. I upgraded to an HEI system last year and it was quite straightforward. See HEI Ignition Upgrade.

I like citric acid for removing rust and scale and it works very well. Citric acid is inexpensive and can easily be purchased from a local wine supply store. See Cooling System.

24 psi is for the tires that were originally equipped on the car. For modern radial tires, I would not exceed the maximum tire pressure recommendation on the sidewall as this is for the maximum load rating of the tire. Each application is different so I would use a pressure that allows the tire to wear evenly across its face and this will require you to keep checking. What pressure recommendation did the tire shop give you? Fuel starvation will appear as gradual loss in power and, if the fuel pickup in the tank has any flow, there is no way for it any significant vacuum to build and will vapor lock first. I would check your condition of your ignition system first. If you're not stuck on originality, I would seriously consider an HEI upgrade if it still has a points ignition system. See HEI Ignition Upgrade.

I went through this exercise a few years ago because my factory AM radio quit working and I was looking for an alternative that would not require me hacking up my dashboard. I settled on the Aurora FMC-2 FM Tuner, which is basically a very small PCB added between the antenna lead and the AM radio circuitry. It includes and an auxiliary input (L&R RCA jacks) for an MP3 player and both the added FM tuner and MP3 functionality work well in addition to the AM radio. The connection cable from my phone to the radio doubles as the phone's antenna, which allows the phone to work adequately as an FM radio as well. See Radio Upgrades.

All gasoline engines work better with a heat riser system, which is designed to create a hot spot under the carburetor. See Intake Manifold Heat. The part about why the hot spot is necessary starts at 5:35 in the video.

I wrote this article up for ACCCC while I was still a member: Winter Storage

You could also make your own insulating spacer from a sheet of phenolic resin if you have the hood clearance. Put a thin gasket on each side of the spacer. It's best to keep the intake manifold warm but the carburetor as cool as possible. See Vapor Lock.

Carbking has the correct solution to the hard starting problem. I have a Quadrajet on my car that's had the epoxy seal upgrade when it was rebuilt. I have an electric fuel pump on my car and I added an oil pressure safety interlock on it this summer. I find that, even in cool fall weather, the fuel in carburetor will evaporate after a few days. I know this because my car will start shortly after the fuel pump kicks it after several seconds of cranking to build 5 psi of oil pressure. I plan to add a second relay so that the fuel pump is energized when the starter is engaged. If you have a mechanical fuel pump, I would add a solenoid-style electric pump that runs with the starter. This type of pump allows flow-through operation when the electric pump is not running. A vane-style pump has better lift capability but will not flow-through and requires a bypass if used for priming the carburetor. See Vapor Lock for suitable fuel pumps.

The thermostat only maintains a minimum temperature, which is why it allows an engine to warm up faster. The thermostat's rated temperature is where it starts to open and it is fully open about 15-20°F above the rated temperature. Once a thermostat is fully open, the heat generated by the engine and the cooling system's heat rejection capability is what determines the equilibrium temperature. A 160° thermostat does not give an engine more cooling capability than a 195° thermostat. Due to the flow restriction, an engine will run slightly hotter with a fully open thermostat than with no thermostat. See Cooling System and Stant Thermostat FAQs