B
Bill Connelly
Guest
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<font face="Arial" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">OK, so here's a question that's never been posed to the collectivewisdom and experience that is this Amphicar-Lovers List (and no, I'm <font face="Arial"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">not</span></font> gonna ask if I can pull off this little red spaghetti strap number with the sequins I'm wearing without looking "trashy"...I mean, that's old ground, isn't it?...And besides it makes my butt look huge<font face="Arial"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">!</span></font>):</span></font><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o
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<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">No, the actual question is this: Has anyone had any firsthand experiencewith </span></font><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">'Water Injection'</span></font></span></font><font face="Arial"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> in anAmphicar or any other vehicle?</span></font><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o
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<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Water injection systemsbasicallyspray or draw afine streamor mist of water or a water/methanol mixture into the engine's carburetor or fuel injectors, typicallybased on intake vacuum, RPM or other measurements of engine load, thereby slowing down the burn rateof the gasoline in the combustion chambers andso effectively raising the octane number (which isjust a measurement of burn rate: the higher the octane number, the slower it burns).</span></font><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o
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<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Water injection systems, though first seen during the very infancy of the internal combustion engine (as earlyas 1904 a combined water injector/carburetor unit was used both to cool and reduce knocking in some kerosene/gasoline flexible-fueled tractor engines), and then later used during WWII in some fighter aircraft to achieve increased power and higher altitudes,they first experienced their real heydey ofpopular useas aftermarket kits sold during the 1970s and'80s when the old style leaded high octane fuels started disappearing fromthe pumps. Such systems were saidto reduce or eliminate harmful engine ping and knocking caused by pre-ignition in those big old high-compression V8 engines designed for the old richer leaded 'hi-test' juice. These water injection systems were also said toimprove power andgas mileage, andare often found strongly recommended in engine tuning guides of the period, like the definitive 1983 guide for RV tuners and tweakers by John Geraghty titled<u>RX for RV: Trailer Life's RX for RV performance & mileage</u>. <span class="GramE">(Agoura Hills, California: TL Enterprises, 1983).</span> Such aftermarketinjector kits were produced by Edelbrock (called "Vara-Jection" or "VaraJection"), Spearco (called "Trijectronic"), Holley, and others. Current-day turbo-tweakers and other horsepower-floggers still use far more complicated (and expensive) water and water-and-methanol injection systems nowadays made by companies like AquaMist, CoolingMist and others, while somecurrent turbo models of vehicles such as the Saab 99 even come withfactory-installed units as an option.</span></font><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o
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<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I have recently purchased an old new-in-box EdelbrockVara-Jection water injection system off of eBay, which I plan to install in the </span></font><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">ancient RV I've recently purchased</span></font></span></font><font face="Arial"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, with its 440 cid V8, as part of my larger maniacal-but-budget-conscious plan of roaming the continent with the Amphicar in tow inflicting my and my family's personalities on innocent passers-by throughout this great land of ours.Ithas also occurred to me that such a water injection unit might also serve to both haul down those often high engine temperatures and perhaps even providea marginal power boost tohelpourAmphicars haul themselves upthose bighills too. So, I thought I should ask you all about it. Sure, there's lots out there to read in </span></font><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Googleville</span></font></span></font><font face="Arial"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> about water injection and engines,but are there any thoughts or experiences on them out there amongst the highly esteemed web-toed motoring horde? </span></font><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o
></o
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<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">~Bilgey~</span></font><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o
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<font face="Arial" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">OK, so here's a question that's never been posed to the collectivewisdom and experience that is this Amphicar-Lovers List (and no, I'm <font face="Arial"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">not</span></font> gonna ask if I can pull off this little red spaghetti strap number with the sequins I'm wearing without looking "trashy"...I mean, that's old ground, isn't it?...And besides it makes my butt look huge<font face="Arial"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">!</span></font>):</span></font><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o


<div class="Section1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o


<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">No, the actual question is this: Has anyone had any firsthand experiencewith </span></font><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">'Water Injection'</span></font></span></font><font face="Arial"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> in anAmphicar or any other vehicle?</span></font><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o


<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o


<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Water injection systemsbasicallyspray or draw afine streamor mist of water or a water/methanol mixture into the engine's carburetor or fuel injectors, typicallybased on intake vacuum, RPM or other measurements of engine load, thereby slowing down the burn rateof the gasoline in the combustion chambers andso effectively raising the octane number (which isjust a measurement of burn rate: the higher the octane number, the slower it burns).</span></font><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o


<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o


<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Water injection systems, though first seen during the very infancy of the internal combustion engine (as earlyas 1904 a combined water injector/carburetor unit was used both to cool and reduce knocking in some kerosene/gasoline flexible-fueled tractor engines), and then later used during WWII in some fighter aircraft to achieve increased power and higher altitudes,they first experienced their real heydey ofpopular useas aftermarket kits sold during the 1970s and'80s when the old style leaded high octane fuels started disappearing fromthe pumps. Such systems were saidto reduce or eliminate harmful engine ping and knocking caused by pre-ignition in those big old high-compression V8 engines designed for the old richer leaded 'hi-test' juice. These water injection systems were also said toimprove power andgas mileage, andare often found strongly recommended in engine tuning guides of the period, like the definitive 1983 guide for RV tuners and tweakers by John Geraghty titled<u>RX for RV: Trailer Life's RX for RV performance & mileage</u>. <span class="GramE">(Agoura Hills, California: TL Enterprises, 1983).</span> Such aftermarketinjector kits were produced by Edelbrock (called "Vara-Jection" or "VaraJection"), Spearco (called "Trijectronic"), Holley, and others. Current-day turbo-tweakers and other horsepower-floggers still use far more complicated (and expensive) water and water-and-methanol injection systems nowadays made by companies like AquaMist, CoolingMist and others, while somecurrent turbo models of vehicles such as the Saab 99 even come withfactory-installed units as an option.</span></font><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o


<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o


<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I have recently purchased an old new-in-box EdelbrockVara-Jection water injection system off of eBay, which I plan to install in the </span></font><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">ancient RV I've recently purchased</span></font></span></font><font face="Arial"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, with its 440 cid V8, as part of my larger maniacal-but-budget-conscious plan of roaming the continent with the Amphicar in tow inflicting my and my family's personalities on innocent passers-by throughout this great land of ours.Ithas also occurred to me that such a water injection unit might also serve to both haul down those often high engine temperatures and perhaps even providea marginal power boost tohelpourAmphicars haul themselves upthose bighills too. So, I thought I should ask you all about it. Sure, there's lots out there to read in </span></font><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><font size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Googleville</span></font></span></font><font face="Arial"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> about water injection and engines,but are there any thoughts or experiences on them out there amongst the highly esteemed web-toed motoring horde? </span></font><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o


<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o


<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">~Bilgey~</span></font><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o


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