8-10 mpg

How many millions of V8 cars were USA built form the 50’s to mid 80’s with heat crossovers in the intake and chokes On the carburetors. I guess they wanted to keep down the warranty claims in the winter with the no start tow in’s. LOL

So then all the cars that came with a holley from the factory. You try to cold start on of them with no choke and the backfires will knock out the power valve and then talk about a gas hog 5 mpg. More warranty work.
 
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The best gas mileage I ever got with my 1972 Newport with 400, 2V and single exhaust, converted to electronic ignition was 14 mpg on the highway at 55mph.

My 1965 Fury with 383 (which had higher compression ratio) 2V, and single exhaust was 16mpg at 55mph. It is a lighter body than the Newport.

These were not figure I got every trip. I kept a log of gas mileage and these are the best figures I attained.

People who convert to fuel injection only gain about 2mgp but cold engine performance is much better.

Takes a lot of gas to accelerate that much mass. Plus the old disk brakes were somewhat of a drag on the wheels.
 
If you are truly driving, stop light to stoplight city driving, the mileage figures you were quoting are really not that out of line. That said, even a solid 10/11 mpg makes a big difference over 8 mpg(!)

Another tip and one that is often overlooked: choke operation. It is important. Make sure the choke is used only as much as necessary and the vehicle obtains operating temperature as quickly as possible. If your Chrysler is a Fairweather driver in warm weather don’t worry about warming it up, fire it up, 30 seconds and start driving. I can’t remember if a choke pull off was std. on your 2bbl. 383(?) If it doesn’t have one get a carburetor that does or put a manual choke cable on it. It is imperative the choke and the pull off are adjusted and tuned dead nuts perfect. Over rich conditions during the warm up period is one of the most common issues on any 60s-ish automatic choke American car.

Steve weim55 Colorado
 
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My heat riser fun experience was with my $100 high mileage 1968 Fury III I bought to replace my cracked stub frame 1968 PK21 (2nd one). I really DGAF about this car much as it was a 4dr DD but I was having ongoing problems with the choke not coming off on the 318 so in my lazy cheepazznish I just took the hold on clip for the rod up at the carburetor and would connect it when it was cold and kick it off when the engine warmed up. This came in as a bonus when the car was 1st time stolen in the big city as the next morning I got a call at work from a police department in a town well north of me wondering why my car was sitting in the middle of the road in this residential neighborhood. Seems the kids that stole it took it home and the next cold November morning couldn't get the car very far with the cold engine and no choke. It was in the mid 70's so even though I reported the car stolen to the City PD, welp I guess it takes awhile to get it on the stolen sheet (teletype) as no computers back then and I didn't bother to go to the police station and fill out a police report. No problems, went up there to get it out of the tow lot, lot owner felt for me and the charge was only like $25, worse the kids did was dent pull the ignition, toss everything in the glove box (old unpaid speeding tickets) and pry out all the change in my lockable toll change holder, my cassette player hiding spot under the drivers seat paid off as that was still there!

Somewhere along the line I got the gumption up to solve the choke problem, put a new heat riser in the exhaust manifold, still no luck, so pull the intake manifold to find this very high mileage car had leaked oil into the manifold heat crossover totally clogging it up. Chip Chip Chip, heating with a torch to burn out the belly and running a coat hanger to make sure the passage is clear (shudda just got another manifold). Button it all back up, actually I think I did this when I had the engine out to do freeze plugs when the driver side rear head plug blew out. Whola! Ah the joys of a proper operating choke, fast idle and kickoff, plus engine drivability in cold weather.


:soapbox:
 
darth_linux said:
Despite upgrading to electronic ignition (HiRev 7500 box and distro kit), rebuilt carb (tuned at idle to 19 in/mg), timing advanced slightly to 15 BTDC @ 500rpm, kick down linkage adjusted to factory spec, etc., I’m not getting better than 8-10 mpg in town even with driving very conservatively.

I’m thinking that’s probably in the ballpark for what it’s gonna get, but I’d love to get up to 12-14 …. 66 383-2V with single exhaust.

Aside from throwing more money at the car in the form of dual exhaust, newer carb, does the collective wisdom have any advice?

I’m buying 91 octane non-ethanol at $4.86 a gallon, and wow, it adds up fast.

Thank you!
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put in taller gears& a lock up transmission or a 4 speed over drive unit
 
weim55 said:
If you are truly driving, stop light to stoplight city driving, the mileage figures you were quoting are really not that out of line. That said, even a solid 10/11 mpg makes a big difference over 8 mpg(!)

Another tip and one that is often overlooked: choke operation. It is important. Make sure the choke is used only as much as necessary and the vehicle obtains operating temperature as quickly as possible. If your Chrysler is a Fairweather driver in warm weather don’t worry about warming it up, fire it up, 30 seconds and start driving. I can’t remember if a choke pull off was std. on your 2bbl. 383(?) If it doesn’t have one get a carburetor that does or put a manual choke cable on it. It is imperative the choke and the pull off are adjusted and tuned dead nuts perfect. Over rich conditions during the warm up period is one of the most common issues on any 60s-ish automatic choke American car.

Steve weim55 Colorado
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what rear end gear r u running ?
 
Way back when I worked at a dealership we had a sun scope that had a hose that you ran back to the tailpipe it had a can that you sit on the floor with a probe that you stuck in the tail pipe. With the car warmed up and running you could test amount of Hc at idle and higher RPMs to see if the car was running too rich if I rember correct a car at 14.4 was standard for a mopar. some vehicles needed repairs to get it into specs carb and timming were usual culprits of poor fuel milage
 
413 said:
How many millions of V8 cars were USA built form the 50’s to mid 80’s with heat crossovers in the intake and chokes On the carburetors. I guess they wanted to keep down the warranty claims in the winter with the no start tow in’s. LOL

So then all the cars that came with a holley from the factory. You try to cold start on of them with no choke and the backfires will knock out the power valve and then talk about a gas hog 5 mpg. More warranty work.
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well with no choke the motor will not warm up righ or run right running a car with ou one is only good on the race track not on the street i have seen lots of cars on you tub where the guy has to flood the crap out of them to start or pump the crap out of the carb both r wrong fixx the choke & keep it runing right the motor will last longer'
 
Come on all you tuning experts from 1970, it's 2023 now. We have much better information and technology to make the cars run properly yet all you want to do is disagree with me and tell me what it was like in 1970. Show me results and you tools of technology you are using to tune these barges that run like pigs. Please provide more than old man opinion & btw bring your pigs to Carlisle so i can see crappy they run. Play nice with me and i could help you with pig barges/
 
USSMOPAR said:
Come on all you tuning experts from 1970, it's 2023 now. We have much better information and technology to make the cars run properly yet all you want to do is disagree with me and tell me what it was like in 1970. Show me results and you tools of technology you are using to tune these barges that run like pigs. Please provide more than old man opinion & btw bring your pigs to Carlisle so i can see crappy they run. Play nice with me and i could help you with pig barges/
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How about you start sharing your “much better information”with us on how to make one run without a choke and heat crossover. You want to argue and sling mud instead if share any useful information. Your turn.

and didn’t you claim you were done here?
 
USSMOPAR said:
Come on all you tuning experts from 1970, it's 2023 now. We have much better information and technology to make the cars run properly yet all you want to do is disagree with me and tell me what it was like in 1970. Show me results and you tools of technology you are using to tune these barges that run like pigs. Please provide more than old man opinion & btw bring your pigs to Carlisle so i can see crappy they run. Play nice with me and i could help you with pig barges/
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I can say with total confidence that my car runs like a dream and is not a PIG!!! My choke and my crossover are functional and will stay that way. If properly set there should be no need to do away with these items. They were engineered into the engine for a reason. Keep in mind these engines are not designed to be as efficient as todays therefore will never compete with todays engines. Spend tons of money might help but is it worth it.
It might be advisable to listen to some of us old men to try and understand what is being said.
 
USSMOPAR said:
tell me what it was like in 1970.
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in 1970, people couldn't fix cars. any of them that are still alive still can't fix cars. they're just not capable of learning. something happened to human genetics in '71 though. anyone born after 1/1/71 was gifted with this innate ability to make cars work perfectly. you must be one them. it's pointless of you to try and teach us anything because we were born in the olden time and are excluded by our genetics from the repair ability. myself, i was born in '64 so i know how it is. couldn't keep my Chrysler running so i had to scrap it and buy a Volvo. something that i can just put gas in and drive and have Wal-mart change the oil.
 
10 around town in a big block C isn’t completely out of the realm for a car you drive occasionally. To really dial a car in, you should daily it and tinker it to precision. It’s hard to make a car that you only drive on sunny afternoons run right during anything but a sunny afternoon.
For a stock vehicle, make sure the carb is clean and right, dial in the choke operation during cold weather, and make sure the ignition system is solid with functioning mech and vac advance with static timing at 10-13 degrees btdc. It’s pretty easy to make a car with basically all stock parts run good, it just requires a bit of tinkering
Travis..

I was born in ‘72, so I feel I fit the criteria stated above
 
UPDATE: spent the last few weeks driving very conservatively. Also adjusted the kickdown setting to be two turns more than stock for a little bit of preload as suggested by @CBODY67 and I netted 148 miles with 11.6 gallons, or 12.75 mpg. As soon as summer break kicks in, I'll take the SS Anderson out for an 80 mile highway trip and see what she gets in that setting.
 
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