might be building an early fifties buick for the wife.And, well shes whining about gas mileage. What would be a good engine candidate for this? I was thinking an inline or big v6. Still need some power but also good gas mileage. atleast 20 mpg
Seriously, I think a big four or even a V8 will potentially get better mileage than an inline six because the six's long intake runners tend to let fuel fall out of vapor and condense back to liquid and then not burn efficiently. The shorter the intake between the vaporizer/carb or injector the more efficient it's going to be. theoretically. I've had three VW's with those long tube intakes and a puny carb and never got 20 mpg in any of them (the closest to 20 was the one with the Porsche 914 engine!)
Early 80s Buick diesel. Run it on waste vegetable oil free from a local restaurant. Think I'm kidding? Google "veggie diesel".
Ditto. This post is absurd. An early 50's Buick is a yacht, you're gonna need a torquey motor to pull that much weight, and that means cubes. Driving an early 50's Buford and complining about the itty gas milage is like a chronic masturbator *****ing about *** on his hands. Part out a Police package caprice for the LT1 and 4L60E and maybe you'll come close to your goal, but that swap falls outside the lines of this board.
ditto is right cheiftan masturbator. Im glad i asked a simple question and learned so much about your personal habits. AWESOME. How is the self shocker anyways? Anyway just wondering about gas mileage, not playing bagtag with my 9 yr old cousin.
Maybe a 305. I have seen some full sized vans and pickups pull 20 with the stock carburated version and it probably has as much horsepower and torque as the original engine did.
I used a GM 250 in my ride. Hitched to a 200R4 ******. Rochester monojet and HEI dizzy. I got 32 highway, 26 town. That was then. Now I've got a Holley 2 bbl, Clifford intake, headers and flowmasters and can't get it out of the driveway. I think I'll dump the performance stuff and go back stock. A 250 or 292 would push your Buick nicely and a AOD ****** will make the mileage difference. I wouldn't expect 30+ mpg since your Buick is a fairly heavy car but 20+ should be a breeze with the right transmission.
If you want to be able to move that much weight and get good fuel mileage try a diesel conversion. I had a chopper with a single cylinder industrial diesel engine. It was only rated at 10hp and moved my bike up to 70mph, no problem! This is the good part, it got 120mpg on biodiesel!! Which means, I could run on my Sportster peanut tank for like 3 weeks. Besides, who else do you that would have a diesel rod! GM truck diesel's are ****, so there's the Ford Powerstroke or ***mins power!! With a ***mins and a vehicle like that, you could get 50mpg easy.
Relax dude. Getting the kind of milage and performance that your looking for is tottaly possible, but you're gonna need to step up to some technology. Fuel injection would be my first vote, and 2 bbl would be my second. You're gonna need some cubes to move that thing, maybe a 283 or a 305 with TPI and a 700R4 from a Camaro. Even still, you'l be right on the cusp of your target. Getting 20+ on the highway should be easy. Hell, my 272 Y block/ 3 speed/3.50 geared '57 Ford get damn near 25 mpg on the highway...and like 10 around town. Averaging 20 mpg is gonna be your challenge. A Plymouth Flat 6 or Chevy 235 will easily put you in your fuel ecomony range, but probably won't perform to your liking.
I read about something in car craft this month.They make an overdrive unit you can add on to early ******s? This is probably expensive, but maybe worth it if it pulls its weight so to speak.
Gear Vendors over/underdrive units are $2500, but are indestructable and will reliably withstand 1200 hp through them.
I built a 49 Chevy with a 2.8 V6 automatic that gets 25mpg when you drive the snot out of it, and about 30mpg taking it easy. The early 2.8 V6 engines with carburetors and iron heads are flat out the most reliable engine GM ever produced...I've done stuff to them that would MELT a small block, and they just keep going! Only a 250 inline six Chevy can match 'em for reliability, but they give up a little in the gas mileage department. (Although a small staged 2v on a 250 straight six can get it into the 20's easily) I drive that Chevy EVERY DAY, in 90+ degree weather and it never misses a beat. It only has a 5 gallon gas tank in it, and I can drive well over 100 miles on a fill-up...and still have some left when I refuel! It ain't cool to have an old car that's rock solid reliable and gets better mileage than most "economy" cars, but **** everybody...I got me a cool driver that ANYONE could afford to tool around in!
Likewise, I have a 250 inline 6 with a 350 auto trans in my 1955 Pontiac, just fine on power,keeps up with traffic...gas last a lot longer
Okay...let's talk about a few things here... First- I'm not talking out of my ***, as I've got a '50 Buick and I want it to be reasonable on the freeway too, but because I'm a horsepower guy I refuse to be in something "slow" - !! I've done the homework, and I'll share my game plan. Firstly, the "cool" factor is a big one with me. I'm completely willing to spend a bit more dough to have something creative, interesting, and different...especially if it "fits" the ride. I'm going to rebuild my 263 in a more modern fashion. I'm upping the compression ratio (through custom pistons) from 7.5:1 to 9:1. The original head has been ported and fitted with larger, modern valves. I'm having a custom intake fabricated to run a pair of Harley Davidson "Screaming Eagle" 275cfm carbs (made by Holley and using typical Holley internals, like jets and boosters). I'm having a custom cam ground and will have my stock rockers upgraded to adjustable units. The ignition will be converted to an electronic unit to increase reliability and up the voltage. This buildup should make near 300 peak hp....250 easy. It'll also bump low-end torque numbers up significantly. More on that in a minute. I'm swapping out the transmission (Dynaflow) torque tube, and rear axle for a late-model Camaro/Firebird unit as described on Glen's site at www.hotrodsbyglen.com (under a '48 Buick Sedanette). The trans will be a 700R-4 adapted to the Straight 8 by an adapter available from Bendtsen's at www.transmissionadapters.com. So, by building a good low-end (increased torque) engine, backing it with a near-stock converter and durability-built 700 with O/D, and gearing the rear axle appropriately so the engine will be comfy at 70-75 mph (close to peak torque, but certainly at a point where the cam is working well and not being bogged down), the Straight 8 will be able to rely on its fatter torque curve and ease on down the road reliably. Parts will be easier to get (700R-4s and F-body rear axle stuff is pretty common), but when I open that huge coffin hood, there will be a vintage-looking hot rodded Buick 8 in there...with twin carbs and some spit & polish. It should knock down fwy fuel economy in the 20s, or damn close to it...Remember, it's not so much the weight of the vehicle that's an issue once you get up to speed..but engineering the driveline to maintain that speed with minimal effort. So, yes...you can build an early Buick to knock down decent fuel mileage while maintaining vintage looks and gaining decent power from the original powerplant. No, it's not super-easy. It will require some effort and obviously I'm still working on mine...so I can't give you hard figures based on personal experiences. Based on what you asked for, it seems you and I are looking for similar things. I hope my research will help you out a bit. OR...you can swap a Camaro front and rear subframe in, add a SBC/auto drivetrain, and do it that way. But, I will consider you a wuss. If you've got more questions, I'll do what I can to help you answer them. Scotch~!
My Caprice wagon (5,800 lbs) gets 20 round town and 26 highway. 305, 700r4, 3.32 gears, bone stock TBI motor. These motors came in trucks, Caprices, Monte Carlos, Park Aves, Roadmasters......etc. Big, heavy car, 20+ mpg. Get it done.
We all should have known we'd be getting the Hack Citation Endor*****t here! But diesel man. Diesel is the answer. Biodiesel even better. Waste vegetable oil the best. Free fuel! And your ride'll smell like french fries! Make sure to paint the car green and put a big peace sign on the side. Paint "Veggie Power" or something equally catchy across the rear. Carry a sack of granola and your good to go. Throw in a Dead tape for improved MPG! My Beetle always runs better when "Casey Jones" is playing.
Honda 1.6Litre - I get 50mpg sometimes with mine - always at least mid 40's on the highway. Oh - don't want to put a honda in your car? hmmmm.
If you consider diesel (my Merc 300 gets 24, and I cane the hell out of it every day), consider also that a turbo is a MUST. Intercooled even better. Tall gears and turn the fuel up, and you'll be amazed when that power NEVER gives up!! Torque is a diesel's forté, and torque is what that Buick needs. Find a Merc 5 cylinder turbodiesel, gear it high 2's, and insulate the hell out of the hood (noise, they're not quiet). Intercool it, turn the boost up, and have more fun. This engine is one of the best for a WVO (waste veggie oil) conversion, and then you drive for free. Or you can be normal...SBC and TBI. Boooooooooooooooooooring. Cosmo
If you want to drive up to Pittsburgh I will give you a 4.3 to use. It needs rebuilt but there is a lot you can do with these motors. remember they are just like a 350 minus 2 cylinders. let me know.
I have a 4.3 in my 99 S-10, fuel injected, overdrive trans.,3;42 gears, 22 highway 17 city is the best I can get out of if.
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