The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop lead additive?

have the origonial 216in my 41 1/2 ton ,with todays unleaded gasses should i be thinking lead additive ? or should i do head / valve up grades ? I remember years ago doing valve seats etc with my dad in the old 390 when they banned leaded from the market,thanks guys,

Lots of discussion has taken place in the past about this. I wouldn't take the head off just to replace the seats. Make sure your valves are adjusted properly and you should be fine with todays gasoline for many miles of driving.

Tons of stuff on the forum about this subject. No need for it in these low performance engines. They run just fine with the pump gas alone.
DG

fenderless,

Was your old 390 a Ford V-8?

thanks guys , and TC...yes it was/ is 65 ford galixie , needs tlc and a happy home

My brothers and I learned to drive in an old 1957 3-speed slant-six Plymouth. While we burned out the clutch in the Plymouth in 1966, my mother bought a 1964 Ford Custom (cheap, with no body trim) that had been a NC police car (for speed-traps and to catch bootleggers). That very plain looking 4-door had the full Police Interceptor package (with a special 390 Thunderbird engine). The early Little GTOs (3-deuces and a four-speed) were no match to this special 4-barrel and a police automatic transmission (that shifted into high gear at 80 mph).

Back to leaded gas: That 390 high-compression engines would now need leaded gas or hardened valve seats. As mentioned above, the 216/235/261 engines are probably OK with modern gas unless the engines are run for long continuous periods at very high RPM.

great memorys T C , My galixie has the same 390 t-birdy with a c6 juice box pass every thing but a fuel pump , thanks for thin info on the lead amd ill keep it in mind to put a little additive in if i do the long haul road trip at speed :P