Another fuel economy check with my '65 one ton

[66Submarine]

Originally Posted by TJ's Chevy

LOL! Ok...I was close enough. Yeah...195 foot pounds is on the lean side fer sure. But one must say they were one heck of a tough engine.

Yeah, the old 235's do have a good reputation.

Originally Posted by LuckyLightning

Hey TJ, I saw your video already - thanks for posting it. I probably won't spend a lot of money on this 235, since I have a 327 in another truck that I plan to use within the next year. Right now I'm trying to figure out what to do about the gearing in my rear axle.

Do you guys think it would be easier/cheaper to replace the ring and pinion with something like this, or just replace the axle? How can I tell if that ring and pinion is compatible with my rear axle?

You can find a used 4.10:1 geared third member and swap it in yourself, but that's it for the Eaton HO52/72 rears.

The 14 bolt is a common rear end to swap in for people that want taller gears than 4.10:1.

[LuckyLightning]

Okay, I took some video of the truck running with the new tach, and posted on youtube:

Video 1 - Just fired it up, cold; adjusting the choke

Video 2 - Revving it up a bit (not sure what the "pop" is when I first depress the accelerator - I'm open to input)

Video 3 - Hearing it from under the hood

[LuckyLightning]

I'll try to get some video of driving it tomorrow.

[TJ's Chevy]

Originally Posted by LuckyLightning

Okay, I took some video of the truck running with the new tach, and posted on youtube:

Video 1 - Just fired it up, cold; adjusting the choke

Video 2 - Revving it up a bit (not sure what the "pop" is when I first depress the accelerator - I'm open to input)

Video 3 - Hearing it from under the hood

I'm now subscribed to you on Youtube. lol Thanks for the vids. That tach is reading right...Your idle is set pretty perfect...most of the 6 cylinders idled at 450-600 rpm....my 292 that was in my 64 idle at 500 rpm. Reving past 2500 in neutral makes it sound like its screaming. lol But under load that changes...I rev mine up to about 3500 in 3rd...sometimes 4300...cause 4th is another huge drop. Look forward to the driving video.

[LuckyLightning]

Thanks TJ, I subscribed to your channel as well. Here are some videos from driving today:

Driving this morning, cold outside.

Still driving but resting at a red light - RPMS are high again and the engine is louder/faster.

Arrived at destination, RPMs high and engine is louder/faster.

Driving this afternoon, all warmed up and doing better.

[TJ's Chevy]

Originally Posted by LuckyLightning

Thanks TJ, I subscribed to your channel as well. Here are some videos from driving today:

Driving this morning, cold outside.

Still driving but resting at a red light - RPMS are high again and the engine is louder/faster.

Arrived at destination, RPMs high and engine is louder/faster.

Driving this afternoon, all warmed up and doing better.

Sounds good. Old carbs and new carbs do that sometimes....the higher idle after driving. My 66's 292 will idle at 700 but after lots of driving it idles around 1000.....and that's with a brand new carb. I believe it to be vacuum. These engines didn't have to much vacuum.....and must be sealed up really good to prevent as many possible leaks as far as vacuum goes. Some aren't so bad...and others are worse. Nice vids.

[LuckyLightning]

Thanks TJ. I kinda suspected the vacuum as well but don't know enough about it to diagnose. Something I'll keep in mind certainly.

[66Submarine]

Much better!

The oil pressure warning light is only supposed to come on when the oil pressure is less than 5PSI (or something like that), so I'd guess the sender is bad or the wire running to it is shorting out. I personally really like also having an actual gauge to monitor pressure.

The idle speed hunting/being high at times is probably carburetor throttle shaft wear. The throttle return spring pulls the bellcrank assembly back instead of the throttle shaft with an inline six, so when the throttle shaft is worn it sometimes won't return all the way to idle (IME). An easy way to see if this is what's happening is to just jiggle the pedal with you foot and see if the idle speed changes; you may notice just barely tapping it makes it return to the normal idle speed.

Idle mixture and how hot the carburetor is (and was when it was set) can/will also have an affect on the idle.

[66Submarine]

Originally Posted by TJ's Chevy

These engines didn't have to much vacuum.....

What do you mean? I agree that vacuum leaks are a potential issue, as they are with anything else (although the intake/exhaust manifold design probably doesn't help things), but the sixes pull plenty of idle vacuum when they are running like they should be. It's not like they came with radical cams or anything.