interesting read on fuel saver horsepucky

The restorer's magazine "Skinned Knuckles" ran an article by Fritz Henning about miracle gas saving devices from the twenties and thirties. It was a great read. When the US Government began regulating drugs, the fine folks who sold quack formulae moved to another growing industry, the automobile. That's why this stuff is generically called "Snake oil". They sold all kinds of silly devices, some remarkably like those for sale today, and promised huge results. One had a plate with a rotor that went under the carb, another had vanes to "turbulate", Chemical additives were plentiful. Fritz figured if you used any combination of 4 devices you would go over

100% fuel savings and you would have a problem with your fuel tank overflowing. If any of this crap worked, the manufacturers would be using it.

RoyJ did pass the time by typing:

And one of the doodads they tested was ordered out of the back of PM magazine. :)

The sellers don't care. There are always the stupid few that read a real test and say to themselves, "It's a conspiracy by big oil". Personally I would like to see them ranting and raving when the dealership voids the warranty because something they put into the intake got sucked inside the engine..

I agree that a lot of that stuff is snake oil. No doubt at all.

But the argument "iff any of this crap worked, the manufacturers would be using it" is bull. NOS works. Superchargers work. Opening up the exhaust works. Using a scanner tool or something like that to remove the speed limiters work.

Why don't the manufacturers just put superchargers and bigger, free-flowing exhausts on every engine? Many reasons. But you can't say that just because they don't come from the factory that way, doesn't mean stuff doesn't work.

- Eric

Eric did pass the time by typing:

That's not the point of the article.

Yes I can. :)

However,

If there was something so blazingly simple as magnets on the fuel line or air swirly thingys that would improve both horsepower and economy the car companies would be all over it like a hobo on a roast beef sandwich.

With most vendors there is at least one model line with opened up systems/no restrictors. And even then there are quite a few vehicles that come stock with super chargers and turbo chargers. Although none that I know with nitrous.

The reason we don't have wide open systems is the vendors CAFE rating and other laws and restrictions on noise, etc.

There was a time (Bill knows) when you could order up a car with the baddest ass engine the factory could stuff in it. Race ready right off the floor.

Honestly, would you want every car coming off the assembly line with glasspacks? Those damn ricer fart-pipes are bad enough as it is.

Speed limiters are there for insurance purposes, make a car that can go too fast and the insurance companies will jack the rates up and impact car sales. It's also for meeting NHTSA regulations and again, the all important CAFE rating.

Now any gizmo that improved milage and horsepower would also improve the CAFE rating.

It's all about the CAFE rating these days.

I'll tell you for absolute certain that neither turbos nor blowers improve mileage. "There is no replacement for displacement"

"Those damn ricer fart-pipes are bad enough as it is."

I laughed so hard I almost drooled on my keyboard... just thought you should know that.

I was reading an article in the new "skinned knuckles" about the history of Cadillac V-8s, and came across these interesting facts. Cadillac built in the first year of V-8 production, 1915, 13,002 engines. They weren't the first to make a V-8, but were first to mass- produce one. The "314" Series (and CID) built until 1927 had 60 HP, then the "341" (27-29)had 90 HP. The "353" of 29-30 had 96 HP, In35 came the "346" with a whopping 130 HP. From 36 to 48, (last year for the flatheads) "346" HP crept up from 135 to

150. Wartime "349" was at 110 HP. In 49 their first OHV engine was the "331" at 160 HP. These came in High Compression, at 7.5:1, and by 55 these engines with a 9:1 Cr and two 4 barrels could make 270 Hp, making them hot for rodders. 56 brought the "365" with 335 HP 58 brought the "390" with 345 hp The 60s and 70s brought the 429, 472, and the 500. In 70 the El Dorado had a 500 Cid engine putting out 400 Hp, but then came smog rules and the same engines in 75 and 76 were rated at 190 Hp, and they went down from there. It goes on, and they rekon that the Northstar 279, if tested the same way as the older engines, (gross Vs net) should gross around 500 Hp.

I rebuilt a 314 and a 346, both were in very good condition due to excellent metallurgy and high standards of production. Cadillac used to be the standard everyone aimed for, but the 70's did to them what it did to everyone else, it became necessary to produce cheap crap to compete with Japan, and comply with emmission standards not written by engineers.

You could buy Super Stock ready vehicles up till 70-71 and for a few years after that you could buy a hemi race motor in a crate at your corner Dodge dealership