Ford's first 'Alternative Fuel' vehicle? Will a 1931 Ford Model A run on 'alternative fuels'?

"I AM the Warranty"

#paulshinn

[ModelA]

I think the hotter the engine got, the better it ran on diesel. Weird. E-85 was a real surprise. Science!!

[dennishutchinson]

Paul, the old farm tractors used to run on kerosene or distillates which is about the same as diesel fuel. They had a small tank for gasoline used to start the tractor. Once started on gasoline, they would run the engine till hot and switch to kerosene. Before shutting it down they would switch back to gasoline and then shut it down. Some of the tractors also had a water tank to inject water into the intake manifold. This would increase the economy of operation. 👍 I love your’s and Model T’s videos, keep up the great stuff!

[carolynlanger]

My father was in high school during World War II and ran his Model A on kerosene. He had a shut-off valve in the full line and started the car on gasoline poured into the carb. Then slowly opened the valve to wean the engine onto the kerosene. Also mentioned that he ran two head gaskets to lower the compression. He and his buddy had to remove the head to chip out the carbon every ten days or so. Stumbled onto your site a few weeks ago and thoroughly enjoy. Thanks.

[Spookdog]

My dad was also a teen during WWII, he also used kerosene when he couldn’t get gas. My dad lived at the top of 10th Ave. in San Francisco it’s a long steep hill. Dad said his Model A wouldn’t start by turning the key with the kerosene so he’d roll down the hill in hopes it would start (it wasn’t always successful), he said it didn’t run great but got him around.

[romjone]

Excellent video! Thanks for trying out the different fuels. I once knew a fellow from Tennessee, who he replaced his spark plugs with corn cobs. How he did this was to run thick wires through the corn cob(electrodes) and shove the corn cob into the cylinder head. The car idled fine. But when he accelerated, the corn cobs flew out and dented his hood.

[markwitkop]

I ran out of gas in a 1985 Ford Ranger. I bought 2 quarts of rubbing alcohol and 3 cans of gas dryer. I made it to the gas station 1/2 mile away. I would not reccomend it, but it worked.

[GeoffreyCohen-zx]

Thanks for the demo.. FYI you would have had a better chance with a higher proof mystery fuel like everclear.

[alexiskai]

OK, so I know that Paul knows this, but for folks watching: "moonshine, " or any other hard liquor like vodka, is about 50/50 alcohol and water. Water has a very high specific heat, meaning that it absorbs lots of energy. When you atomize the moonshine, suck it into the combustion chamber, and spark it, even assuming the alcohol ignites, the water in the mixture will absorb most of the combustion energy, leaving little to power the piston. That's why it won't run on moonshine. Too much water.

[danielbowen]

I was wondering as you drove with the diesel, if it would actually start without the bit of residual gasoline, but you covered even that. That was an enjoyable experiment to watch. Thanks for doing it!

[samuelmottweiler]

I saw an old ad for a wood gas contraption to mount on the back and run your model a off of that.

[joealbert]

Diesel has about twice the BTU content of gasoline while alcohol has about half. I ran my race cars on straight alcohol and the fuel air mixture has to be really rich. One time while towing to a race, I ran my tow vehicle out of fuel. I had a lot of alcohol available so I dumped about 5 gallons in the tow truck. It started, but wouldn't pull. I stopped and adjusted the carburetor choke to where is was almost closed. It then started and ran pretty well. It was at least enough to go about 5 miles to a filling station.

[Gumboot-Cowboy]

My dad had an old Plymouth truck with a flathead 6 engine that he ran only on diesel. 2 Cylinders were configured as an air compressor, and another 2 were just disabled... When I bought my first vehicle a 1946 Ford Jailbar I ran that on diesel too 18 years and never missed a beat. Also my jailbar only had 3 working cylinders.

[Blue_Mudder]

Excellent test!!!! Funny thing in a recent video you were talking about how you wanted a Model A because it has no electronics and I commented that my wife and I wanted a duece an a half for the same reason. But, the duece and a halfs are actually labeled as multifuel engines! They can run on anything that goes bang including used motor oil and vegetable oil! There are warnings about running straight gas due to the lack of lubrication, but it will do in a pinch. Thank you for today's science lesson!

[rusttooresurrection]

I had my doubts when you started this Paul...but this turned out to be a really fun video!

[definethedollar]

Wow! I was so scared when you put that diesel in there...never would have done that myself, but now I know in a pinch its ok. Thanks, that's science! 😁

[terrykeithley]

Paul, I have a jar of pure Harlen Co. Kentucky moon shine, 100proof. That should get you going lol. Stay safe Terry. 😊

[samuelcorbin]

I Love looking out over the Hood as you drive

[angelbrown]

Hello Paul. Thank you so much for the videos. You could make anyone fall in love with the Ford Model A. I’m a classic muscle car person but saw a Model A for sell a few weeks ago and purchased it. Took possession of it today and drove it for the first time ❤amazing. So much fun. I am so happy and thankful to your videos I know how to get it started and how to drive it because of you.
Great job!

[garycrawley]

Hi Paul, good to see you up and at em. I love those cars. Especially the smooth sound.

[charlesdalton]

Sometimes I think you are reading my mind. All the discussions lately remind me of stories my dad told. Prior to his service in WWII, he told me of people (including him) even running their cars on dry cleaning fluid (he had a 33 Ford Tudor). Yes, there was significant pinging, etc but it beat walking. Rationing gasoline caused a lot of creative solutions. I was completely surprised by the diesel. And I was in hysterics with the moonshine segment. 😂. Thank you as always, hopefully this helps settle some of the debate. Have a great week ~ Chuck P.S. Should have tried RC Cola, I know I run better since you turned me on to that.