Indolene 30 & Racing Fuel

[Michael H.]

Does anyone know anything about "Indoline 30" that was used as/with racing fuel in the 60's? Just dug out more old GM paperwork/dyno sheets and one of the fuels mentioned was indolene 30. It sounds like it may have been mixed with aviation fuel or racing fuel.

I vaguely remember seeing this on the paperwork back then but never paid any attention to it because it didn't interest me and I knew nothing about it.

[Clem Z.]

GM gave us analine to use in our 57 FI

at the NASCAR daytona beach race in 1957. never heard of indoline

[Clem Z.]

indoline is unleaded and indolean 30 has

3cc per gallon lead. i did a goggle search

[Michael H.]

Re: indoline is unleaded and indolean 30 has

Thanks Clem. I missspelled the word in my post. Should be "indolene', not "indoline".

The exact wording from the 1968 dyno report is;

"....and aviation and indolene 30 fuels were used during run-in and test".

[Clem Z.]

looks like my spelling is also not good

as i spelled 2 different ways but i must have spelled it correctly for google.

[John H.]

Re: looks like my spelling is also not good

Michael -

"Indolene" is a very carefully-blended laboratory-grade fuel, with virtually no lot-to-lot variation; it's still used today by the OEM's for emission certification testing.

[Michael H.]

Re: looks like my spelling is also not good

Thanks John, that's very interesting. I wonder how they change the blend or octane rating for different applications, especially for todays emissions testing?

I'm looking at paperwork from engineering that I haven't seen for almost 40 years. Never noticed the word "indolene" before. This particular test was on the Camaro Trans-AM Xram 302.

Also, of interest, is the fact that the cam for one particular engine test was the GM 3927140 used with Camaro 302 2X4 crossram. The source shown for this cam is Camcraft. (still in business in Maryland) I have to wonder if a raw cam was sent to Camcraft for precise grinding, rather than the usual "gang ground" variety for the general public.

Interesting stuff to see again after all these years.

[John H.]

Re: looks like my spelling is also not good

You can go to the GM Proving Grounds at Milford or the Chrysler Proving Grounds at Chelsea, and there will be an "Indolene" pump at all the gas pump locations, with a sign on it that says "Emission Test Vehicles Only" - the stuff is quite expensive, and is blended at only one octane level. The chemical composition is specified by the EPA for standardized testing.

[Michael H.]

Re: looks like my spelling is also not good

John,

Was talking to Tom P yesterday about indolene and he said pretty much the same thing that you pointed out. He said that when he was working in the "emissions lab", that's all they used. It was basically a very accurate blend that had to be the same from drum to drum.

I asked about the "indolene 30", but he had no knowledge of such. He guessed that it was some higher octane grade of the same fuel that may have been used for different applications, especially years ago. That makes sense as this stuff was used in the Trans-Am Camaro engine durability dyno test runs in engineering.

Thanks for the info. I never stop learning.

[Clem Z.]

check this out

http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:TItKTMqoY_MJ:deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/7437/4/bad1863.0001.001.txt+indolene+30&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=9

[Michael H.]

Re: check this out

Thanks Clem, looks like ya nailed it. I wonder if 3 grams/gallon is a lot compared to normal premium of the late 60's, or racing fuel of the same era? I suppose the fuel in that Trans-Am engine test had to be at LEAST 105 octane or better with the C/R's that GM was using in that engine.

I've never really known much about racing fuel. All the fuel came in red 5 gal containers and I never paid much attention to it.

[Clem Z.]

we added 4 grams of TEL to high test gas

before they sold racing gas. we got the TEL at gulf research and we were not very careful how we handled it. i guess that might be my problem now.

[Michael H.]

Re: we added 4 grams of TEL to high test gas

I've always heard about adding TEL to pump gasoline but I've never done it. In the mid 60's, we used Sunoco 270 (later replaced by 260 as the hottest stuff) and some aviation fuel, which was supposed to be around 110-115 at that time. Never really noticed much difference until we started using CR's up in the 12.5 range.

In the early 60's, moth balls in the tank were supposed to be "the hot setup". Funny how times and mysterious additive tales change.

[Clem Z.]

should have posted 4 cc not grams *NM*