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well to go with your theme, get rid of the msd box.

go with a points distrubter with a petronix setup instead.

not as much control, but less to fail.

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well to go with your theme, get rid of the msd box.

go with a points distrubter with a petronix setup instead.

not as much control, but less to fail.

however, I must disagree with your assessment on efi setups.

today there is a much wider range of efi setups than ever before.
there is a post from the fast efi guy detailing all possible failure modes and what is likely or not likely to die.

I have converted mine to efi and been running it for 3 years now, others probably longer on more primitive systems.

the only thing that had died on me is the fuel pump, and that was due to poor mounting location.
since mine is one you have to tune, yes I find myself tweaking things still, but with the 3 or 4 self tuning systems out there, you don't even have to play that game anymore.

now it isn't 10 or 15 years old yet like the mustang you are talking about. But lets get real.
15 year old cars don't run like a dream. somethings need to be replaced periodically.

don't know what actual issue you saw, but take a step back and remember what you had to do to your old car to keep it on the road.
what spare parts did you have in it so you could get it running and drive away?

diagnosing a non running condition is the same today as it was 40 years ago.
spark, air and fuel are still needed.
how they get there is a little different, but people forget it is still the same things to look for.

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My 87 Diplomat was running a 318 with a 600 cfm Edelbrock carb, MP ignition, A833 and 2.94 SG rear. Got 25 mpg highway regularly, on regular.

No skinny tires though, which might have bumped the mileage a bit. Dead reliable, cheap and easy to fix.

A benchmark, FWIW.

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Our Main Man "dmerc" has been there and done it.

25 plus mpg out of a small block stroker in a Duster. Lots of details and excellent reading in this thread:

Dmerc's project, link 1

Dmerc's project, link 2.



*edit* Dare ya to bump a three-year old thread!!!!!!!!!!

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well to go with your theme, get rid of the msd box.

go with a points distrubter with a petronix setup instead.

not as much control, but less to fail.

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I say keep the MSD but keep a stock box and wiring also there as a backup. When I used my Cuda as a daily driver I had the MSD and if somthing happened all I had to do was switch the wiring on the distributor from teh msd to the stock box and plug the stock box plug into the stock box and drive away. I know some people that keep spare ballast resistors and stock boxes as well in the glove box.

No matter what you make sure you have an upgraded voltage regulator in there.

As far as stock FI it's already been said spark, fuel and air is all thats needed and one of them will never change and thats air unless you want to use forced induction.

Of your combos the 318 will probably yield the best mpg but for a little less (not much at all) the 5.9 combo will give you a little more fun.

If you went stock Magnum with the PCM and all the FI setup I have been reading on the SCT tuners which work real good according to some members here to diagnose the issues and retune for best possible performance and economy.

just my 2cents

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https://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/show...e=5#Post3944014

Heres an older thread... probably should be in the tech archives by now

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318 Maggie. When I bought my 92 D150 new it got 26MPG imperial (20 US). all stock 318 magnum, 518, 3.55 gears, no aerodynamics. So I think the smaller cubes in the light and slippery Challenger is the way to go, that and a Thermoquad carb, I'd keep the MSD but maybe keep a spare, known Mopar ECU from pick a part beside it.
BTW, I've thought about a 273 Magnum as well, it could be a cool way to go, especially if you lighten the Challenger a bit.

Sheldon

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318 magnum will work, though I would want the block milled or new pistons for quench. Not sure how far 318 mag pistons sit in the hole but I'm betting it's past quench depth. 9:1 compression, reuse the stock cam/valvetrain, magnum manifolds or headers, LA spreadbore intake redrilled for magnum heads. I would get something in aluminum but similar to a stock intake, like a performer intake. A wideband o2 sensor would be a definite asset for tuning.

Do you have the 5-speed yet? Sounds to me like that 5-sp stick would set you back some decent coin. If the budget dictates, I guess you could go with a 904 with a 2.76 gear, or build it like a diplomat with a 2.21 gear or a A500 trans with something like a 3.55 gear.

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If gas mileage is the goal, an E-body isn't the best choice from an aerodynamic perspective. If you want to stay with an older car, a Duster or an early (1964-66) Barracuda are better choices. Both cars have a fastback style roof and both would have a smaller frontal area than an E-body. Of course if one of the Plymouth Arrows from the 70s' could be found that would probaby be an even better choice. (V8's can be swapped into the Arrows) I'd guess one of these smaller cars may be worth 1-3 mpg.

I'm not a Turbo guy, but have read it's possible to use a Turbo to increase mileage and power. The turbo is susposed to reduce pumping losses, thus increasing fuel mileage. A turbo charged 273 might be a good combination for power and economy. I don't know if a turbo can be sized and set up for economy without EFI.

The thread on the 29 mpg Barracuda shows what can be done using a lean mixture. I've read that turbo charged engines do NOT like lean mixtures. So I don't know what would have happened if a turbo would have been added to Dave's high mileage Barracuda that had a carb on it. Could a carb supply a lean enough mixture for mpg at cruise speed and transtion to a rich mixture quickly enough when the throttle is opened?

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My son has a SB Dominator on his 318, I'm not impressed with it at all. I would run a stock intake before one of those.
A turbo is a cool idea for mileage but the idea would be to run small cubes (273 again) with the turbo to maximize mileage. Maybe a 273, with 80 318 heads and a turbo off a Cummins. Run a propane system from Pick a Part with a Holley 1850 baseplate.
BTW my kid and I picked up a complete NV 3500 5 speed out of a Dakota along with the hyd clutch, flywheel etc. from pick a part for under $200. No the ratios aren't optimal but it is a cheap way to get into a 5 spoeed that actually bolts up to a small block, his is going behind a 360 into the 240Z project.

Sheldon

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