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#42645 02/05/2004 10:44 PM | Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 4 Junior Member | | Junior Member Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 4 | OK, I know, do a search. I have certainly said that myself many times on the car boards I help moderate, but give a newbie a break, pals. I just bought a 1950 GMC Shortbed. Actually it is on its way to me right now. Will it run OK on pump unleaded gas? What octane rating? I really like 93. Should I bite the bullet and have the valve seats hardened? Should I add those "add a lead" liquids I see at Discount Auto? I know that stuff is not tetra-ethyl-lead, but some other magic elixir. What say you, pros. By the way, may I introduce GMC PAL... [img] http://www.spydermagazine.com/files/50GMC1.jpg[/img]
Yer Pal,
Ed Black
Keep 'Em Guessing | | |
#42646 02/05/2004 10:50 PM | Joined: Oct 2001 Posts: 3,458 Extreme Gabster | | Extreme Gabster Joined: Oct 2001 Posts: 3,458 | Nice looking truck!
It will run the best on 87 octane unleaded gas. 93 is just asking for carbon in the combustion chambers. The engine doesn't have enough compression to run high octane gas. If it pings a bit adjust the timing or run 89 octane.
Depending on how long ago it was rebuilt, the engine may already have hardened seats. If there are enough miles on the head (like over 10k) the seats have probably work-hardened anyway. Either way you don't need lead additive. If the seats were not hardened you might as well wait until it needs a valve job to do it, since you will not ruin anything that way anyway.
Just keep the valves adjusted, maybe a bit on the loose side, and your valve train will outlast everything else.
As long as you keep the engine in tune and drive it often it will run well on just about any cheap gas you can find. It's not modern enough to worry about getting varnish in the fuel injection.
Paint & Body Shop moderator
A lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic. | | |
#42647 02/05/2004 10:56 PM | Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 580 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 580 | Welcome aboard, Ed. Conventional wisdom is to use the lowest octane (I use 87 in BillyBob). For around town driving don't bother with the lead. If you are going to to any long distance trips at speed or some heavy hauling, put the lead additive in for an xtra measure of safety. | | |
#42648 02/05/2004 10:59 PM | Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 4 Junior Member | | Junior Member Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 4 | Thanks, pal!
It is going to take some getting used to for me to buy cheap gas. While I am at it, I run only Chevron since I think that Tecron stuff actually works and my old Porsche ('55) loves it, but it is a race motor and this surely is not. So just crap Texaco in the Jimmy?
Yer Pal,
Ed Black
Keep 'Em Guessing | | |
#42649 02/05/2004 11:21 PM | Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 141 Member | | Member Joined: Jul 2003 Posts: 141 | Welcome Ed ... very nice looking truck !!!
I worked for a major oil company for 25 years.
Unless you actually see the brand name tanker filling the tank at the gas station and you know which refinery he got the load from you don't know that you are getting any special blend. In 95% of the stations in the US the fuel you buy is purchased from the nearest "terminal" which gets it from the nearest refinery, no matter which oil company operates the station or the refinery.
All the major blends are good now, but the small independent stations will buy fuel from the low cost provider. | | |
#42650 02/05/2004 11:22 PM | Joined: Sep 2002 Posts: 438 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Sep 2002 Posts: 438 | Ed-
Welcome to the 'Bolt! Wow, that's a gorgeous red truck. Nice rig. Don't let it get dusty! The cheap gas will certainly do the trick, in agreement with the posts above. | | |
#42651 02/05/2004 11:40 PM | Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 687 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 687 | Wooooooooooo Nice Truck!! popcorn The truth is Out There (Unless it high performance don't worry about it) | | |
#42652 02/05/2004 11:44 PM | Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 580 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 580 | Come to think of it, your new truck does look like it just stepped out of one of those chevron cartoon commercials with its smiley Jimmy grille and the "eyelids" on the headlights  A beauty of a rig! | | |
#42653 02/06/2004 1:56 AM | Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 315 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 315 | Is it me or are GMC trucks just soooooo manly! | | |
#42654 02/06/2004 2:08 AM | Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 4 Junior Member | | Junior Member Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 4 | Thanks for the great welcome, pals and yes, I am a manly man. Speaking of cartoon Jimmys, here is a Franklin Mint version of my truck I just bought for a song on eBay. Obviously it was a cowboy song and with all the little western stuff that comes with it I guess I am a cowboy now too. Uh... make that a manly cowman. [img] http://www.spydermagazine.com/files/GMCmodel.jpg[/img]
Yer Pal,
Ed Black
Keep 'Em Guessing | | |
#42655 02/06/2004 4:02 PM | Joined: Feb 2000 Posts: 987 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Feb 2000 Posts: 987 | welcom to the SBP. Very Nice Truck
Brian Moore
1949 3100 5 window Deluxe
"Today is better than yesterday, but not as good as tomorrow"
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#42656 02/06/2004 5:32 PM | Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 9,115 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 9,115 | Ed,
all I can say is WOW ! I remember that truck on Ebay. The Franklin Mint model looks pretty nice too. I say some of their models a few weeks ago but I have never seen the AD truck.
Take care of that beauty. | | |
#42657 02/06/2004 5:53 PM | Joined: Dec 2001 Posts: 1,745 Member | | Member Joined: Dec 2001 Posts: 1,745 | Over here I guess 91 Octane is the highest I can get and I run it in all my vehicles. They run best on it IMO. I have heard the low compression argument before. I go by what has always worked best for me.
54 3100 with 235
62 flatbed dump C60 with 261
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#42658 02/07/2004 4:21 AM | | Anonymous Unregistered | | Anonymous Unregistered | Hey!! I got a great idea!!! Reroute that truck out here to oregon, and I'll test all brands and octane levels for ya I'll let ya know what we best after I have had sufficient time to test! GREAT TRUCK!!!  Bob | | |
#42659 02/09/2004 2:36 PM | Joined: Feb 2002 Posts: 2,893 Socket Breaker | | Socket Breaker Joined: Feb 2002 Posts: 2,893 | Welcome to the 'Bolt Ed,
that's a pretty truck there.
-W | | |
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