Mileage Quest 2011!

[cdeal28078]

Wouldn't a 10 power valve bring in the power valve sooner and lower my MPG?
Hey BobbyFord, How is that hot rod of yours coming along? That is about the prettiest 460 install I have seen. I bet it will make the hair stand up on your neck when you mash the go fast peddle.
clint

[woods]

So what happened with regard to the MPG's on the original poster's truck? About the ONLY thing you can do to improve mileage on these things is to lower the average running RPM via gear change or tire diameter. What was the outcome in the quest for better MPG's?
I know what to do to get worse MPG's if anyone's interested

Back on page 7 I made my last mileage run and it came out to 13.2 mpg. I've been very busy so I haven't made a run since I advanced the timing 2 more degrees and switched over to full manifold vacuum advance. I promise I'll try and get a run in over the next few days and we'll see where she is. I'm far from finished, but all in all I think 13 ain't too bad for a 4x4 crew with 4.10's. It's better than my buddies 04 V10 F250 crew 4x4!

Yeah, you're probably getting pretty close to what you're going to get. I can rub 15 in mine if I'm trying, but you're a bit heavier and have a smaller mill, so, you might squeeze a little more out of it.

[woods]

Wouldn't a 10 power valve bring in the power valve sooner and lower my MPG?
Hey BobbyFord, How is that hot rod of yours coming along? That is about the prettiest 460 install I have seen. I bet it will make the hair stand up on your neck when you mash the go fast peddle.
clint

A little, but I thought you were talking about fattening it up some. You probably don't spend a lot of time under 10 inches though.

[cdeal28078]

No, I feel I need to lean mine out some. Smells rich and the pipes are always black.
If I remember right it idles around 16 inches and no it won't go below ten very often unless it's on a long hill or I get into it
clint

[BobbyFord]

...Hey BobbyFord, How is that hot rod of yours coming along? That is about the prettiest 460 install I have seen. I bet it will make the hair stand up on your neck when you mash the go fast peddle.
clint

I've been trying to get these tubs welded in but the weather isn't cooperating. It's relatively sunny during the week and then rains on the weekend
After lowering it, I found out the driveshaft was too long, so I had to get a new one made. I'm just plugging along, making a little progress here and there. I keep adding stuff to the to-do list, the end of the line keeps getting farther away

[cdeal28078]

How l;ow did you go? It must have been a little too long as it was anyway.
Woods, I finally drove my 71 without the trailer on it and got on the gas a good bit. It has been a little while with the high gas since I have done that so maybe I am just not used to it but it sure seemed to take off on me. I was at a rolling start of about 20 MPH still in 1st when I put it to about 3/4 throttle. It broke traction since I took out the Lock Rite last month but after that it really too off. Even scared my dog and she rides with me a lot.
I still didn't hear the swoosh of the secondaries so I need to put a paper clip on there ans see what they are doing. It didn't give me any lean popping or any spark knock. Did feel stronger though
clint

[hazelnut]

EDITED.

[woods]

Here's the thing about acetone...
I would say that more people claim to have an increase in mpg than the ones who say it does not work.
However...I do know that in a very controlled environment (such as a lab) no one has been able to reproduce this increase in mpg. Now...either every, single lab in the world is working for big oil and it's one MASSIVE conspiracy...or, maybe it just does not work like many people think it does. Those are really the only two options in the case. I suppose it's up to the individual to decide which is more logical.
It does dry out rubber parts, we know that as a fact. I've never tried it personally, so can make no claim in either direction from my own experience.

[fomocoguy]

Well, the electric fan had to go. The last week has been in the mid nineties here and it was a good test for it, which it failed. Last Saturday I hauled my 6x6 down to St. Joe State Park for a ride with some other amphib riding fellas, which is about an hour away. She did ok on the way down, but the way back it was 97 degrees and at highway speed it was not cooling well. She was running about 220 up the big hills. I would push the clutch in and coast down the other side and it would drop some, but 215-220 was where she was most of the way home. With my 180 stat it made me nervous about blown head gaskets or worse. Yesterday I drilled some holes in my shroud but it didn't help. The 16" fan just doesn't let enough air through it at highway speeds. Today I reinstalled my factory fan and shroud and even though it's 95 again she's running at a cool 192 degrees on the highway.

No matter. I need to get focused on my 300 build again anyhow. Next short day I have I am dropping the head off at the machine shop...

[woods]

I have ran into that a few times. I actually removed an electric fan along side the road once. I knew there would be not stop and go driving until I got to where i was going. It cooled right off as soon as I let some air in. They don't all do that...but seen it a few times.

[cdeal28078]

At highway speeds I don't see the fan making a difference UNLESS it is backwards and yours obviously is not. Going down the road I would venture to say you would not even need a fan. It might help some but at long as your speed is above a certain mph which I wouldn't even venture a guess I would think the air movement itself would be enough to cool the engine. You might need a bigger radiator OR since it at speed your bottom hose might be sucking closed a little OR...etc
Mine is still cooling the 460 without a shroud and it has been in the mid to high 90's here for about a month. I don't do a lot of driving though
clint

[woods]

Most of the time you don't need a fan when moving (at least not without a large load on) his fan was probably blocking air flow.

[fomocoguy]

I think my problem was the shroud I made. The fan just being on the radiator wasn't cutting it, so I made a shroud out of sheetmetal. I cut a 16" hole in the middle and mounted my fan to it, so all the air was trying to get through that 16" hole at highway speeds and it just couldn't do it. Then it would get to the temp that the fan would normally turn on and jump higher quickly. I think the fan coming on at highway speed was actually slowing the airflow and making things worse. It was fine at stop and go.

Clint, it probably doesn't help that my truck weighs about 1700 lbs more than yours and has 2/3 the horsepower and torque at best.

[fastEdsel]

I installed a flex fan onto my 390 and it seems to make a difference. It sure got rid of a lot of noise and pulls a lot of air when idling.

Has anyone here ever exchanged the ignition on a 1986 460 in a E350 motor home for a Pretonix?

[rltvader]

I am considering taking my 4 barrel carb off to give a little better. It gets 10 MPG and my gas gauge doesnt work. I am sure once I get working on the engine it will get better mileage.