Yes, I saw the header and thought 'that's the Model Tee Lady'...<g>...
As to the post about high mileage carburetors, yes, I think there is
something to it...the Pogue carburetor was patented and it claimed
about 100mpg...the problem was, about every 1000 miles you had to take
the carburetor off and clean out the tar deposits from the dirty gas
at that time...today it might be viable but people at the time would
not live with such frequent service...
I don't remember the context of the conversation but I think it had to
do with pollution from car engines. A friend of mine told me that at
one time, the emissions from autos were very clean burning. he said
this was when the oil companies used to remove the sulphur from the
oil products including gasoline. He says there were mountains of
sulphur being pulled out and it greatly hurt the sulphur mining
industry so rather than create a financial problem the oil produces
agreed to quit removing the sulphur, choosing to burn it mixed in with
the gas and to hell with pollution.
He says somewhere in the 1960s is when cars started knocking and
pinging because the sulphur didn't burn cleanly so the way it was
resolved was to adjust the timing of the spark plug firing...I'm not
sure how to say it since cars aren't my thing, but he says they either
increased or decreased it to something like 30 degrees from normal to
try to compensate. He says this was pawned off on the people as 'new
engines' when in fact it was to allow burning of sulphur...
I've always thought someone should take the time to research and
document this as it would make not only great reading but an ever more
amazing video documentary, PBS style.
Thanks for the story, I'll pass it around...<g>..>>> Jerry
---Elizabeth Buell wrote:
>
> Hi, Jerry.
>
> I don't know if you remember me. We corresponded a little over a
year ago
> about the bell housing design on the Ford Model T. My web site is
The
> Buell Registry of Classic Cars and Fine Automobiles. I was thinking
about
> you this morning when I received an unusual e-mail from a relative in
> Kansas. I've copied it for you below. What do you make of this?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Frank Powell [SMTP:nfpcdp@feist.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 1998 8:09 PM
> To: Dave & Julie Anderson
> Cc: Elizabeth Buell; Eddie Evans; Darin Forshay; Lance Forshay; Noah
& Deb
> Gomez; John Powell; Bill Schotte; Shawn & Wendy Taylor
> Subject: Rip off
>
> Some years ago my Dad told me that he had a cousin back in the
'40's
> that made a high mileage carburetor and was getting 100 + mpg on a
> Caddilac. Several years ago Wichita State University offered non -
> accredited courses to the public on all sorts of topics at what they
> called the Free U. One of the courses being taught was on high mileage
> carburetors. I don't recall the teacher's name right off hand but he
had
> done considerable research in the area. The last I heard he had
moved to
> California. I think I still have those class notes stashed away in my
> file cabinet somewhere.
> Anyway, all of this was said to lead up a recounting of a recent
> conversation I had with a coworker of mine. Several years ago he and a
> friend had a nice side business going of modifying carburetors. Their
> modifications were producing results of 50 to 60 mpg. They knew
another
> man here in town that was doing a lucrative full time business doing
the
> same thing and they were all sharing ideas and techniques. The man
> working full time had a small machine shop/garage where he did his
work.
> My coworker (I'll call him Phil - not his real name) drove by the
> machine shop one day and it was closed up and cleaned out. Phil
couldn't
> reach the machine shop owner so he asked a policeman friend of his
if he
> thought he could locate him. The policeman said he thought he could. A
> few days later the Policeman told Phil that he had found the man
working
> at Lear Jet. The man told the policeman that one day two men wearing
> long coats walked into his shop. The two men handed him a large
envelope
> stuffed with money (how much wasn't disclosed). When asked what the
> money was for he was told to close up his shop. He asked "What if I
> don't want to close up my shop."
> "You don't want to know what would happen" was the response.
> This was enough to scare him so he closed up shop.
> A short time later, as Phil and his friend were working in the
> friend's garage, they noticed that they were being watched by two men
> with binoculars in a van a short distance away. Phil's friend said
> "let's scare these guys". He retrieved a couple of black powder rifles
> from his gun collection. He and Phil left the guns unloaded but they
> drew down on the van as the garage door was raising. The van left in
big
> hurry. They didn't see the van again but both men had families at home
> at the time and decided it was the better part of wisdom to cease
their
> carburetor modification business.
>
> I just thought you might find this of interest.
>
> Elizabeth A. Buell
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