As a general rule if its air cooled use non ethanol when you can, I also use non ethanol in my 1929 Model A Ford and my previous '51 Ford hotrod with built up Flathead engine. If the engine was designed to run on non ethanol you will have less fuel related problems if you stick to non leaded fuel. I have found along with others that ethanol fuel deteriorates at a much faster rate regardless of additives, most of my friends that have developed fuel related issues have found that simply switching to non ethanol solves the issue. Ethanol is destructive on anything with rubber in it, that includes old fuel lines, or connections as well as gaskets and other fixtures like needle seats in older carburetors. Many have switched over to the use of neoprene which is unaffected by alcohol. One of the issues I had with the Model A was that the old cork float that was used in fuel gauge was coated with "dope" to prevent it from getting "waterlogged", the dope was eaten by the alcohol and began plugging up jets in the carb. The replacement float is made of alcohol resistant plastic. My closest station sells premium non ethanol due to it being the last gas out of town on the way to the lake and O.R.V. park. Most of the people I know that spend any time recreating on off road vehicles and boats use non ethanol.
Too many years ago I was talking to a guy that worked in the fuel industry. He told me about fuel distribution centers and how most of the gas we use in this area comes out of Montana and generally only a few main centers. Additives and all that jazz are added at these fuel distribution centers. He told me that if I wanted to avoid fuel related problems in anything that ran on gasoline to buy only top tier fuel, avoid using cut-rate fuel because there is a reason it is selling for less. I followed his advice and have only used top tier fuels in everything and from memory have never had a fuel related issue, except the one mentioned about using ethanol in old vehicles. I found chunks of rubber clogging fuel filters because the ethanol broke down the rubber vanes in an electric fuel pump I was running on my hot rod. I wouldn't use ethanol fuel in anything that had a distributor, possibly if the engine was built with all modern connections, neoprene seals, etc. but otherwise because I have easy access to non ethanol I use it exclusively. My lawn mower has never had ethanol fuel and it is over 20 years old and runs just like it did when new, all of my stuff can sit over the season and starts right up. I'd put money that my Model A would start after turning over less than two full revolutions, dead cold.
