Technical Octane Boost - which kind?

Well I have never distilled ethanol but I have made shine and it is not cheap. 100 pounds of sugar 100 pounds of corn yields about 10 gallons of whiskey. Potatoes actually use less sugar and work up faster.

 

You mean it's not as easy as they make it look on TV! So much for Reality TV! I guess if you're a farmer and have the supplies on hand, it's a bit more cost effective. I have had some shine that has smelled a lot worse that E-85 though.

 

As far as the E85 quandary goes, it's darn near impossible to find in the Reno area. So that's out for me.
Octane booster? That's another story. A couple people mentioned the use of toluene and xylene. That's exactly what I use. I go right passed the cheapo snake oil boosters and grab a can on Barryman B12 chemtool. The active ingredients, benzine, xylene and toluene. It's about $4 for a 12 ounce can and down the trick for me. As an added bonus it's an injector cleaner, takes off road tar from a rocker panel or a grease stain from upholstery. I keep at least a couple cans on hand. One in my tow pig for camping, one in each daily driver and a couple in the shop. Never know when I'll end up with a tank of crap.
I have bought cars that were parked 5-7 years with a few gallons in the tank. I'll take 2 cans and a gallon of fresh high test and pour it in. It won't run perfect but it will spice it up enough to run.

 

Chemstrand Corp patented a process for making ethanol from natural gas within the last couple years. They say they can use NG to produce ethanol at $60/barrel or less while the ethanol from corn costs $90/barrel or more.

Right now, it won't satisfy the government's requirement for a renewable source. Once they quit subsidizing corn based ethanol and no one is making it anymore, the stuff made from natural gas will likely be just fine.

The whole ethanol from corn thing never made any sense, nor would making it from any other basic food crop. I kinda suspect the whole scheme right from the start was just another way to pump millions of additional bucks into the pockets of the mega-farm conglomerates.

 

Well chemistry is not my strong suite so I am going to have to take your word for it. I don't understand how ethanol can be made from something that cannot be fermented. Sounds like a way to drive up the price of natural gas to me.

 

I read somewhere that 2 acres of corn would supply enough base stock for that 10,000 gallons of e85, but it sounds kinda low to me. Pure ethanol is 113 octane, and your only required to denature it by 2% for fuel use, so e98 would be the way to go! Not quite at the point of growing my own yet, but I'm thinking
about it one day! I used to run the Navy's JOAP (Joint Oil Analysis Program) lab in San Diego, and we did fuel analysis as well (mostly just for contaminants though), so I guess I know enough to be dangerous, but I'm not an expert either (Didn't even sleep in a Motel Six last night! ). Tried to get hired on at General Atomics in their algae to fuel program, but it was winding down by the time I retired.

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octane ratings are for gas as thats what they compare the burning rate against
100% isooctane ( 2,2,4-trimethylpentane) = 100 octane and they way the measure is by the research method ( RON) or the motor method (MON and they way you see it rated at the pump is RON+MON/2

Cetane (isocetane (2,2,4,4,6,8,8-heptamethylnonane)) is what scale diesels use done the same way but , lower the number the faster it burns and 1 cetane = -30 octane its one of the worst fuels in compression ignition resistance

 

Im not gonna get into the chemistry part of it all 'cause id prove im an idiot
I was using Castle octane boost in my 52 Chevy truck with the timing slightly retarded right up til the gas companies started adding ethanol in the gas.
Then nothing would help, it detonated like crazy.
It has a gen-u-wine 12:1 piston with 76cc world products heads so obviously too much for our pump gas...
I managed to put about 30k miles on it up til that point, but when that change was made it was over and the truck was parked.
Choices were either race fuel, detune or methanol injection.
I couldnt afford race fuel with the amount i drove it, and was way to used to the power it made to detune it, so i installed a snow performance inj kit.
Done!!!!
Same motor, full timing and 93 right out of the pump.
NO detonation and runs like a scared rabbit.
Just have to feed it washer solvent now

That kit was money well spent. I realize you may not want to use one being the car is numbers match etc, but it does work and work well at that.

Oh, and 68, 302 and numbers matching........sounds like a real nice combination!! Im not a muscle car guy but i do like those.
Tony

 

Race gas mix or convert her over to alcohol. Either way you have to track it down before you go cruising or purchase a barrel each year, store it properly, and mix as needed. Just don't get stranded. Alcohol conversion is more $ up front but the barrels are MUCH cheaper. She'll run cooler no doubt. Might have to swap out or at least camouflage fuel lines/components to remain factory appearing. That's about it. E-85 as discussed is almost as hard to find so why bother? Race gas mix probably simplest option.

 

Numbers matching-isn't a deal killer. Put a meth injection kit on it, and if you happen to want to enter it in a judged competition, remove the kit.- you're not really changine much to spray meth in a carb. It's cheap (use windsheild fluid) and it works. -rick.

 

PGetting back to the original posters question, yeah, Methanol injection might be the best way to go. Does said o/t car have the cowl induction air cleaner? If not, I would think you could get a spare and hide most of the injection kit inside a 14" air cleaner without significantly starving the engine for air, and use the windshield washer bottle as a reservoir (hell, since a LOT of
people are using windshield washer fluid in them anyway, you could just T off at the washer pump, and 95% of the public wouldn't be the wiser!). Snow Performance is supposed to be one of the better kits on the market. One possible thing to watch out for is the possibility of corrosion in the intake track ( carb, intake, etc depending on where your injection point is), from the fluid.


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Chris, Goffs equipment in torrington sells high octane fuel in five gallon buckets. mixed 10-1 with the pump crap should solve your problem.

 

I was just saying the crap that they were feeding us in the "fuel" crisis. I know what works to do what with as a rule and for the most part have never been concerned enough about a lot of things to try and figure out the why or the wherefore.

I know that the Moroso additive works well and if I was taking a trip longer then 2 or 3 hours from the house or had a machine that would not run on pump gas that is what I would be using.

 

the moroso stuff I also can recommend , I used to use 103+ till they outlawed it ( contained TEL)

 

Did you ever smell moth balls?

 

How do you castrate a moth?? Then if you have 4 moth testicals why not use the all??