Reply #103: I have several old cars and have thought about pure ethanol conversions

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

I have a 1957 DKW, a 1969 Citroen DS, and a 1973 Saab 96. The Saab with its German-made v4 Ford-Taunus engine seems to be the most robust of the three and I'm thinking of going pure alcohol with it. I often go on vintage Saab forums where they've discussed Ethanol. I think there's legislation requiring 10% ethanol to go into all gas in the U.S. by 2010. According to vintage Saab owners, it seems that 10% ethanol has virtually no affect on old rubber, but pure ethanol probably will. Alcohol is a very powerful cleansing agent. The best approach is to put a separate alcohol fuel tank of about 5 gallons in the trunk with its own separate fuel line and to use a T valve on the two fuel lines as they enter the fuel pump to be able to switch over to regular gas when needed. The things you must do is simply buy a modern fuel line for the plastic fuel tank for the alcohol, change the jets in the carbureter (I have a Weber and spare oversized jets are very inexpensive), and advance the timing. There are several myths about alcohol. It seems that it really doesn't damage even old cars if you make the modifications. In fact, pure ethanol protects the valves on old cars by providing a cushion for them, the way old leaded gas used to do. Alcohol eliminates pinging and alcohol injection has often been used in the past on vintage sports cars for the reason that it burns the gas more completely and efficiently. And it's clean and can be made cheaply. I'm thinking of filing an application with the federal government to operate a five gallon still in my backyard and buy molasses or sugar in bulk to make. I could probably make my own ethanol for about $1 to $2 a gallon. There are even plans on the Internet to run a still on solar energy, further reducing costs.