i have a 1961 ranchero with a 200 inline 6...i.m trying to dial it in for the best fuel mileage...anyone have any helpful tips?
Install a vacuum gauge and never let it fall below 8-10in when you are accelerating... To get the absolute best mileage, you need a wideband A/F ratio gauge (or dyno tune) and carb should be tuned for a 14.5-14.9 to 1 ratio at cruse speed... This means changing metering rod or jet(which ever your carb has) and/or possibly tweaking float level... Also timing plays into the equation, in the old days we set it for a slight ping on acceleration, but someone who knows how to set a distributor curve can likely tune it till it doesn't ping...
Usually the mechanical curve in a Ford dist from that era is set very conservatively .... there is a heavy spring and a thinner one. Swapping that heavy spring to another copy of that lighter spring really wakes these things up. (The only cheaper performance mod is flipping the air cleaner lid .... ) Just want to caution that it is possible to go to far ... some speed shops sell aftermarket springs that are super-light. Those are for racing applications only. After you get the new springs in there, then play with the advance timing. Another setting that the factory set convservatively, you can usually add a few more degrees before hitting ping. If you do, back off 2 degrees and you ought to be in good shape ... more power and better mileage.
...:Handshake we are talking about a...200 6cyl... ain't we? if so' it is what it is... other than a basic tune up, that's it. remove the bed, less weight...
What year is the 200 since the Falcon/Ranchero/Comet didn't see the 200 until 1964. Somewhere in '64 they went from solid lifters to hydraulic lifters. These distributors had a 1/4" drive for the oil pump. Later 200's used a 5/16" drive. The 60-67 200's use a Load-A-Matic distributor with the Spark Control Valve to provide a vacuum signal to the advance. Somewhere in '66 the blocks were cast with extra transmission mounting bolt holes to accept the V8 style transmission.
