Posted by Clint Dixon on Saturday, January 20, 2007 at 21:09:19 :
In Reply to: I'm in my seventieth year and I remember... posted by Paul Cook in Kempner, Texas on Saturday, January 20, 2007 at 19:29:06 :
...not young, just old enough to remember.
I am kind of a student of Petrolina as I have collected Standard Oil "stuff" almost as long as I have been involved with Power-Wagons. In the 1955 book titled: Standard Oil Company (Indiana), Oil Pioneer of the Middle West, author Paul H. Giddens writes with great detail the history of this great company that played a leading role in the development of the oil industry from 1889 to 1951.
It was discovered by the spring of 1922 that a mixture of tetraethyl lead with gasoline prevented the tendency of gasoline engines to knock or ping at high-combustion pressures by altering the chemical composition of the fuel. Previously this tendency was attributed to the presence of carbon in the cylinders. In June 1926 Standard introduced tetraethyl lead to their Red Crown Gasoline, creating a new line of fuel named Red Crown Ethyl. In 1933 all Red Crown Gasoline was ethylized and the result was named Standard Red Crown with both Red Crown Gasoline and Red Crown Ethyl being dropped.
A new 3rd grade gasoline had been developed in 1931 named Stanolind Blue. This was non-ethylized gasoline with a lower octane rating. In June of 1941 the name changed to Standard Blue Crown. This grade was commonly referred to as “white gas” (not to be confused with Standard’s premium grade of gasoline named Standard White Crown which, like Standard Red Crown, was also ethylized). Around about 1949, Standard Blue Crown was phased out of production. The only two gasoline choices remaining from Standard were renamed Red Crown King Size Regular and Gold Crown Super Premium in 1956.
I live next door to a retired Standard Oil Products distributor. He worked in the business from about 1950 through the late 60’s. He related a story to me of the commotion caused by Standard dropping the non-ethylized Standard Blue Crown in 1949. It seems that this grade of fuel was commonly used by owners of older McCormick Deering Farmall tractors. Many farmers were scared that the ethylized gasoline would harm the engines in their tractors. These pre-war tractors were still regularly used well into the 1950’s. Standard lost a lot of these long time customers as they sought out “white gas” from other companies.
So it seems, we have taken an about-face. Once there was the worry that leaded gasoline would harm engines. Now, we are discussing the concern that lead free gasoline might harm our engines.
Junior