As I recall it was the early seventies before it showed up at all the
stations and the conversion began, except at AMOCO, where the premium always
was unleaded. I presume that the manufacturers had several years of lead
time and probably knew by 67 or 68 it was coming. I think 72 was the big
year emission control kicked in.
Jim Altman jaltman@altlaw.com Illigitimi non Carborundum
http://www.altlaw.com/metro/jaltman.html 69-TR6#CC28754L W4UCK
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-triumphs@autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-triumphs@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of jonmac
Sent: Monday, May 18, 1998 8:41 PM
To: triumphs@autox.team.net
Subject: Unleaded in the U.S. in the late sixties
Can anyone please tell me whether unleaded fuel was commonly available in
the States in the 'sixties?
I remember many people who were taking delivery of their cars in the UK
asking whether they should use leaded or unleaded while in Europe. This
suggests it was fairly freely available on t'other side, while still being
effectively unknown in Europe at the point of sale? Such being the case,
does anyone have an original factory handbook which comments specifically
on the type of fuel that was suitable for use?
Unleaded certainly was not on sale in the UK at that time, though the car
manufacturers did have special supplies of their own. It occurs to me from
a discussion I had with someone yesterday, that if unleaded was commonly
found in the US, there's just a chance that Coventry fitted hardened valve
seats as a matter of course to many engines prior to 1968. I greatly doubt
they'd have had a US head and an Everywhere Else head going through the
engine build shop. If they did fit seats suitable for green fuel, this may
go some way to explaining why it appears so many Spitfire owners are
running cars with 'old' type seats that don't appear to have suffered with
green going in the tanks.
John Macartney
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