Lead Addatives?

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I have recently had my 65 mustang totaled and now I am shopping. I came across what I thought was a winner when he posted on the auction...
On Jan-11-08 at 08:43:56 PST, seller added the following information:
Items needing repair: The shifter is a little loose. The heater blower stopped working this year and may need replacing. The engine may be original and requires a lead substitute to be added to the gas when filling up the tank.

Now the heater blower does not scare me but the lead aditives are new to me. The car is a 67 so he should not need to be adding lead. Will the lead hurt the 200" I6?

Thanks
Darrell
 
Depends on whether the valve seats are hardened or not. If you get the head rebuilt, they can put real hardened seats in. As I understand it, the earliest non lead seats are flame hardened.
 
Most people don't have a problem running unleaded with non-hardened seats. I'd only say it is for people that put a lot of hard miles on a car.
 
when did they remove lead from fuel? I thought it was before 1967?
 
For about five years you could get lo-lead or no-lead. That was back in the day when you only had two grades: Reg and Super and they added no-lead grade as a transitional phase. Eventually, they banned leaded gas altogether. The story they told (non-Californians) was that no/lo-lead would "clean out the cylinders."
 
Running unleaded is usually not a problem. Apparently it can be a problem when the engine is running hard for extended periods like racing. Normal driving is ok.
Doug
 
Lead was used as an octane booster and to cushion the valves and keep them from receding into the head. The current owner is using a lead substitute as a valve cushion. If the owner is older (50+) he's probably remembering what he was told back in the 70's about not using unleaded gasoline in cars with cast iron heads.

I am in agreement with the others, I wouldn't worry about it.

I remember leaded gasoline being available in my area in the early 80's.

Isn't it interesting that gasoline is still referred to as "unleaded" even thought it hasn't had lead in it for over 20 years. :lol:
 
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