Methanol vs denatured alcohol ?

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acarlson
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Methanol vs denatured alcohol ?

Post by acarlson »

I am seriously thinking of adding an injection system to my Corsa turbo. One problem I see is the availability of methanol. I've seen suggestions that you can substitute denatured Alcohol for meth. It's not cheap but it's readily available at Walmart and Home Depot.

Anyone ever use DA instead of meth and what's your opinion of it ?

Alec
Alec Carlson
Dahlonega, GA
1965 Regal Red Corsa 4 Speed Turbo Convertible
Restoration "In Progress"...
notched
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Re: Methanol vs denatured alcohol ?

Post by notched »

I ran denatured alcohol on my Grand National for many years. I ran 30 psi on 93 octane pump gas spraying straight denatured until the price went up almost $10 a gallon. It worked just as well as the Methanol. I really can't say there is a down side except the cost. You can buy Methanol online from Snow or Devil's own and probably other companies.
I live close to a track and they sell methanol which is much more affordable for me. I currently run straight methanol in my turbo Corvair and it makes such a huge difference in power. Best advice is if you are modifying the engine and increasing the boost using pump gas and alky/methanol
you should have a wide band o2 sensor and a way to make easy adjustments to the ignition timing. I run EDIS 6 which gives me easy adjustments. Same could be done with an MSD 6AL2.
1966 Corsa turbo
1969 Monza convertible
1987 Buick Grand National
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acarlson
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Re: Methanol vs denatured alcohol ?

Post by acarlson »

I installed an Innovate MTX-L or rather I installed a bung for it - the MTX is still in the box. My engine is still sitting in my garage being reassembled. I have a Crane XR700 installed but that's as close as I can get to a digital ignition for now. So although I can monitor my turbo pretty well my timing adjustments will not be very complex.

I didn't see meth available from Snows. They do have a 50:50 mix available called Boost Juice. Straight meth is available online but the shipping is outrageous !!!

Alec
Alec Carlson
Dahlonega, GA
1965 Regal Red Corsa 4 Speed Turbo Convertible
Restoration "In Progress"...
notched
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Re: Methanol vs denatured alcohol ?

Post by notched »

Crane XR700 is just a breakerless conversion to eliminate points. It does not offer any timing adjustments. You are still bound by weights and springs and the boost retard.
I had a very bad part throttle pinging problem (not under boost) with mine that I could not eliminate.
The problem was too much timing and taking some out of the mid range took out of the top as well. Mechanical advance is always a compromise. The boost retard was also inconsistent. Sometimes it retarded 6 degrees, sometimes 10 degrees.
Once I went to a programmable ignition I could take out timing at the places I needed to and add it where I wanted. No compromises and always consistent. Plus I can make changes from the driver seat without popping the lid. Once you try cranking more boost into yours you will quickly see what I am talking about. I would not own a modified turbocharged car without some kind of programmable ignition; Unless I was building a concourse stocker.
1966 Corsa turbo
1969 Monza convertible
1987 Buick Grand National
notched
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Re: Methanol vs denatured alcohol ?

Post by notched »

As for the methanol. Look up a local VP Racing Fuel dealer in your area. VP manufactures methanol.
1966 Corsa turbo
1969 Monza convertible
1987 Buick Grand National
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acarlson
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Re: Methanol vs denatured alcohol ?

Post by acarlson »

Well, we'll see how it goes :pray:

If I make the leap to something like an EDIS I'll be looking for more guidance on that !! :helpsos:

Alec
Alec Carlson
Dahlonega, GA
1965 Regal Red Corsa 4 Speed Turbo Convertible
Restoration "In Progress"...
martyscarr
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Re: Methanol vs denatured alcohol ?

Post by martyscarr »

Looks like there are several places in your area that sell methanol
Clipboard01.jpg
https://www.yellowpages.com/dawsonville ... acing-fuel

Pretty nasty stuff, personally I'd rather us a milder alcohol

HTH
Marty Scarr
notched
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Re: Methanol vs denatured alcohol ?

Post by notched »

acarlson wrote: Mon Aug 07, 2017 9:17 am Well, we'll see how it goes :pray:

If I make the leap to something like an EDIS I'll be looking for more guidance on that !! :helpsos:

Alec
You don't have to do an EDIS conversion. You can buy the MSD 6AL2 (PN# 6530) box and use your existing distributor with the pick up locked.
1966 Corsa turbo
1969 Monza convertible
1987 Buick Grand National
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acarlson
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Re: Methanol vs denatured alcohol ?

Post by acarlson »

notched wrote: Mon Aug 07, 2017 11:08 am You don't have to do an EDIS conversion. You can buy the MSD 6AL2 (PN# 6530) box and use your existing distributor with the pick up locked.
I'll have to look into it - Thanks..

Alec
Alec Carlson
Dahlonega, GA
1965 Regal Red Corsa 4 Speed Turbo Convertible
Restoration "In Progress"...
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acarlson
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Re: Methanol vs denatured alcohol ?

Post by acarlson »

martyscarr wrote: Mon Aug 07, 2017 10:09 am Looks like there are several places in your area that sell methanol

Marty Scarr
Marty, interesting ... I did a google search for methanol and didn't get any hits close to me. Thanks - I'll check out your search results especially those in Dawsonville and Gainesville.

Alec
Alec Carlson
Dahlonega, GA
1965 Regal Red Corsa 4 Speed Turbo Convertible
Restoration "In Progress"...
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thewolfe
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Re: Methanol vs denatured alcohol ?

Post by thewolfe »

You can purchase heet gas line antifreeze in the yellow bottle, widely available at many department stores in the auto section. It's 99% methanol and around $2 for a 12 oz. bottle. What I use
Nate Wolfe
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acarlson
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Re: Methanol vs denatured alcohol ?

Post by acarlson »

thewolfe wrote: Mon Aug 07, 2017 4:08 pm You can purchase heet gas line antifreeze in the yellow bottle, widely available at many department stores in the auto section. It's 99% methanol and around $2 for a 12 oz. bottle. What I use
Wow, I never thought of that. That'll be something else I'll look into. Thanks.

Alec
Alec Carlson
Dahlonega, GA
1965 Regal Red Corsa 4 Speed Turbo Convertible
Restoration "In Progress"...
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