What Did We Call Premium Gas?

[Shorty Cox]

In the world I grew up in, we had "Regular" and "Ethel" I have not clue as to the "octane" rating, no one talked of such a thing. In the early to mid-sixties, the "Skelly" gas stations introduced pumps with a dial the customer could pre-set and pump a blend of both.

[davischevy]

We called It ethyl. Interestingly enough, the gal that ran the station was named Ethel. It was a country store. I got the first new pair of Wranglers I can remember there.

"Sticks of north Arkansas." That makes two of us. We came to town on Saturdays to get supplies. We took Sunday afternoon drives and would end up in Omaha, near the Missouri state line, on the way home because they usually had gas wars there. No running to Wal Mart or Dollar General down on the corner. We fixed our own flats on our bicycles.

Damn I miss Ethyl.

I never pumped ethyl for a living. I worked at the theater, helped the janitors at the school, washed dishes, skidded logs, manufactured electrical boxes but I never worked at a gas station.

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by Steeveedee

How many of you people worked at a gas station and pumped ethyl?

[raises hand]

We used to call it ethyl, but when I worked at a Chevron station they called it Chevron "Supreme".

That's right, I forgot... Supreme was another I remember.

[LostMy65]

Anyone remember the Shell Station coins (tokens)?

[special-K]

Originally Posted by davischevy

We called It ethyl. Interestingly enough, the gal that ran the station was named Ethel. It was a country store. I got the first...

Damn I miss Ethyl.

I never pumped ethyl for a living.

I shortened it up for you a bit

I remember a general term used was high octane. Not so much asked for, but in conversations.

I had a job with a big builder maintaining lot signs in their developments. I'd go out early Saturday and put new signs up where they got knocked down and put sold stickers on the ones sold that week. They'd start selling before the street was in, so got to do some 4wheelin'. One weekday I worked half a day cleaning the models. That was my first business venture, senior year . Oh yeah, I'd put up the mailbox when the house was done, too. I'm telling you, I was big time!

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by LostMy65

Anyone remember the Shell Station coins (tokens)?

No, but I remember Chevron's WikiWiki Dollars. Little scratch-off cards with a chance to win various prizes. I never won a thing....

[Getter-Done]

I worked at a gas Station in the early 80's.
The Customers asked for Hi-Test
Or the new fhayy-galled Un- Leaded.
Most of the people had already removed
the (unleaded restriction) in the filler neck tube.
There will be no You Tube video's to prove that.








.

[3757chevy]

I worked at my Stepdad and Brother in law's Conoco in 1972 . Seamed like there were three grades 92 octane comes to mind for Ethyl and there was unleaded and regular.

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by davischevy

lnterestingly enough, the gal that ran the station was named Ethel.

Damn I miss Ethyl.

I never pumped ethyl

I shortened it up a bit more.

[Steeveedee]

Originally Posted by LostMy65

I shortened it up a bit more.

If the shorts get any more shortening, soon there will be no shorts at all!

[trukman1]

In the '60's and '70's here in Ohio it was called "High Test."

Don't know why since it made sense then but doesn't make much sense when I say it now.

I remember getting a free am transistor radio from Sinclair gas station.

Also remember gas wars when I bought gas for $.27 a gallon. Always happened in the summer.

Those really WERE the good ole' days!

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by 3757chevy

I worked at my Stepdad and Brother in law's Conoco in 1972 . Seamed like there were three grades 92 octane comes to mind for Ethyl and there was unleaded and regular.

I don't remember unleaded gas that far back but it could have been available for the self-righteous.

The first unleaded only vehicles with catalytic convertors came out in 1975 as I recall.

[3757chevy]

Originally Posted by 1976gmc20

I don't remember unleaded gas that far back but it could have been available for the self-righteous.

The first unleaded only vehicles with catalytic convertors came out in 1975 as I recall.

They may have called it "Lead Free"
[Quoted from The transportation research record 1175]The 1970 amendments to the Clean Air Act
established ambient standards for six pollutants including lead.
To attain the ambient standards, the 1970 Clean Air Act amendments imposed emission standards that required automobile
makers to reduce hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide exhaust
emissions by 90 percent by 1975 and nitrogen oxide emissions
by 90 percent by 1976 (5); at that time, however, no schedule
was established (for either the automobile or oil industry) for
reduction of lead emissions. Lead was to be removed principally to achieve other air quality and health goals. [Later, in
the 1970s, a lead "phase-down" schedule was imposed on
refiners to eliminate lead from "leaded" gasoline. In the early
1980s new scientific studies emphasized the severity of lead's
adverse health effects, leading the EPA to accelerate the lead
phase-down schedule.] Despite not being a principal objective,
the replacement of leaded gasoline took place quickly and
rather smoothly.
Congress recognized in 1970 that emissions are related to the
composition of fuel, and that the automobile industry's probable means of achieving the emissions standards was with catalytic converters; accordingly, it inserted language in the Clean
Air Act that was subsequently to provide the basis for regulating fuel quality and lead levels. Congress specified two conditions under which the newly established Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could control or prohibit fuels or fuel
46
additives: (a) if the fuel or additive endangered health or
welfare or (b) if the fuel or additive impaired the performance
of emission control devices (6). The second condition was to
allow the EPA to mandate the elimination of lead. [U.S. Senate
Report 91-1196, p. 34, noted that "The effect of lead on
catalysts can reduce the effectiveness of such mufflers by up to
90 percent. Since the use of catalytic mufflers may be essential
for compliance with standards established under section 202,
the Committee has adopted language permitting the secretary
to control fuels in order to facilitate the use of emission control
systems." J Lead removal was of concern to automobile
makers because the catalytic converter, which automobile
makers perceived to be the most advanced and feasible technological option for achieving large vehicle emission reductions, was poisoned by tetraethyl lead.
Vehicle emission standards, which were the principal
motivation for introducing unleaded gasoline, were resisted by
the automobile industry. Beginning in early 1972 the major
domestic automobile manufacturers and several foreign manufacturers filed for extensions. After extensive litigation, EPA
Administrator Ruckelshaus granted an extension and established two sets of interim 1975 standards--one for California
and one for the rest of the nation. Ruckelshaus believed that the
stricter California standards (imposed by the more activist
California regulators) would require the use of catalytic converters in all new cars for that state, but that the weaker national
standards would result in few catalytic converters being used
elsewhere. He believed that these interim standards eased sufficiently the technological and economic challenge of having to
design and build the new catalytic converters on short notice
(7, 8)

[davischevy]

I still remember that day in 1971 when I drove my SS 396, four speed, Chevelle down to pump some Ethyl and saw that prices had exceeded .30 cents per gallon.

I remember thinking to myself, "Surely this won't last."

Sort of on subject, we still have a chain of stores here that sell 91 octane, non ethanol gas.

[Steeveedee]

I recall one of the service managers at a dealership I worked for talking about how AMOCO had a lead-free gasoline grade. That was in '72.

[100%Chevy]

Originally Posted by Steeveedee

I recall one of the service managers at a dealership I worked for talking about how AMOCO had a lead-free gasoline grade. That was in '72.

That was white gas.High octane no lead.
Mike.

[100%Chevy]

Originally Posted by davischevy

I still remember that day in 1971 when I drove my SS 396, four speed, Chevelle down to pump some Ethyl and saw that prices had exceeded .30 cents per gallon.

I remember thinking to myself, "Surely this won't last."

Sort of on subject, we still have a chain of stores here that sell 91 octane, non ethanol gas.

I had a 69,375 hp 396 from a 69 Chevelle S.S. in my 57 Chevy then.Was hard to believe it took almost $5.00 to fll it up!
And,that Amoco unleaded had a weird smell too!
Mike.

[Steeveedee]

Originally Posted by 100%Chevy

I had a 69,375 hp 396 from a 69 Chevelle S.S. in my 57 Chevy then.Was hard to believe it took almost $5.00 to fit it up!
And,that Amoco unleaded had a weird smell too!
Mike.

HAH! At least it wasn't "Fearless Farris (sp?) Stinker gas"! I bought some of that when I was in Illinois in the US Navy (training- not much in the way of ships, there).

[special-K]

Yep, the first unleaded gas I knew of was Amoco Premium which was referred to a No Lead or Lead Free. I used it in my camp stoves because it was cheaper than Coleman fuel and you could just go to the gas station for it.

I remember the Esso tiger tails when they did the "Put a tiger in your tank" campaign. That was the same time Gulf No-Nox gave you an extra kick, so they gave out those orange horse shoes to stick on your car. Remember the Union 76 orange balls you stuck on your antenna?

[Steeveedee]

I remember the Union 76 ball. I graduated HS in '70. I got one of those balls and painted it red with the "70" in black. Those were our school colors. It was a small town, that was what passed for entertainment. Or we could go out to Atomic Auto Salvage and watch fenders rust.

[72LB]

Super or Hi test.

[Jrainman]

I worked in several Getty gas stations from 73 to 81 ,the owner owned 4 stations, Getty had premium and regular before led I remember premium being 96 octaine as the introduction of unleaded started to become avaible I remember premium leaded octaine drope to 94 and also the regular leaded gas octaine droped dont remeber the numbers , I think names like premium. supreme ,high test was just something of a point of advertisment for the said oil company , at one of the gettys I worke at had a AMOCO and a Citco right across the street Citco had High test and the Amoco called it Supreme ,But then again you could always go to Exxon and Put a Tiger in your tank. I worked during the period of the gas shortage and remember having to put out the diffrent colored flags to let people know how much gas you could get and telling people you could not get gas because of the Odd and even lic.plate number law , the lines for gas in my area were insane I would pump up to 4000 gallons a day and every car got there windows washed and most had there oil checked all for the 1.85 a hour I made.

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by special-K

Yep, the first unleaded gas I knew of was Amoco Premium which was referred to a No Lead or Lead Free. I used it in my camp stoves because it was cheaper than Coleman fuel and you could just go to the gas station for it....

Yeah, when you finally couldn't get leaded regular any more I started just siphoning some gas out into my Coleman can when on camping trips.

But that was about 1990 and we still had the 1971 K10 as our primary vehicle. Then we sold it and bought a 1977 Suburban (really moving up in the world!) because the pickup cab was getting too cramped with two kids. At least the 77 had valves designed for unleaded but it had something like 6100 GVW so no cat

[Killer Bee]

fast forward to 1:50 to the end, Jack classic

Hells Angels on Wheels 1967 Jack Nicholson's last...

[LostMy65]

Originally Posted by Killer Bee

fast forward to 1:50 to the end, Jack classic

Hells Angels on Wheels 1967 Jack Nicholson's last B movie - YouTube

I think I need to go back and watch that whole movie.