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Posted By : Paul Douglas, 10-May-2003, 03:49am
I have just recently bought my first Spitfire 1979 1500.
It currently has 93000 on the clock the engine was recond at 73000. I have been unable to find out if the car is able to run on unleaded juice as the guy
who had the work done did not ask when it was done and used 4 star and LRP. The recon was done in 1993 so it just might be possible it was done?
I have spoke to few people about putting an unleaded head on to be sure, the general reply seems to be,use unleaded petrol and when the valves burn out put
on an unleaded head. Some even suggest that it would probably last until I was an old man anyway although I am currently only 35!
What would the triumph experts recommend on this?????
This may well be the first of many questions!! I warn you in advance.
Thanking all that reply
Paul (Newcastle).
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Posted By : Dean Whitehead, 10-May-2003,
10:23am
hi,
reading the postings on here,the general view seems to be its ok to use unleaded,im gonna try it.
i also ask loads of questions,this board is very helpful.
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Posted By : Michael Davis,
10-May-2003, 11:07am
General advice seems to be to just use the unleaded. 97 Octane super unleaded is fine I'm told. 95 Octane standard unleaded might need the timing
to be retarded slightly (different people seem to have different experiences here but the theory says it should need doing).
Personally, I am using LRP which is (for now) still available in my local area. There is even a garage listed as selling real leaded four star not
far away (I haven't been there to try it).
I tried standard unleaded and valvemaster plus additive and it just bunged up my carbs so I changed to LRP and have been fine since. Other people
seem to have had exactly the opposite experience, LRP caused poor running and the additive worked fine.
The general advice on cylinder heads seems to be that unless you are intending to do lots of mileage at high revs. (motorways or racing mainly)
then the valve seats will last ages (many years) anyway and there is no point replacing a perfectly good head. Once the valve seats start to recede
and you have to have the work done anyway, you might as well have hardened unleaded bits fitted at the same time.
You say your engine has been reconditioned. I'm no expert in that area but I would guess that if the (original) valves were ground during the
reconditioning, they may not last as long before starting to recede. Anyone else any thoughts on this?
I've tried to summarise here all the things I've read about this over time but I'm willing to be corrected if anyone else knows better.
I've recently been reading some old Courier magazines from the late '80s and early '90s when the phasing out of leaded fuel was first mentioned. It
is interesting to note that all the questions raised then are exactly the same questions being raised now. Some 15 years later and no-one has yet
come up with any really definitive answers (or an additive that works for everybody)
Hope that helps
Mik
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Posted By : Paul Douglas, 10-May-2003,
07:20pm
Thanks for the advice, it looks like unleaded fuel is on the cards!