De-carbonization on Northstar

[Rusty Shepherd CLC 6397]

In the early fifties, Pontiac (with those great-sounding, smooth, sluggish flathead straight eights)was advertised as the car built to go 100,000 miles which obviously meant that that was further than the average of that era would go..at least without a major overhaul. The Lincoln HV-12 (1936-1938)would average only 30,000-60,000 miles before requiring an overhaul and used copious amounts of oil and frequently overheated even when new. Early Hydra-Matics would do well to go 50,000 miles without an overhaul and early Dynaflows required frequent replacement of seals (with removal of transmission) which often still did not stop all the leakage. Overall, cars are better today from a mechanical, if not electrical, reliability standpoint (and consider how many more electrical components a 2005 Cadillac has compared to a 1941 model).

[Rusty Shepherd CLC 6397]

Correction on the production dates of the much-maligned Lincoln (Zephyr) HV-12: 1936-1948.

[Michael Stamps 19507]

The way the pipelines are set up now you never know who refined your gas.  If Gas Company A wants to move x amount of gallons from Texas to New York then they put the gas in the pipeline in Texas and the same day remove the same amount of the same grade gas in New York.  The gas they put in might take two days to get there or who knows where it ends up.  The only difference is the additives that are added after it gets to the local market.  The only other difference is the fudge factor on octane.  A company As 93 octane gas might actually be 95 octane while company Bs 93 might be right at 93.  

Stampie