<VV> Running on Regular

[Dennis & Debbie PLEAU]

There was a thread last week about how to make a 110 run on regular.  As some of you know I just bout a 63 Greenbrier with a 65 110 engine.  The previous owner is a Chevy collector and has a lot of significant Chevy's his collection including the 63 GB I bought, a 65 CORSA convert and a rampside.  Since most of the time other than the rampside which he uses regularly, they sit in his hanger or barn, he has de-tuned all of his "show" cars to run on regular.  

I've been driving the GB off and on for 3 weeks and today I decided to try to tune it up good enough to pass emissions so I can get it transferred to my name.  Long term I'm going to go with a Pertronics.  The GB was completely full of regular when I got it.  Today I put 7 gallons of premium.  I found the timing at 4 deg BTDC.  When I moved it up to 14 deg the engine smoothed out and and sped up.  After adjusting the idle and everything.  I took it for a test drive.  A hill that takes me over the Palmer divide which I couldn't hold 55 before in 4th, I'm now not of the floor and can accelerate. When going around a 90 deg corner, I now only have to down shift to third rather than second before.  It is worth it to me to have the GB properly tuned and not be able to use regular than to drive the slug I was before today.  Living at 7400' and commuting down to 6300', I can probably run mid grade.  Towing the pop-up trailer to Buffalo, I'll probably have to run premium most of the way.

To tie in with the vapor lock and fuel pump thread, since John often doesn't drive some of his cars for months at a time, he installed an electric fuel pump in series with the manual, with a switch on the dash.  To start it after it has sat a while, crank until the OP light goes out.  Let the starter rest a while, hit the electric FP switch and crank again after about 15 seconds and it fires a fully lubricated engine.  Turn off the electric pump and be on my way.  Have vapor lock, flip the switch.

Now if John would only sell me his 54 Vette for the same price as the GB.  

Dennis "I'm not holding my breath" Pleau