Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion "Contains lead" sign for Tokheim 39 tall.

A little history of TEL: tetraethyl lead and the Ethyl Corporation...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraethyllead

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethyl_Corporation

Ethyl is short for: tetra ethyl lead, an additive added to gasoline. Ethyl gasoline was developed by General Motors and Standard Oil in the early to mid 1920s. Once higher compression engines were installed in vehicles there was a need for a fuel that would/could compress enough to burn at the correct temperature and ignite at the correct time once compressed.... (avoid pinging/ anti-knock, loss of power and backfires... etc.....)

Ethyl grade gasoline was sold in every state by every Oil Company. Some Company's called their higher grade gasoline Ethyl, some called it Premium, others Aviation Grade gasoline and others by a specific brand name such as Gulf No Nox

I understand that Ethyl was sold as an additive to many brands and from what I've read was developed by GM and an independent in Dayton called Refinery Oil Company. They later teamed with STandard to market it. It was Bob's picture of the Ethyl globed pump that had me thinking that maybe it was also sold under it's own name. I'm still not completely clear on this. I had read that this selling of Ethyl to other companies is what actually spawned the Sinclair H-C brand for example, because in the beginning Sinclair could not reach a deal with GM to use Ethyl. So he came up with his own higher octane premium grade, "H-C", which actually stands for "Houston Concentrate", because it was developed at his Houston refinery, but to the general public was marketed as High Compression. I had read all the wiki stuff and some others before posting but I could not clarify the time periods of the two different signs.
As some may know or remember, as a little project, I'm building up a side panel of a 39 tall as a display and I thought it would add just a little to it if I added a sign of some kind to the panel. The panel is going to be done in Sunoco branding. I don't know if Sunoco ever even used a 39 tall so I may be historically wrong right from the start. So anyway, I would like to add either one of these lead warning signs or an actual Ethyl sign to it. What do you guys think and would any of this be historically accurate? Now old iron pionted out that the warning signs were actually posted on the doors of the 39's. I'll have to check this out as this may defunk the entire idea of the lead warning sign. So would it be at all correct then to put an Ethyl sign on the side of a 39 tall?

Hi SC,

I didn't mean to complicate things.I just thought you were doing a pump so I was offering you an option on where you could mount the signs.A tall 39 is a tall pump and in some sign layouts mounting the contains lead signs on the doors can help "fill up the space"IMO.

Please note that I said "many",I didn't say "all".You might want to check the pics right here on oldgas,click pictures and go to the pumps,and you will see them in what appears to be both ways.

In any event,please don't let my comment slow you down.Put it on there if you like it;I would.Remember,those pumps were used well into the 50's ,at least,and some went through several re-brandings where the image was changed.I think it is safe to say that at times those guys put those signs where they wanted to so long as they were legal LOL.

As to the round ethyl sign,I personally have never seen one on the side of an un-restored pump.Maybe some of the other guys have.Hope this helps.It is your pump and I do respect you interest in the history of those signs.

Old Iron just to be clear I took absolutely no offense what so ever. I love any and all input and I thank you. It's all info in the vault to me.

It was actually this picture from a post by PUMP RESTORER that got me going on the whole Ethyl thing in the first place. And seeing as I am only doing the side panel, I thought an Ethyl sign would just be one more thing to add to it. But I figured I would at least make an effort to keep it period & historically accurate.

Steve, I am "trying to bring up information" too long buried about the circumstances relating to "Ethyl Gasoline".... In the recesses of my mind, a flicker of info about the Ethyl Corp keeps popping in and out.

At one time I had a book about the Ethyl Corp, entitled; "The Ethyl Corporation and the People that made it up"... or it was something like that... I went on Amazon last night and found a used book, entitled "Ethyl: A History of the Corporation and the People Who Made It"

For .44 cents plus $3.00 shipping I figure it is worth taking the chance, that this is the same book I am trying to remember.... LOL

Once I receive the book, hopefully it will shed some info on the question of whether or not "Ethyl" was ever sold as a "stand alone" Gasoline Brand or was it always sold as an "Additive" Product....

Like most, who lived during the late 20s through early 70s.... I remember, going to the gas station and always seeing at least one gas pump that had signage on it that read "Ethyl", "Premium", "High Test" or something along those lines....

SC- If it looks good on the side to you,put it there. Heres a thought, Why dont you keep your eyes open for a nice door- That way you could display your ethyl sign and your future"Double Diamond". If you ask me its kind of cool what your doing with just the side. Lots of guys just mount the doors W/ad glass on their walls.

It all started because I wanted to polish a brass nozzle. Kevin Frith was kind enough to give me a great deal on one. Then someone asked how I was going to display it. I was originally planning to just hang it on the wall. And that just didn't seem like a proper way to answer the question. And then I came up with this idea. The cool thing about the 39 tall is it has side glass. So then I can have a light in and it allows me to bring in the brand recognition. I'm already having thoughts of doing a Wayne 70 next in Mobil or Texaco.

As for the double diamond Sunoco sign. It's going to take another great depression to bring those down to my price range. I'm so glad I have to one I have at $260.