Gasoline in the 30's and 40's

[ford38v8]

When I was a kid, the soda shop on the Avenue had 4 large (to me) fishbowls on the counter containing penny candies. He sold new comics for a dime, paid 3¢ for used comics and resold them for a nickel. I'd go collect bottles at the rear of the grocery next door to pay for a comic and a cone with two scoops and sprinkles for a nickel each. Just the other day, the local ice cream parlor changed their payment policy to plastic only.

[rotorwrench]

After that recent Crowdstrike update glich, it might not be a real good idea to go full on plastic. My wife and I went to a local restaurant last weekend and it was cash only. I still carry the stuff just for such emergencies as power failures and the like. Some of the young people these days can't do math without a calculator so power outages can shut a business down.

[sidevalve8ba]

Early 70's in East Tennessee there was a gas war and a certain Amoco station had regular at 19.9 a gallon and hi-test was 21.9. Shaefer beer was 95 cents a six pack at Drug Fair. My how times have changed.

[tubman]

Originally Posted by sidevalve8ba

Early 70's in East Tennessee there was a gas war and a certain Amoco station had regular at 19.9 a gallon and hi-test was 21.9. Shaefer beer was 95 cents a six pack at Drug Fair. My how times have changed.

Are you sure about that date? I remember the early seventies being the time of the oil embargo and lines at the gas pumps. It is etched in my mind, as I was the proud owner of a brand spankin' new '73 Rivera "Boattail", much to the derision of my best buddy, who had purchased a new Vega at the same time. Three years later, I was the one who was laughing when the aluminum engine in his nearly new Vega took a dump.

I would have purchased a couple of those six packs.

[sidevalve8ba]

Positive. I'd just graduated from college. 1971. Just think, a buck would buy 5 gallons of gas.

[Steve51]

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Factoring in inflation many commodities cost somewhat the same as they did 20,30, or 40 years ago. $3.50 gas now is similar to .30 cents in 1972 factored for inflation.

[1952henry]

Lead was introduced in the 20s as a way of increasing octane, which allowed higher compression. This gave better performance and efficiency. The higher the octane, the slower the burn.

[Karl]

Originally Posted by 1952henry

Lead was introduced in the 20s as a way of increasing octane, which allowed higher compression. This gave better performance and efficiency. The higher the octane, the slower the burn.

Yep and Henry ford didn't like it -He was making his own unleaded gas at the time

[Als48]

I remember when my folks ran a country store which sold Gulf oil products around 1957. The common gas purchase for teenagers was "a dollar's worth", which would buy about 4 gallons of gas, if I remember correctly.

Al Hook

[ford38v8]

What is eye opening and very sad today is going to a gas station and looking at the previous transaction amount in the pump as some very small fixed amount like $10.00.

[tubman]

Originally Posted by ford38v8

What is eye opening and very sad today is going to a gas station and looking at the previous transaction amount in the pump as some very small fixed amount like $10.00.

Look on the bright side. It may have been someone out for a ride on their motorcycle.

[highbeams]

- worked at an eight-pump gas station in high school 1963-'65.
Regular typically .28 cents. Ethyl typically .32 cents.
one diesel pump, one marine gas pump for cars trailering boats jammed in as well.

(busy place, cars coming in at both directions. (full service)

[mrtexas]

Gasoline in the 30s was very low octane, lead added a significant amount 8-10 numbers. Gasoline was mostly distilled from crude straight run gasoline and naphtha with octane in the 70s. That is why Model A and early v8 motors were such low compression ratios. Thermal cracking existed and Houdry fixed bed crackers made some gasoline out of heavier stuff. Most of the modern refinery processes to raise octane were developed in the 40s/50s like alkylation, residual coking, hydrocracking, platinum reforming, and catalytic cracking. Alkylation developed around 1940 made very high octane as it produces iso-octane(100 octane) and lead added made fighter plane aviation fuel. Today gasoline produced is up to 50% of crude oil distilled for high conversion refineries.

[ford38v8]

Originally Posted by mrtexas

Gasoline in the 30s was very low octane, lead added a significant amount 8-10 numbers. Gasoline was mostly distilled from crude straight run gasoline and naphtha with octane in the 70s. That is why Model A and early v8 motors were such low compression ratios. Thermal cracking existed and Houdry fixed bed crackers made some gasoline out of heavier stuff. Most of the modern refinery processes to raise octane were developed in the 40s/50s like alkylation, residual coking, hydrocracking, platinum reforming, and catalytic cracking. Alkylation developed around 1940 made very high octane as it produces iso-octane(100 octane) and lead added made fighter plane aviation fuel. Today gasoline produced is up to 50% of crude oil distilled for high conversion refineries.

Very informative, thank you. May I add, before all that, gasoline was an unwanted byproduct from the production of kerosene.

[ford38v8]

How many remember the Standard Oil Training Stations? There were typically 8 trainees on duty at all times, all with freshly pressed white uniform, garrison cap, and blue bow tie. Several trainees would enthusiastically converge on every incoming car to deliver full service, including tire inflation, every window washed, etc. They would get brownie points for sales beyond gas, so they learned all the salesmanship tricks for oil, belts, tires, wiper blades.
Trainees being more prone to human error, they one time forgot to torque my Mother's lug nuts after a tire sale, resulting in an expensive teaching aid for the daily training classes.