Classic Mustangs List Archive

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Mail From: mustang (Brandon Peskin)

Have any of you considered E85 for your ol' 289s and such? I'm curious
if there's a performance gain and/or what it would take to convert
them to run E85. E85 here in CA is certainly cheaper than gasoline...

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Mail From: dano (Dan O'Reilly)

There was an article on that subject in the last 6 months or so in one of
my Mustang mags, and I think I've seen something in a hot rod magazine or
two as well. Basically: you need major fuel system and fuel delivery
(carb) mods at least. The bottom line they all came to was "it's not a
good idea and it wasn't worth the money". Keep in mind also you're talking
about much less BTU's per gallon, so you lose MPG.

At 02:00 PM 7/25/2008, Brandon Peskin wrote:
>Have any of you considered E85 for your ol' 289s and such? I'm curious
>if there's a performance gain and/or what it would take to convert
>them to run E85. E85 here in CA is certainly cheaper than gasoline...

---

Dan O'Reilly
1971 Bright Red Mach 1
2002 Black Deluxe Convertible
Colorado Springs, CO

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Mail From: ckelly (Chris Kelly)

Short answer: fergetaboutit
Thin ice answer: its a political smoke and mirror diversion and may lose it's attractive tax subsidy in the sometime future.
More to the point:

#1 to remember - E85 is only "85" part of the year, depending on where you live. In CA, it's probably 85% year around. The spec allows it to vary from 70% to 90%.

You'll need a completely reconfigured carb or would need to buy a specialty carb to run it.

Upgrade the fuel system - make sure any aluminum in the system is anodized and not scratched or nicked. You'll use 30~50% more as a rule-of-thumb, the A/F ratio runs about 9:1. All lines would have to be alcohol compatible. Not sure about rubber, should probably use aftermarket pushlock hose rated for Methanol. Lines could be steel or stainless. Discard stock fuel pump and run one rated for alcohol.

If you don't drive the thing every day, then consider not doing it at all. Alcohol is very hygroscopic - it absorbs water like crazy. So, it has to be stored in air tight containers. You could probably run a top lube and keep it stable for a week or two. You will not want to store the car for any period with E85 in the tank, lines and carb.

Basically, go to a drag strip and talk to some racers that run methanol and see how they handle it and it'll be about the same. I don't run methanol in the race cars but I am considering it. For me, I have to figure about $750 per carb for the retrofit, plus about $350 per car for line retrofits and compatible fuel pumps. The electric pumps we run right now are not compatible.

>Have any of you considered E85 for your ol' 289s and such? I'm curious
>if there's a performance gain and/or what it would take to convert
>them to run E85. E85 here in CA is certainly cheaper than gasoline...
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--
=====================================
Chris Kelly - ckelly at raceabilene.com
raceabilene.com/kelly/hotrod
Merkel, Texas
Member:
International Hot Rod Association
Abilene Performance Car Association
Falcon Club of America
=====================================

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Mail From: W427 (David)

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