Lead Replacement Petrol... How friendly is it? I recently spoke to an engineer friend who has a vast experience of most forms of automotive engines, including marine and agricultural diesel applications throughout the world, as to the use of LRP in my '56 Bel-Air.
He told me of difficulties being experienced in Sweden where LRP was causing damage to auto engines with soft valve seats. With

that the additive was affected by UV light, so was not suited to a container such as contains Redex for example.
I purchased 2 bottles of VSP and put 40 litres of Esso unleaded into my tank. After a short while I noted a quietening of the engine and smoother lift. Millers VSP contains Manganese which boosts the octane of unleaded by 2 or 3 points, there protecting the soft valve seats. Manganese has been used to boost fuel octane in both the USA and Canada for some 20 years and is thought to be the closest lubricant to lead. The advantages are that treated fuel can be used in turbo charged engines, and it does not affect plastics or elastomers.
With regard to exhaust emissions, the manganese technology has been found to give no problems in this field. This is confirmed by a grant of a waiver by the US Government Environmental Protection Agency to use the product in unleaded fuel. The additive is also safe for use in vehicles fitted with catalytic converters and already designed to run on unleaded fuel. It was also approved by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs for use in classic vehicles.
Should you wish any further information, then like me, write to Miller Oils, Hillside Oil Works, Brighouse, West Yorkshire HD6 3DP.
Should I encounter any difficulty, I will advise you all at once.
Tom Donnachie.
Renfrewshire, Scotland.

Thank you for your letter Tom, which reiterates and supports what we wrote in Vol. 7, No. 1 (Additives make the Grade, page 5). It's good to hear from someone who actually has experience of using the product.

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John Benning
Snodland, Kent

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Daily driver 2
I would like to contribute to a request in your letters section about driving an American vehicle on a daily basis; something I have enjoyed exclusively for the past 13 years. In that time I have traveled to and from work in a 1968 Ford Mustang Convertible, a 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, a 1978 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale, and no less than three Lincoln Town Cars: a 1980 (self-imported from Florida), an '85 (which my father now uses as his regular mode of transport) and currently a 1991 Cartier Edition. When you consider I average around 25,000 miles a year, comfortable, reliable and secure transport is essential. On a practical level, it makes sound business sense to invest money in something that will return a good deal of that money come retirement day. I acquired my latest slice of American pie last year just before Marie gave birth to our daughter, Maya. Impending fatherhood impressed upon me the need for a reliable, practical and economical vehicle to transport my new family but above all in safety. For a lot less than a second hand Mondeo, I purchased from a dealer in Texas (via an American buddy), a low-mileage full owner history Town Car.
The spec list reads like a "who's who" of creature comforts, safety features and technological marvels: two tone metallic paint, safety bumpers, alloy wheels (including the spare), leather and cloth interior. Peer below skin level and you are rewarded with 4 wheel disc abs, traction control, driver's airbag, side impact beams, crumple zones, body on frame construction, 4.6 liter fuel injected V8 delivering average 25 mpg, 4 speed autobox. There is electric everything, including 3 driver's seat 8 position memories, lumbar and recline, automatic climate control, eight way power front passenger seat, tilt and vario-power speed sensitive steering self-leveling rear air suspension, keyless entry, auto on/off headlights and self-dip main bear photochromic rear-view mirror (darkens automatically when a nitwit drives up behind you with headlights on full beam). Self-locking doors activate when any forward gear is selected, but with a pressure sensor in the driver's seat to stop you from accidentally locking the keys in the car when the ignition is on. It also has a digital dash with English/metric readout, on-board computer, and something thought utterly pointless until a sleeping baby revealed the genius behind the idea - a silent self-closing trunk lid - no more "thunk!" when you slam it shut because there is no need to. The build quality is impeccable, driving position excellent, a trunk big enough to get all those absolute vital things one needs with a child without having them clutter up the cabin (suitcase full of diapers, pram, clothes, rug, toys, more diapers, etc.). Insurance weighs in less than that Mondeo (for me), and the Lincoln also can swallow whole my toolboxes, drills, explosives(!) and all the other paraphernalia required for my job as a Model Designer and Special Effects Supervisor. I use the facilities of the American Car Care Centre in London for servicing, where a full annual service tips the bank balance at around £250.
My father as I have already mentioned purchased my previous Lincoln from me when he discovered the true practicality of such a mode of transport; he has quite a large camera 1 transport, along with my mum, the dog and so on and so forth! When one considers the depreciation of such a vehicle pitched against say a Jaguar, a top spec Rover or even a BMW, few will decline in value faster than such a car as mine. My advice to anyone thinking of running a late model year yank tank as everyday transport is this - stop thinking about it, go out, buy one and do it! Ok, it's not a shopping trolley for the supermarket run, but if you have serious mileage through the year, or are carting around a lot of stuff, go yank but above all go Lincoln. I have enclosed a few pix to illustrate my letter.
Keep up the good work.

Alexander M. Gunn
Langley, Berkshire.

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Daily driver 3
This is my first letter since joining the club this year and purchasing my first American car in November last year.
I was reading the letter from Ross Prescott in your last edition, asking for people's experiences in running or owning an American car in the UK, and I thought I would give you my tale.
I am 27 years old and since I was a boy watching all the US Saturday morning shows, I always promised myself an American sports car when I "got older." Well, I got older, got a career, got married and still hadn't achieved my goal. Then in 1999 my life was turned upside down and I became a single man again. I picked myself up, got promoted and started earning "a bit" more money and decided I was going to keep my promise to myself and buy the car. In November last year, I picked up my 1987 Camaro and it brought a smile to my face every time I took it out. Then I decided to start doing some work to it and not being a complete whiz at mechanics, I started small and aimed to revamp the interior.
I ordered a catalogue from the states that specialised in Camaro's and went shopping. I then found some suppliers in the UK who could get the parts over here and thought that this must be easier than ordering from across the pond. How wrong I was. The attitudes of some of the people I have spoken to were less than helpful, and some were damn right rude. This has dampened my enthusiasm to say the least, and made me wonder at what cost is the American dream so to speak. Servicing has brought the same problems.
I work in a service industry and would not dream of talking to potential customers with such a lack of interest. As a businessman, I would love to know what the balance sheet must say at the end of the month with some of these people, as they are obviously making far too much money to be worried about my business.
The motor trade has a lot to learn about customer care in this country, and I am forced to look elsewhere for my requirements. If anyone can show me different I would be very grateful, as I would like to continue to enjoy the thrills of a truly wonderful car.

S J Lord
Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire

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Found through Internet
Thanks for the offer of help (gearbox problems on my '54 Chevy). I managed to locate another gearbox through a source that I have never used before, the Internet. A friend of mine put out a "help" notice and (it must be said to my surprise!) got a reply from a scrap yard, in Fountain City, West Wisconsin, called Elmers Auto Salvage.
The box is now fitted and the Chevy up and running a gain. Up to now I have been sceptical as to the usefulness of the Internet (plus I am scared of modern technology!) but I am converted. To find a manual gearbox for a 46-year-old car, thousands of miles away in the back of beyond is amazing.
I have to admit that this is probably the way forward for the majority of us. Whilst certain cars (like Tri-Chevies) will be well served, spares wise, I guess it may well get increasingly difficult for the rest of us to find that obscure part from "normal" sources.
This has been a lesson for me, I just assumed that there was a limitless supply of NOS and remanufactured spares. Whilst still being relatively well served, compared to their British counterparts, I guess there comes a time when all the old spares are used up and it is just not financially viable to re-manufacture new ones.
Anyway, at least the Chevy is on the road again.

Paul Garner
Plymouth, Devon