I get about the same mileage at the same speed with the 331, three duece carb setup, C-4 and 3.50 rear. When's the last time you tuned it up ?
I am one of those strange people that think you can have your cake and eat it too. My F100 with a 460/c6, 3.25 gears can get 15-16 driving easy. Why shouldn't a mild 302 in a car 1500lbs lighter get better than that? Tuning is the trick. Tune your advance curve in your distributor. Tune your initial timing and vacuum advance timing. Tune your carb as close as you can get it. Keep the engine running the right temperature. Keep the tires balanced and the pressure right and if you do all of these things your engine will run great. It will have great throttle response and your fuel economy will go up. If I EVER get my 72 Maverick running with a mild 302/c4 and whatever gears I decide on and it doesn't get at least 18 mpg around town when I keep my foot out of it I will tune on it and tune on it until it does. I know a highly modified engine is not going to get much mileage but I honestly think a mild built engine in such a light car should be able to get 18-20 mpg driven easy. clint
i change my gas milage to 13 LOL put in 4 gallons for 10 bucks drove 50 miles = 13 miles to the gallon
I get a bout 13 on my Mustang which isn't stock. I think my f100 with a 302 3 speed manual did better. OP may have some tuning issues, would think his would be a little better. On a side note, my Maverick's gas mileage went in the crapper when I swapped the 3:00 for 3:89's and I have a c-4. I don't regret it one bit
hey mo lets get that holley i gave you rebuilt and get it on there. ive got a few other tricks that we can try to see if we can get some milage for you. warning, when we change gears its probly going to get worse not beter. only one way to truely find out is just do it.
let's do it. I really been wanting to come back in to get the rest of the things done on it. Hopefully we are still on for Tue, I'll give you a ring on Monday sometime.
Your E-Brake isn't on, is it? used to get 24 mpg with a stock 78 302(from an LTD) with the 6 bangers 3 speed and the 2.70 8"
Toss a distributor on the engine and it runs alright. Toss a new 4v carb on the engine and it runs alright. Until you take the time to tune all of the separate components to work together alls it will do is run alright. Tune them to work together and it will run great and still get decent economy. UNLESS it is more than a mild build. clint
A stock 302/c4 Maverick should get 18-22.My b303 cammed/Weiand/holley 600 roller 302 w/c4/3.00 gears gets 17...and it could use some fine tuning(carb jetting in particular).Mt stock '73 Grabber;302/c4/2.79 gears got 18 around town and 25 on the highway(w/a 16 year old driving). They may be old cars,but they're still pretty lightweight,and 289/302s can be very economical engines in a light package.
My 302 with Crane 272 cam, headers, offy intake and Ford Holley 4 bbl off of a 351 pickup gets around 15. C4 tranny with 3.00 gears, 26" tall tires [225/70/15]. That's romping on it a bit, and cruising at about 60-65 mph, some slow speed in town cruising. You would think a stock motor would get better than my modified one. I'm with Clint, you need to do a bit of tuning. Sounds like it's running rich, and maybe the timing is retarded a bit, too. Could also be the crappy Cali formula gasoline affecting it, too.
although i agree the cali formula is crap (a ton of cleaners that act like combustion inhibitors AND extra air and nitrogen stirred in so you pay for more of less!) i would have to say the gas i get is shipped over the hill from them so i would be getting worse mileage also....
I know people all mention tuning. I had this thing tuned pretty well. Spent a lotta time and money on the dyno getting it tuned. But maybe they didn't do a good enough job. I gotta go back and mess with the carb some more. Bryant gave me a holley to rebuild, after I finish tinkering with the edelbrock I have now I'm gonna put the holley on.
usualy a dyno tune only tunes for fullthrottle power. it usually helps with the regular driving tune but doesnt nessarely mean that its tuned right for economy while driving. one of the best ways to get it tuned for milage is to get a wide band o2 and moniter it while your crusing. a vacume gage can be really usefull also. i suspect that your distrubtor that they did all kinds of welding to may not be advancing correctly now.
