At a guess, I'd presume that a Fordo is about the same efficiency as the FMX at about 25 h.p., but it would be interesting to know for sure..


Paul

I had the info on the FOM at one time and just can't find it, but I was amazed at how high it was, much higher then a FMX. I'm not an auto trans guy so I don't why.

have you tryed doing a complete trans presure test,also throtle presure adjusted to book specs.to much tp gives late shifts, to litle gives slushey shifts. useing the old bolt together converter may result in over heated oil in trans.i would also try mercon fluid. is the trans a older fm that matches the 55 torque.
it apears your engine is not the isue, rear axel is close to corect. tho with the torque  of a y you could try  the high 2s for a ratio.. do you use a heatriser valve.
  i have poor fuel econemy ,but have no heat riser,mostly short runs,to much on the throtel, run a 3.25 rear,use reg fuel frome blain wa, .it improves when i use mid grade,but with cn doller worth zip.  you may have same isues as me love theresponce and sound,drive a bit like a 18year old(at age 75).  we have a mazda2 for econemy, ichose to burn the fuel and drive the 57 ranchero.I like the reaserch you have ,as well as the way you layed it out. keep us filled in when you find improvements

Greetings to all: If memory serves me correctly, the FMX did not have a rear pump as opposed to the COM and FOM trans.. This may explain the better power consumption number for the FMX. Not pumping fluid when ever the drive shaft is rotation meant the vehicle could not be push started which became less important as vehicle reliability increased.  This is a very interesting thread as I too monitor fuel consumption religiously. If winter can hold off a little longer I should be trying out an Innovate air fuel ratio meter to better dial in a small 4bbl on my 312.  Will report the results. Good luck, JEFF..........


64F100 57FAIRLANE500

Thats a good point about the pump difference..

I was aware that the FOM had a rear pump but had not considered how it might affect economy, particularly if there was a malfunction.

I am increasingly growing to believe that I have drag issues somewhere.  Today I noticed that I was LOSING speed while coasting down a moderate hill in my neighborhood.  I have noticed that shifting into neutral improves coasting but not as much as I would expect.  Is it possible that I'm getting some kind of hydraulic resistance from the rear pump?

I just replaced my rear brake shoes and am definitely getting some drag there, but I don't understand it.  When I first installed them, I could turn the drum (without wheel) by hand pretty easily, so I figured they were adjusted loose enough to get started.  Well, they got hot enough that I could smell them when I drove it so I pulled the drums off to inspect.  Linings looked ok, drums looked shiny.  I went over the drums with coarse sandpaper enough to break the glaze, and then carefully adjusted the brakes again, this time following the same rule as for the fronts:  when I gave the wheel a hearty spin, it would rotate about 1 full turn before stopping.  Well, the rear drums are still noticeably hotter than the fronts.  How could that be, when I adjusted front and rear the same way?  Is it because the shoes are new/not seated in yet?

1954 Crestline Victoria 312 4-bbl, 3-speed overdrive

That could be a possibility that the new shoes are heating a little but it shouldn't be much. Are you sure your emergency brake is releasing completely? Always adjust the brakes when cold.
In some rare instances I have seen the rear rubber brake hose deteriorate on the inside a loose piece will act as a one way valve and keep pressure on the wheel cylinders..

Greetings to all: As mentioned above, the parking brake cable has been a source of trouble many times and would be 1st on my list.  Also, make sure that there is proper free play in the brake pedal as it's necessary for the master cylinder piston to completely return home. Otherwise some residual pressure may remain in the hydraulic system. Peeeot, do you have a dual master cylinder? It''s one thing to have a slight drag with slight warming of the brakes and quite another thing when one can smell the brakes.  I think you are on the right track in solving this brake issue first. Hope this helps, JEFF.................


64F100 57FAIRLANE500

I have a bit more info on the brake issue.  Yesterday I needed to drive about 90 miles so I jacked the rear end up and backed the adjusters off something like 20 clicks, enough that when I spun the wheel I heard little to no contact between the shoes and the drums.  As expected, the pedal action was much lower but still firm, still stopping the car ok.  I applied the brakes several times and rechecked for drag and there was none, so I hit the road.

When I arrived at my destinations, once again the rear wheel rim and brake drum were quite a bit hotter than the front.  In fact, the front wheel didn't feel warm at all.  There was a detectable odor at the rear but not as strong as it was before loosening the brakes up.  After a few minutes I cold hold my fingers on the front drum no problem but the rears were still too hot to touch for more than a few seconds.

Even so, if I took my foot off the brake in neutral, the car would start rolling, and this on a very shallow incline.  To date, I have checked for a hydraulic hold on the brakes (failure to release) dozens of times under different circumstances and have never found the brakes to be holding.

I made a point on my drive home of finding a few miles without stopping so that I could coast to a stop and check for heat indicating brake drag.  When I pulled over and checked them, without braking at all, they were not as hot as they had been when I arrived at my destination, but they were still definitely warmer than the fronts, enough to indicate (to my mind) some amount of drag--yet once again, the car easily rolled when placed in neutral.

One other observation: After this last adjustment, the pedal height was much lower, and it took some mental getting used to because my foot would move to where it expected to stop without meeting resistance.  It was enough to give me a flash of that "oh crap" feeling you get when you think your brakes have failed, until I hit the firmness and the car stopped fine.  Well, over the course of my trip I noticed that these "oh crap" moments had stopped.  I figured I had just gotten used to the new hard pedal height.  Then, when I was near my destination, as I approached a light to stop, the same thing happened: the pedal felt much lower than my muscle memory was anticipating.  I paid special attention to this on the way back home, and without measurement it's hard to be sure, but I suspect my actual hard pedal height changed intermittently.  This would suggest something like the brake shoes hanging up on the backing plate.

Today, weather permitting, I'd like to get the drums off again and resurfaces the backing plate pads to make sure they are smooth.  I will probably bleed the brakes too to make sure I don't have any boiled fluid in the rear lines.  Beyond that, I'm not sure where to head with this.  It's almost like the rears are doing more of the braking effort than the fronts, but with a single-line master system, I don't know how that would be possible.

1954 Crestline Victoria 312 4-bbl, 3-speed overdrive

There should be one rubber brake line from the body to the rear axle that serves both rear brakes.  Sometimes these lines can fail inside and not release properly. I have never yet seen one that did this intermittently, but if all else fails I would be suspicious of it.



Tom from the chiggerfarm located in the beautiful Heart of Central Texas

When you cannot dazzle others with your brilliance, baffle them with bullcorn!