Mileage experiment part deaux

Uncle Skip · Post by **Uncle Skip** » May 10, 2007, 6:02 pm

My name is Uncle Skip.
I am a horsepower junkie.
I can't help myself. God knows I try.
I took a perfectly good Ford F-100 pickup truck with a 6-cylinder motor and standard transmission and stuffed in a gas guzzling, tri-powered monster motor.
Now, if I could keep my big foot off the go pedal and out of the two end carburetors, I can get about 15 mpg.
But I can't. I just can't. I am so ashamed.

Along with beating myself up over my antisocial behavior, this also presents serious problems for the trip to Kansas City for Slick Stock in '08,
Either I tow a small 500 gallon tank trailer behind Nadine, or I try to do something to mitigate my most serious character flaw.
Lead Foot-itus.
Soooooo, like Doc, I'm going to try a gas mileage experiment.
I am building a 2.70 open rear and am going to unhook the linkage to the end carbs, drive the truck, and see what happens.
I have to do something, my power steering idea went in the crapper.
I just got a new bearing set, ring and pinion, 28 spline carrier and a new case and will be setting things up shortly.
I'll let you know if this works. Nothing else seems to. BroncoTom and Richard are tired of hearing me call on the cell phone and tell them I'm..............., er ah, out of gas????
Hep me please, won't somebody please hep me???
U@ss

Uncle Skip · Post by **Uncle Skip** » May 10, 2007, 6:04 pm

Oh yeah. Nadine does have the torque to carry the low gear.

jakdad · Post by **jakdad** » May 10, 2007, 6:57 pm

That's a big fat story!! He is not ashamed!!!!

Post by **Greg D** » May 10, 2007, 8:50 pm

You are not fooling me Skip. Takes one to know one as they say, lol.

66 POJ · Post by **66 POJ** » May 10, 2007, 9:13 pm

I thought you sold her? or do I have you mixed up with another "character".

cdherman · Post by **cdherman** » May 10, 2007, 9:23 pm

Will a 2.73 ring and pinion handle that kind of torque?

I have always been under the impression that the low ratio rear ends were weaker -- thus the need for overdrive transmissions in the first place. If you could reliably run 2.73 or 2.5 rear ratio's, we would see more 5 speed trannies with very low first gear and then 5 would be 1:1.

Guess it will work if you keep your foot out of it!!!

The other way to greatly improve your mileage is to drive slower -- the coefficient of drag on these trucks is horrible, so the economy just plummets as you drive faster.

Truckrat · Post by **Truckrat** » May 10, 2007, 10:50 pm

Skip,
My 56 effie runs a 460 and C6 and get 15-16 with a 2 series gear in it.
It's running on a 600 cfm holley 4 barrel carb, which is small, but hey, it works. I think with some tuning and a new straight up timing set in it, it may do even better. I am going to transplant it into my 65 for the Slick Stock trip next year. I don't have tri-power, but it has cruised at 80-90 with no problems in the 56. Mine probably won't keep up with yours if you put your foot in it with all 6 hooked up, but with the end carbs unhooked, it should do ok. Just no jack rabbit starts with that 2:70 seris open chunk in there, or those spider gears are history. I went through 3 of them in six months with a 61 Galaxy with a 406 and six on top. Torque monsters they are!!!
TR

Max · Post by **Max** » May 11, 2007, 7:58 am

What stinks about this whole thing is if gas prices weren't so damn high, this thread would be about longer lasting tires instead of gas mileage.

Johnny Canuck · Post by **Johnny Canuck** » May 11, 2007, 8:19 am

Wow. This is like finding out that Paris Hilton might not be a Virgin!

Best o' luck on your ventures Skip.

I think one of the only other options you have is a $1500 Gear Vendors overdrive. I bet you could build a nice small block for $1500 though

gearhead21 · Post by **gearhead21** » May 11, 2007, 10:06 am

Back in the mid to late 60's when gas was 25 to 30 cents per gallon, ( and I was making $1 to $2 per hour depending on the job) there were times I needed better milage on my 62 Galaxie with a 390 /401 and 4.11s. I did try a 3.50 gear but didn't like it. What I would do is disconnect the end carbs, and slide in some thin aluminum sheet under the end carbs. I couldn't stay out of the 6v either unless I did that. I still have the blockers if you want to borrow them, haha. Heck, I still have the engine, I've been thinking about putting it in my "new" 62 Galaxie.

Slick Fan · Post by **Slick Fan** » May 11, 2007, 1:51 pm

Johnny Canuck wrote:Wow. This is like finding out that Paris Hilton might not be a Virgin!

Skip, make sure you wax your truck too, so it'll slip through the air easier.

mwilk1 · Post by **mwilk1** » May 11, 2007, 7:33 pm

skip your gonna need a big pile of shims. If you need them just give me a call. By the way I have all the right tools for that job it that helps. Mike

blackagatha · Post by **blackagatha** » May 12, 2007, 2:50 am

yes. the drag.... In her current configuration, my truck hits a max speed of 100mph period, all she wrote. I know this post was not about going stupidly fast, but the wind resistance is most pronounced when she's going fast.

This dang wind resistance is one of the main reasons I want to chop/slant my cab. Obviously, I have my other reasons, but the air-dam is one of my biggest factors. The big drip rail along the windshield really "helps" the drag issue too, eh?

As my cousin described my truck, these girls have the aerodynamics of a birthday cake....