I couldn't agree more. It's not really about attending the "show/event" itself BUT seeing and hanging with the good friends I've met and grown to love over the years. To NOT see my Omaha pals, or any other out of state group of friends I have, this summer would make me really sad. It's about the people as much as the cars.
You make a good point, Malcolm. I too have developed fantastic friendships at various events, real people who don't need ego stroking, people to share ideas with, and people who can talk other than cars. I'm just planning on doing this closer to home. From where I live, "anywhere" is a long drive. "How far will a dollar take you?" does become important on a retiree's income especially when it does not keep pace with the cost-of-living increases year after year.
Not to mention that the AOD has one of the more aggressive OD gears. I think (might be wrong) but the 700R is .75, I believe the AOD is .65. I remember it was a hair up from my 3 spd OD which I believe was .6 Thats almost a 1/2 rev reduction.
Oh no doubt the Des Moines show is great. Great eats, drinks, people, shade, and RODS! Like you Malcom, I'm all in on the social side of rodding. Love the cars, love the people!
There u go! Gotta think positive. Cutting on other necessity's will help. Might use your plan (Hahahaha!!) Ken
6 years ago I wondered about spending the money for a 700R, sure glad now that I did. Prior to that the cpe had a .090 over 396/T-350/3.42 got a whole 12 mpg if I was lucky. I now have a 454/700R/3.42 and regularly get 17-18 mpg and have pulled as high as 19.5 mpg. In 06 I put 12,000 mi on the car and 10,000 last year. Last year included Springfield Mo, Hamb Drags and Tampa Fl. Plus I did a 5500 mi parts hunting trip with my truck and trailer. Pick where you want to go, what you want to do and if sacrifices have to be made do it. It's all a matter of priorities.
My next build is going to have a stock straight 6 with 1 one barrel in it. Ive got the motor with less than 50k on it out of a buddies belair. Hell if ya just stop eating food then youll be fine to buy gas. I guess the way prices are going these days it soon will be a choice between the two. Ill take the food over the gas. In my summer travels I will be cutting out far aways shows and prolly only go to swapmeets to try to make some money rather than spend it My 1996 jeep cherokee gets around 11mpg but thats the price you pay to have a 6.5" lifted jeep with 33" swampers haha. It cost big bucks to be cool in any car these days -Jon
I'm not trying to start a fight but Hot Rodding ain't about fuel economy! If you can't afford the gas take up knitting or collect stamps. I would be more pissed that I can't get a couple more hundred HP out of the motor than if I got to pay $4 or even $5 a gallon to run it in the first place. Crying about the prices ain't going to change em! When I started driving it was .27 per gallon, live with it!
Coming from an old cheap *** retired **** thats good to note... Im not retired and im not an old **** like jack and my 401k just plain ****s but the money is still kinda in there and i cant touch it for a while and i work every day and so does the wife so **** it were gonna do what we want to do ......... Im gonna drive my roadster this summer and the harley and even though we work at the same place the wife and i sometimes have weeks even months when we have to drive both vehicles.. At least i dont have a 10mpg daily like the other guy here... Thats just dumb Screw em .. Drive em all.......... Dave
30mpg in my daily. I drive the ranchero about 1-2 miles a week Gas prices are an inconvinience for me, and I am lucky to be in that financial position. It's gotten to the point where I do consider it before driving places. There are plenty of people for whom it is much more than an inconvinience (can't afford to drive to work, etc) and that's going to start affecting society as a whole.
well you guys still got it easy, cant believe your whinging, today where i live i had to pay $2.06 for a litre, i know others who are paying $2.50 a litre.... average 4 litre to the gallon and its anywhere between $8-10.... how many of you guys will drive rods then? just makes them ready built rods cheaper for us to buy
Just because I don't have a gold chain doesn't mean I'm cheap, I just prefer to do it myself if possible. Plus I'm on a fixed income. LOL
I only drive 18 miles a day two weeks a month, my buddy drives the other two. My DD gets an average of 12 mpg. Here they get 3.69 a gallon for diesel and I can get by on 1 tank a month. The wife is RETIRED so she drives about 30 to 50 miles a week . She drives a 01 Dakota with the 4.7 litre V8 , it gets about 20 to 21 . My cruiser 31 A with a 270 baby hemi 4 spd and 3:78 gears should do preety good if I ever get it finished . The hemi is stock with a two bbl. it will probably stay that way. OLD HEMI
I agree make priorities and do what you gotta do to have some form of release and way to enjoy yourself. I work a full time job (Sat - Monday 1p-1a and then my part-time at a salvage yard Wed-Fri 8-5am). That extra $232 a week from the salvage yard is my F100 sponsor to include car shows and such. If you want it gotta sacrifice
you do have a good point there ill say that. but the head work and camshaft will get me quite a bit of torque, its the gear ratio ill play with. i might end up with a 3 something in there but like i said this is the first i have ever done like this. i am used to milking every ounce of horses you can get out of a small motor ford not taming one!!!
That's a nice ride you got Tacson! I'm with you-----where there's a will, there's a way. I'm looking forward to many show's this year!
With that combo you'll be working the motor by lugging it. Gas mileage will be bad also as the slightest incline is going to have the motor straining because you won't have the torque with the little motor. A 3.42 or lower (higher numerically) would work better for you. I have a 454/700R/3.42 in a 3700# cpe and have pulled 19.5 mpg. A friend of mine has a comparable weight car with a ZZ4 350/700R/3.55 and has gotten 23mpg
The work schedule doesn't allow for many long distance rod trots at the moment but the price of gas was a prime decision maker to to with the 292 and four speed rather than the 396 and turbo 400. I intend to do Bonneville Speed week if the truck is ready and maybe a few Saturday events within a reasonable distance.
I plan on doing the same road trips and shows I always do,,,not only is the price of gas higher but food cost more also,,,It takes trucks to bring it in and they use a lotta fuel. These activitys ARE our vacations and we will just have to eat a few more packs of nabs and less going out to eat once we arrive at our motel,,, I too do a few extra side jobs to help offset the expenses. HRP
I spent all my money going drag racing at the texas thaw . and have been living off of time slips with arby's sauce for over a week now .
5.0 Mustangs usually came with 2.73 gears with the T-5 and 3.00's with an AOD. The 302 can handle it just fine. The '89 GT 'vert I had would pull 18-20 around town and 25-ish on the hwy with a mostly stock 5.0, T-5, and 2.73 gears.
5.0 GT vert weighs 3300lbs and ain't exactly slippery with that drop top. Stock 5.0 makes 300lb-ft of torque, with exhuast, ignition and minor updates you can add 50lb-ft without sacrificing mileage. You'd have to have a heavy aerodynamic brick for that to not be enough. Anyways, your mileage may vary. Just saying I think any boneyard 5.0 drivetrain could haul around vintage tin without issue.
I am rethinking this years races I was planning on going to. I have a deisel truck to tow with and that helps but fuel is almost $4.00 a gallon and with the trailer I get about 13 to 14 miles per. I am still going to go to my favorites and I will probally look at the weather really carefully and if there is a chance of rain more than 20% i wont make the drive out, I want to be able to make the most out of the trip so a rain day wont cut it. This is about as stupid as wishing for to win the lottery but maybe the oil market will tumble and we will all get a break no matter where you live. can always hope. Jon
I don't drive the rod enough to care all that much about the mileage, but more is better of course. I usually take the daily to shows anyway or catch a ride with someone else. Maybe if my car were more fixed up I'd want to enter it or just show it off. But yeah, the added expense is a factor when I think about going to a far off show.
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