Fill it up... with Ethyl

[Bailey28]

We had an old FINA station at the entrance to our neighborhood. Dad replaced the catalytic converter on our station wagon with what was called a 'test pipe' back in the early 1980's. The asian owner would laugh every time we filled up with regular instead of unleaded. That wagon ran acceptibly however the floors eventually rusted out to where it was a Flintstone mobile. We donated the car to the local high school auto shop class. LOL>

 

[irollo]

When I was in college in NC, for .25 you could get a beer or a gal of gas or a pack of cigs. For $2 I could fill up my vw bug, get a pack of cigs and go to the bar on Fri nights. circa 1970

$0.25 in 1970 = $2.02 in 2024. Beer companies are even, tobacco companies aren't killing as many people, and oil companies are making out like bandits.

 

[loneryder]

$0.25 in 1970 = $2.02 in 2024. Beer companies are even, tobacco companies aren't killing as many people, and oil companies are making out like bandits.

For your $2.02 you can't buy any of these 3 things. Are you sure of your calculations?

 

[hank2]

Amoco was the first major brand to become all "lead free" in 1986.

The original co. Amoco premium fuel was always unleaded, even in the 1950's-60's. Not sure why it was. My dad always bought it for home stash gas as we used in some WWII era gasoline burning camp stoves. Somehow, it was still the 96-98 PO of other TEL premiums. I recall it as always costing a bit more. The Amoco regular was leaded.

 

[irollo]

For your $2.02 you can't buy any of these 3 things. Are you sure of your calculations?

You can get a 6 pack at a gas station for less than $12 so it's true. You can get a tall boy or 40 for like $4. Which is more in money but also size.

I insinuated you can't get cigs that cheap in a lot of places anymore, mostly due to taxes.

Gas is +$4 in a lot of places. Partly profit taking like I said, partly taxes.

 

[hank2]

I'm familiar with the Ethyl tag, but I always said, "fill it up with high-test". I likely picked that up from my father.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Back when siphoning gasoline was a spectator sport.

I'm not sure why, but I wasn't doing the pulling. Nor was my brother. We may be the only ones from the hood who made it out.

I recall taking a mouthful of gasoline from a garden hose. My buddy had a 67 Buick Skylark and we were doing some late night cruising. We were just getting some gas from another buddy’s car. Gas stations didn’t open late in those days. I too somehow made it out of the hood.

 

[k1xv]

The original co. Amoco premium fuel was always unleaded, even in the 1950's-60's. Not sure why it was. My dad always bought it for home stash gas as we used in some WWII era gasoline burning camp stoves. Somehow, it was still the 96-98 PO of other TEL premiums. I recall it as always costing a bit more. The Amoco regular was leaded.

The story i heard was, in WW2 the oil industry geared up its refineries on the East Coast to produce massive volumes of high octane aviation gasoline. After the war ended, Amoco kept its refineries producing high octane fuels that had such good octane, they were able to blend zero lead premium. There were greater differences in brands of gasoline in those days (today the EPA determines the properties of all gasoline brands) and Amoco premium was more dense. As a result, it usually delivered better miles per gallon.

I remember when I started driving, the oil companies were colluding on prices in New Jersey. Every gas station had the same prices. 29.9 cents for regular and 33.9 for premium. Amoco lead free premium cost one cent more, 34.9 cents a gallon.

There was a gas station in my neighborhood that actually sold two brands, Texaco and Amoco. It is the only station I have ever seen in my life that sold two competing brands of gasoline.

 

[Nyogtha]

Marine White gasoline was, and I suppose still is tertaethyl lead free. It was the original unleaded pump gasoline in the days of regular leaded and premium leaded "ethyl". My dad used Marine White gasoline in our OPE back in those days.

 

[hank2]

The story i heard was, in WW2 the oil industry geared up its refineries on the East Coast to produce massive volumes of high octane aviation gasoline. After the war ended, Amoco kept its refineries producing high octane fuels that had such good octane, they were able to blend zero lead premium. There were greater differences in brands of gasoline in those days (today the EPA determines the properties of all gasoline brands) and Amoco premium was more dense. As a result, it usually delivered better miles per gallon.

I remember when I started driving, the oil companies were colluding on prices in New Jersey. Every gas station had the same prices. 29.9 cents for regular and 33.9 for premium. Amoco lead free premium cost one cent more, 34.9 cents a gallon.

There was a gas station in my neighborhood that actually sold two brands, Texaco and Amoco. It is the only station I have ever seen in my life that sold two competing brands of gasoline.

Yes, the Amoco premium was the favorite of the "only the best for my baby" car owner. I recall getting better fuel mileage with it when I splurged.

There was a old 1920's-'30's gas station and garage down the road from our home. They sold 3 brands of gasoline . One pump was actually a working gravity pump.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

The original co. Amoco premium fuel was always unleaded, even in the 1950's-60's. Not sure why it was. My dad always bought it for home stash gas as we used in some WWII era gasoline burning camp stoves. Somehow, it was still the 96-98 PO of other TEL premiums. I recall it as always costing a bit more. The Amoco regular was leaded.

I worked in a Amoco station in late 70's. We had premium leaded gasoline in the Gold Pump and there was tetral ethyl sign on the side of the pump. This was in the midwest, so I can not say it was the same in other regions of the country. The octane at the time was 94.

 

[walterjay]

I remember 100 octane gas at .32 per gallon
I remember seeing Gulf gasoline at 15.9 cents per gallon during gas wars in an attempt to kill independents.
I remember filling up my VW for around 2.89 per tank each week. I would get upset if I broke the 3 dollar barrier that week.
I remember a quart of oil for 39 cents.
I remember when gas hit 58 cents per gallon. I thought the world was coming to an end.

 

[hank2]

I worked in a Amoco station in late 70's. We had premium leaded gasoline in the Gold Pump and there was tetral ethyl sign on the side of the pump. This was in the midwest, so I can not say it was the same in other regions of the country. The octane at the time was 94.

That's interesting. Maybe the lead free Amoco premium was an east coast thing. That went way back. Leaded premium had dropped to 96 PO in Pa. by the mid-late '70's. Sunoco still had 97.5 PO 260 into the 1980's somewhere. Last gasp leaded was the low-lead 0.1 gram/gal. 89 regular up to 1992. Not sure when the original Amoco was shut down. The trade name was sold to someone (West Coast?) . Used to see some BP stations that branded their gas as Amoco, but they're all long gone here.

 

[Nyogtha]

BP purchased (merged was a gentler term) with Amoco and ARCO in the late 90's - early 'oughts. Between then and now there's been divestitures with other companies picking up the pieces or simply shut down and scrapped.

 

[Skippy722]

BP purchased (merged was a gentler term) with Amoco and ARCO in the late 90's - early 'oughts. Between then and now there's been divestitures with other companies picking up the pieces or simply shut down and scrapped.

Amoco is making a comeback, at least in my area a number of BP’s have been relabeled Amoco. Still have the “invigorate” advertising however.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

That's interesting. Maybe the lead free Amoco premium was an east coast thing. That went way back. Leaded premium had dropped to 96 PO in Pa. by the mid-late '70's. Sunoco still had 97.5 PO 260 into the 1980's somewhere. Last gasp leaded was the low-lead 0.1 gram/gal. 89 regular up to 1992. Not sure when the original Amoco was shut down. The trade name was sold to someone (West Coast?) . Used to see some BP stations that branded their gas as Amoco, but they're all long gone here.

What the pumps looked like as I stated.

 

[Hermann]

Here in KC area BP still sells the Amoco branded premium with a 93 octane reading. Smells different than other off the shelf 91 octane around the area. When you fuel a motorcycle you can smell the fuel. My gas cap is up high and probably only 18 inches from my nose. not sure if it is ethanol free.

 

[mk378]

I remember an Amoco station that had a real fire in the torch on the sign. This would have been in the mid 1970s. But I can't find any confirmation they ever did that.

 

[y_p_w]

The name "Ethyl" was a trademark of the Ethyl Corporation, which is still in business and apparently still makes tetraethyl lead for limited applications (maybe aviation fuel?) and other fuel additives. They still have a boatload of active registered trademarks.

I think the right to use the name was granted to fuel suppliers who used their specific additive in their fuels. But I'd think it became so ubiquitous that many referred to it like "Kleenex" as almost a generic name.

 

[y_p_w]

Amoco was the first major brand to become all "lead free" in 1986.

I recall when Union 76 heavily advertised that they still had leaded premium back at a time when most gas stations only had leaded regular. It was kind of expensive, so they were primarily selling it for classic car use.