8-10 mpg

Thanks again for all of the input. Some people went beyond the scope of the question, and some people clearly didn't read my own comments about what I've done/not done, but that's all ok. It was a great discussion.

As I suspected, 10mpg is about right for putzing around town with what I have. I'm gonna do a long road trip and see what she gets on the highway, which I think will tell me more about whether my upgrades have made an improvement or not.

I definitely have a plan for the car going forward - installing dual exhaust and a 3.23 rear end taking the priority. If I get crazy enough I might seek out a 68 or later 440 with all of the "Super Commando" "Magnum" "TNT" specs and replace my existing engine outright, but we'll see. I'm not drag racing the thing . . .

Anyway, I appreciate all of the comments.
Now you’re talking about throwing money at it! Lol
A few sensible things that you could do that would help mileage with your 383:
Replace your water pump housing with a lighter aluminum unit and pump.
Replace the intake with an aluminum dual plane, square bore and 600 cfm Edelbrock.
Install headers and duals.
These upgrades will take some weight off of the car and add some performance at the same time.
While you’re in there you can remove the timing chain cover and see what is what in there. I know you said the PO told you it had been rebuilt but without proof, who knows?
Like I said before, right now you don’t have to run the high dollar gas. Put the cheap stuff in it it.
Swapping in a heavier engine with 57 more CID and a CR that demands 91 octane? Add some lower gearing?
You can forsake all hopes of better fuel mileage!
 
Thanks again for all of the input. Some people went beyond the scope of the question, and some people clearly didn't read my own comments about what I've done/not done, but that's all ok. It was a great discussion.

As I suspected, 10mpg is about right for putzing around town with what I have. I'm gonna do a long road trip and see what she gets on the highway, which I think will tell me more about whether my upgrades have made an improvement or not.

I definitely have a plan for the car going forward - installing dual exhaust and a 3.23 rear end taking the priority. If I get crazy enough I might seek out a 68 or later 440 with all of the "Super Commando" "Magnum" "TNT" specs and replace my existing engine outright, but we'll see. I'm not drag racing the thing . . .

Anyway, I appreciate all of the comments.

It’s good to see that you realize what to realistically expect. This has been an ongoing discussion forever and to be honest no one has ever really improved gas mileage over the years. It takes energy to move these heavy beasts around and considering these weren’t the most efficient engines built you get what you get. To get optimum fuel you need a perfectly tuned engine, run proper air pressure in your tires and make sure you have no rolling resistance like dragging brakes. Then you need to drive the car gently something most of us don’t do. You also need to hope you have decent driving conditions to help out which is difficult on todays congested roads. So without spending wads of money keep what you have in optimum shape and enjoy.
 
Gas Pigs will have: too much rolling resistance, wrong operating temperature [too cold], a poor tune up with not enough timing, wrong timing curve, cheap plug wires, crossover not blocked, stretched timing chain, direct drive fan instead of thermostatic drive, burning premium when it does not need it.

So tell me how to properly test & decrease rolling resistance, yes this is a quiz
If it takes 2 guys to push it down the staging lanes you have rolling resistance….lol

Well put on what to look for on a gas pig .

It just occurred to me that I get 6-7 mpg trolling around in the mountains in this 440 equipped Mopar .


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Canadian gallon is Imperial gallon.

1 Imperial gallon = 1.20 US gallons.

0.833 Imperial gallons to 1 US gallon.
Yes, however Canada has been metric since 1977, so Canadian gallons haven't technically existed for almost a half of a century. I've never in my life heard or have seen the two words written together. I had to say something!
 
Yes, however Canada has been metric since 1977, so Canadian gallons haven't technically existed for almost a half of a century. I've never in my life heard or have seen the two words written together. I had to say something!
I'm not even sure what mentioning Canadian gallons had to do with my question . . .
 
Crossover not blocked
This response below got long, but please read it before you block the intake heat on a stock engine. Then read it again another day.
Will this one thing make a difference?
yes it will make a big difference, and probably not go well.

Your choke that worked perfect will not come off on Time and is now rich, plugs will be dark or fouled depending on the car.
when you stab the throttle the car will hesitate, buck and snort, possibly backfiring out the carb. You won’t be able to pull out in traffic.

The factory and most aluminum street intakes have a heat crossover because the heat is needed to atomize the fuel. If you block it you are going to have more problems than advantages.

I want you folks to know about these disavdantages. I live 2 hours from Canada. It’s cold here in the morning and nights Most of the year. its 80-90 in the simmer for 3 months. If you live in a god forsaken place like phoenix or Vegas in may work great. Now maybe it can work on a stocking car in 40-50 degree temps. But usually when this is brought up it’s a short blurb and no description, nobody explains about How to make ot work. They do says block it and you gain so much. Not really. so explain how many fixes they had to do to the car to make it work and drive good and see a gain. I’ve talked to folks who have made it work. On a stock street car, Not a small task.

I tried this heat crossover block mod on a car is was drag racing. But the car was and all stock: 440 magnum on a gtx. AVS carb, stock cam, stock intake and exhaust. 727 stock converter, 3.55 rear, sticky tires so no tires spinning. The car would run 14.0 at 97 mph consistently.

Was a great car to drive. So I wanted more and blocked the heat and it was a pig with the problems described above.

Now if you drive the car for a half an hour or more or got it warm and parked it & let the heat soak into the intake it drove almost as good as before. Car is telling you it wants a heated intake. I took thone blockers out and never looked back.

I think this heat blocking mod works better on a built up engine or all out racecar. You will notice tall single pane manifolds dot even have a heat crossover passage. Seems the high compression, big duration cam, 3000-5000 stall converters, and race fuel system doesn’t need it.

guess what, a max wedge doesn’t have a heat crossover and they haul The mail. well its a race engine from the factory.

last idea To ponder. Many have been here. Have you ever has a small block mopar with the heat crossover plugged with carbon? Doesn’t run or drive well does it. It runs like crap Stalling out, bad throttle response. Choke too rich. So you work on the carb, tune it up, not much help, still runs like crap, customer not happy. Now you pull the intake and clean it out and it runs like a different car. And you didn’t do anything more to the carb or ignition, because it was never the problem.
 
Excellent write up! I've always kept mine open. Perhaps darth_linuxs' are blocked? And on the literal side again, I believe your statement should read, "Gas pigs will have:"-"crossover blocked"?
 
Excellent write up! I've always kept mine open. Perhaps darth_linuxs' are blocked? And on the literal side again, I believe your statement should read, "Gas pigs will have:"-"crossover blocked"?
Nope, my crossover isn't blocked. Mine's not a gas pig. I just drive up and down a lot of hills in city traffic where I live, so 10 mpg is what I get. I get at least 14 on the highway, probably more. Gonna find out this weekend when I take her out for a long drive on the highway.
 
The problem doesn't appear to be the weight. I think it's the motor, trans, carb and ignition. Considering that my tank 96 Roadmaster wagon with 3.23 gear out runs my 64 413 at full throttle and still gets 16 suburban to 26 at 70.
If we put a little 1995 318 Magnum with overdrive and 3.55 gear in the average C we would probably get 16 suburban. And maybe 22 at 55. But at 70 it's still not going to be over 20 with all the aero dynamics of a brick. And the smooth even power that is the big attraction to the C would be gone.
The 64 413 might do better if it had a little duck tail spoiler and some ugly front end changes along with injection, ignition computer, 3.55 gear, different heads, cam, converter and overdrive trans.
 
The problem doesn't appear to be the weight. I think it's the motor, trans, carb and ignition. Considering that my tank 96 Roadmaster wagon with 3.23 gear out runs my 64 413 at full throttle and still gets 16 suburban to 26 at 70.
If we put a little 1995 318 Magnum with overdrive and 3.55 gear in the average C we would probably get 16 suburban. And maybe 22 at 55. But at 70 it's still not going to be over 20 with all the aero dynamics of a brick. And the smooth even power that is the big attraction to the C would be gone.
The 64 413 might do better if it had a little duck tail spoiler and some ugly front end changes along with injection, ignition computer, 3.55 gear, different heads, cam, converter and overdrive trans.
A VERY discrete "chin spoiler" under the bumper of the C body might be good for another mile per gallon on the highway by reducing undercar turbulence . . . probably one from an early 90s Chevy full size truck could be adapted to fit . . .
 
In 1971 while stationed at Minot,I owned a 1966 polara 383 hardtop,barely 5 years old. got it with 40k on the car. travelling around base to base I saw 17-18 at 65mph, and 12 city driving,
I have one today as well, as the same 383 gets 12 city with crap gas, and maybe 15-16 highway. But in 1971 regular was 94 octane, and premium was 98-102 so the gas today just flat out sucks,

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Tuning carburetor cars with the proper instruments reveals very interesting data rather than the seat of ones pants and old wives tales that refuse to die... Lot's of stubborn mostly old men not interested in learning anything but would rather wax eloquently about nothing.

There is one device called a wide band air fuel meter that will give live data and log the data. Well if one pays attention to the data and temperatures you would lean quickly that a 195 degree thermostat is required and blocking the cross over is very beneficial to getting the engine to burn it's fuel efficiently. An unblocked x over hides a/f problems esp with the wrong thermostat 165/180 and also contributes to hot under-hood temps esp after a heat soak. Aluminum heads have no x over. Unless the car is being driven in freezing temps the x over is not required.


You-all have not listed any ways to reduce rolling resistance which is a real killer of mileage. My 78 New Yorker towing a mopar car on a trailer got 12 mpg. 18mpg no trailer with a mild 400 thermoquad engine/3.21 9-1/4 rear. Yes the x over was blocked.

What is the correct mopar radiator cap that works?

Unless the car is going 100mph+ aerodynamics are last on the list
 
A new Toyota Camry weighs only around 300-500 pounds less than a 66 Polara. They get 22 city 33 highway. You can believe that they’ve used every state of the art technology available today to achieve that.
Just saying.
 
You guys cannot compare a newer car with EFI, VVT(variable valve timing), roller camshaft, curved tube intake manifold, etc to a 383-2bbl. Worlds apart in technology and aerodynamics.

yes “seat of the pants” performance gains are usually disproved at the drags with a time slip.
 
Well tuned cars require little if any choke...and a easy fix for the automatic choke without the normal amount of heat was created. No rocket science but i am done sharing as you all would rather argue than get the pig to get better than 10mpg
 
Well tuned cars require little if any choke...and an easy fix for the automatic choke without the normal amount of heat was created. No rocket science but i am done sharing as you all would rather argue than get the pig to get better than 10mpg
Weird, I see Mopar Nick using his hand as a choke to warm up his VERY well tuned engines in almost every dyno run video he produces.
 
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