@Schurkey
1. Yes, I know that E85 ranges from 51%-85% ethanol blend depending on the mix and that flex fuel vehicles can read the true mix of ethanol-gas and adjusts accordingly. Figured it would be a stretch to put E85 in such an old application which is why I never have.
2. I never asked about racing with E85. I run a bone stock Vortec 5700 and I would never put a turbocharger or supercharger on it even if I had the space, time, money, and resources to rebuild the engine bc I'm a firm believer in naturally aspirated power for reliability. All I asked if it was good for daily driver use and what I could do to make it run E85. From what people have stated, it's not worth it for such an old car.
3. I do 90% city driving with plenty of stop and go traffic. I have a 4WD truck with the Z71 off road package. Meaning that my stock height 4WD is higher than a stock 2WD truck and I run 265/75/R16 tires which are factory oversize from the standard 245/75/R16 tires. GM may have used smaller tires, but those are the sizes I know these trucks used. I run TrailFinder all terrain tires that I bought used at my local salvage yard for $250/set last year. They're Discount Tire's store brand tires made by Kuhmo and while they're great for the price, they aren't the most durable tire and definitely not designed to get better gas mileage in mind. In other words, I know that I'm getting poor gas mileage and I've run 1/2 tank of E15 with 1/2 tank of Regular (10% ethanol) in my truck with no decrease in fuel economy.
I have no warranty on anything engine related except the radiator bc it was replaced alongside my transmission when I got the transmission replaced. I know that higher ethanol=more water absorption/corrosion and that can be concerning. However, this is my daily driver that rarely sits for more than 24 hours so with as much use as I have, I'm not concerned about that.
4. We have blender pumps all across my town and neighboring towns around me. I used to work for my friend who ran his own landscaping business and we would fill everything (riding lawnmowers, push mowers, weed eaters, our cars etc...) and have never had a problem. I worked there on and off for 4 years until he sold off the business to someone else. Honestly, you're worrying too much about that IMO. My parents and I still use the blender pumps in my area for my own lawnmower and car and have never had an issue.
5. People have created alternative fuels well before the EPA was founded in the 70s. Alternative fuels go back almost as far as cars do and it would be inevitable that it would be used today. My friend and I had a conversation about ethanol and he said that it's usually made from rejected corn unsuitable for food (His extended family grows corn). Ethanol can also be made from other crops such as sugarcane which is common in countries like Brazil, which use ethanol much more than we do here in the U.S. I just like ethanol bc it's another option for people to use in their cars. I like variety and I don't want to have to use one type of fuel if I don't have to. Unfortunately, E15 would probably be the furthest I could go without serious modification of the fuel system. Oh well...
