mpg chevy straight 6 ? help

Hi all just wondering anyone give what you guys are getting in stock or near stock straight 6's I got a 1954 bel air i just bought dk what my mpg might be anyone have there mpg stats thanks, Dan

 

I think you will find the usual mileage per gallon for any early cars is between 15-18 in stock form.

 

Not sure exactly, but it really won't be much better than a small v8, but there's just something kinda cool about a straight 6, especially since I don't think anyone's even making them (in the US) anymore.

 

this thing is staying with the stock straight 6 i find it just cool to keep the original motor in this beast its not about the speed or all the new products i love this old wiring old school motor a whopping 70 is good enough but then again i haven't really opened her up o and got to say i'm lovin the 3 on the tree. I am really hopin to run her down to tennessee for the redneck rumble deluxe III call me crazy but i'm looking forward to the drive down from New York

 

Back in the day ! LOL Had a 54 Chev 3 speed early 60s and it would do 15-20 MPG. A lot depended on how heavy your foot is. Flat land at a steady 60-65 I would expect close to 20. If you can come up with a good Carter YF for it they were always good for about 2MPG over the Rochchester.

 

well thank you i should prolly look for a nice carter then thanks

 

the thing about a 235 is it has nothing in common with the small block chevy which thrives on rpms. just the oposite with a 235 which is big on torque.a higher gear rear end helps a lot but with the torque tube you only have 1 option thats a power glide rear end for a higher gear.have fun.

 

As near as you can get to a perfect state of tune helps too. Points in good shape and set right, timing set correctly and valves adjusted correctly all help.
I had a 235 in the 59 Elkie I had 38 years ago and It wouldn't ever get decent mileage but i think it was asking a lot of that 6 to lug that truck around. It would cruise along all day without a wimper if you didn't push it though.

 

if you are concerned about saving gas, throw in a t-5 transmission and gain 2 extra gears. you'll gain mpg for sure.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2787988

I have one for sell but you being in New York and me being in CA. you might as well find one locally.

 

Thanks everyone I love hearing these old stories ideas and everything. I am not to worried about the fuel mileage to want to change the ****** i'm keeping stock drivetrain in it....atleast for awhile. And ya my tuning should be pretty good i got a new distributor, coil, plugs and wires, cap, points, the whole nine yards and got it purring great. Also rebuilt the carb but the throttle rod in the bottom of the aarb leaks aa little fuel

 

If you can find a rear end from a '50-'54 PG car, it will lower your highway rpms a bit and get you a little more mpg.

 

15-20 seems to be spot on for most folks; I've got a 4-bbl 292 (later series 6) in my '63, and I'll see right about 20MPG on the open highway if I keep my foot out of it.

Have you checked out www.inliners.org? Lotsa good stuff there!

 

FWIW, 4.2L inline 6 in GM midsize SUV's (Trailblazer, Envoy, etc.)

Funny thing is, the 5.3L V8 gets better mpg

 

Somewhat surprising, but you can actually increase the fuel milage by going to a two-carb intake and switching to the aforementioned YFs. That, the T5 and open drive swap and some mid-3 range gears and I've read of guys claiming 28 MPG out of a car they can cruise at 80 MPH all day with. Which tells me 25 is an attainable goal.

 

I've got a '61 235 cyl in my '37 Chevy coupe with a 3.73:1 rear axle gear ratio. I was getting about 17-19 mpg before I got a torque tube with an overdrive unit welded in. With the OD, I got 23 mpg overall on a 3600 mile trip from Upstate NY to Rapid City, SD two years ago and the majority of that trip was at 70-75 mph on I-90.

 

wow nice. well i must say looks like mileage won't be to bad on my trip down just hope i can s****e up money in time for the show i'm in college and graduate in two weeks shows in 3 weeks haha

 

I'm driving a 51 chevy with a '59 235, getting about 20 mpg on the highway with a 3.55:1 rear end. Stick with the straight six, it'll keep your life simple... and fun

 

I agree, 15-20 and you can get more with overdrive. Or less with agressive driving.

 

1963 Nova.
Later 230 Inline 6
Rochester 1 bbl
Powerglide
about 16 MPG

 

54 chevy belair, 235 and a 700r4.....mid 20's on the freeway

 

Not sure about my truck since it isn't roadworthy. The camaro has a 250 in it. 12mpg in the city, 28 hwy mpg.

 

I was getting about 20-22 MPG (on the highway), out of my 59 Belair when it was my daily driver (up til last year). It had a stock 235, 3 speed and a 3:36 rear end.

 

that's funny....we have a camaro with a 250 it that gets 20 all the time. So on average it's the same.

 

65 elcamino 292 turbo 18 mpg @ 70 mph. 13.8 in quarter.

 

I have a '53 chevy belair 4 dr with a fresh rebuilt '59 235. Single carb, stock intake, brand new fuel tank. Steel split headers, 9" gl***packs. Converted 12 volt, electronic ignition, 3 speed and 3.55 rear. 14" steelies with biasply WWW.
I just added up my average MPG over the last 10 fill ups over several months...
6.88 MPG!! What the hell??

Its tuned to a "T" and drives excellent. Starts up every morning with a purr, no eye-burning rich fumes.

And no, I dont think its cause Im lugging around 2 extra doors!

Only thing I can think is that my speedometer/odometer are reading inaccurately.

No brake drag or large ship sails attached to the trunk. I even checked to see if the frame rails were filled with concrete! haha!

What a puzzler!!

 

Same experience I have had with them.

 

So, I just did a test. Wrote down my odometer. Drove a large block and returned to the house. Odometer read exactly 4 miles. Went on google maps and plotted my trip out... exactly 4 miles.
Bummer.
Looks like Im getting close to 7 miles per gallon with an inline.

 

Look under the car for the leak where all the fuel is going...

My son gets around 15 mpg with his 59 truck with the 235, granny 4 speed, and 3.90 gears. He has points, a leaky carb, etc.

 

I was getting 11 mpg on the highway in my 235 with an sm465 and 4.90 gears with the motor buzzing at 4500 in my 5200lb bread truck.. and that motor was TIRED! it blew up after about 800 miles lol

 

Doh! Get that T5 in there homie!