Roger Galvin's 'Colortune' method

ColorTune was/is a replacement spark plug with a clear glass insulator. The idea is to obseve the color of the flame in the cylinder, to determine whether the mixture is rich or lean. Might be okay on a dynamometer, with the engine/vehicle stationary, but some people used to install them and ride down the road WFO, while looking at the plug to try to analyze mixture. A recipe for disaster.

Gunson Colortune was for setting the IDLE MIXTURE on a carburetted car. You adjusted the mixture until the flame was blue.

You were not supposed to drive around with them.

"Is", they're still available.

Yep. And it works.

They're meant for stationary usage, yes. Primarily to set idle mixture.

I doubt it, unless you can come up with a convincing description of how one would simultaneously drive AND peer closely at one of the spark plugs in the engine.

I'm thinking '32 Ford or similar, with no hood? Still would be a bit of a trick, unless you had an adventurous and brave passenger...

nate

Still not buyin' it. You really have to get your eye right in line with the axis of the spark plug to see the color flash of combustion.

Perhaps this will explain it (note the word "ride", not 'drive', above):

I have owned and used Gunson Colortunes for a couple of decades. I know what they are, how they work and how they're properly used. There is nothing on the linked page beyond a description of what they are, how they work and how they're properly used. That's probably why there's no description on the linked page of the scenario you have hallucinated. Don't be lazy, let's have your description of exactly how one might ride down the road while operating the Colortune, at WFO or any other throttle position.

Think two wheels, not four.

I can imagine someone thinking it's really cool to have flames spurting out of his cyclinder head and installing them for the effect.

I'm sure you can, but flames shooting out of the cylinder head is not a part of the Colortune experience.

Still no sale. Just looking in the direction of the Colortune isn't enough.

No, for that you need the Ford Escort experience.

--scott

Fiber optics.