Oh man Gas prices will kill me..which engine?

[oldgold70c10]

Well, I don't know about the brick shape, but the best milage I have ever gotten was in a 1975 2 door Chevelle (Malibu). I don't know the rear end ratio, but on 3 different trips to Taos, NM, I was getting 20-22 mpg with a 350/th350 and q-jet carb. Engine was rebuilt with about 35-40,000 miles on it, car was just about totally stock.

I find the utility of driving a truck as a daily driver to be far too useful to consider anything else, so, if I did get a second vehicle, it would probably be a 1997 chevy s-10 with a 4-banger and five speed manual. I got to use a friend's last year around new years, and the thing got about 30 mpg on the highway and really drove well.

[Longhorn Man]

I would say barn door actually.

[69gmctowrig]

My dad bought a new 86 Custom deluxe with the 4.3 because he would supposedly get better mileage. He didn't. the smaller engine had to work harder to move the truck so it all kinda evened out i guess. that's just my $.02

[Gary]

I drive about 3000 miles in a year, I don't give a damn about fuel economy, what time I spend behind the wheel I want to have a **** eating grin plastered across my face every minute. And that don't happen in an econo box NOR in an underpowered "mpg friendly" truck

[71-longbed]

i work 3.5 miles from my house .. i want those miles to and from to be fun .... alittle extra gas money never bothered me much ..... i usually burn 3/4 of a tank going up into the cascades .. but its worth it to me .... power doesn't come cheap

[ThatOneBlue67]

That's the spirit!

[mrein3]

Originally Posted by oldgold70c10

Well, I don't know about the brick shape, but the best milage I have ever gotten was in a 1975 2 door Chevelle (Malibu). I don't know the rear end ratio, but on 3 different trips to Taos, NM, I was getting 20-22 mpg with a 350/th350 and q-jet carb. Engine was rebuilt with about 35-40,000 miles on it, car was just about totally stock.
...snip...

My 71 Monte Carlo, 350, th350, 2bbl carb, 2.73 rear got 23 mpg all day long on the highway.
My 72 Chevelle when it was a 307, th350, 2bbl carb, 2.73 rear got 21 mpg all day long on the highway. (The current 350, 4bbl doesn't do as well)

I love those old cars. Rear wheel drive, AC that will freeze you out. All the power you need. Decent mileage. Driving by Camarys, Civics, and other jap crap with dorks behind the wheel thinking how cool it would be if they weren't an idiot with no mechanical skills so they could resurrect a fine piece of machinery like that.

[shelby987]

Originally Posted by iluvmy72

shelby.....no offense but I find your current milage and configuration with it is a bit hard to believe.

I can understand anyone's dis-belief, when I got the truck almost a year ago, I got 12~13mpg on the highway if I kept it just below 65mph (265/75R16 tires are slightly larger than stock, so I figure its just about 70mph). My around town driving on the 8 mile drive to and from work was anywhere from 11~12mpg. Ever since I put my 'economaster' carb on there along with my headers, I have gone through 4 tanks, each on sitting right below 13.9mpg....maybe the economaster carb was worth it!
Future plans are to swap in 4.10's, the use of acetone just to see what the hype is all about, and slightly taller (and less bald) tires.
Just as a side bar, with the torque this engine put out stock it was fun, with the secondaries wide open on the highway this truck is FAR from underpowered!

[wibilly]

longhorn what tire height are you running?

[Longhorn Man]

well, at the moment, i have a 31 inch tall (235/85) tire on the left rear, and a 29 inch tall (245/75) tire on the right rear. Both mounted on 16x 7 or 8 inch rims.
The short one is a spare, I recently had massive explosion on the right rear. It was actually kinda amusing being I was going through a not-so-good part of town (by the bottoms, for those familiar with the area) and when it blew, about 5 ppl hit the dirt. I was laughing my @ss off!