While we’re on the subject of gas, just filling my 55’s tank is a crap shoot with lack of back pressure causing gas to overflow. Has anyone come up with a circumvention?

1955 312 T-Bird Warwick, NY

To get better fuel mileage, there are several common sense things to think about.  Higher compression will help mileage if you can keep it out of detonation, weight of vehicle, gear ratio in differential, fresh differential lube, radial tires vs bias ply tires, tire pressure, front end alignment, wheel bearings packed and tightened correctly, brakes adjusted properly, driving technique for starts, tune-up, distributor re-curved,  clean air filter, good performance oil (10W-30), cubic inches always make a difference, headers, dual exhausts(even type of muffler will affect mileage), driving with lights on/off, AC, PS, alternator vs generator, clutch fan/flex fan, vehicle lowered and stabilized with good shocks/sway bars.  With carburetors, it is suggested to accelerate fairly briskly to the speed limit and back off, with fuel injection, a slow steady increase in speed gives best mileage.  Windows rolled up with AC on is best if you have it, for mileage.  And last of all, a clean car actually moves through the air easier at speed.  My brain is tired, so you may have some more you feel is important to good fuel mileage.   Joe-JDC   

JDC

My 57bird has an .80 over 312 with the Isky 300 series cam and an E manifold with dual throttle body injection and 2.73 rear. Highway mileage is 18/gallon, town is 13 or so. Has a super T10 with a 2.64 first gear to launch a little better. Has way more bottom end with the injection than it had with the dual teapots.

Mike, still lovin his 57 t'bird after 53 years!

Let us not forget gas was 20 cents a gallon back then

And you got free dishes ...

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More like 5-7 grand. 10-15 would have been extraordinary. I'm 66, and I can't remember gas being less than 26-cent/gal. Maybe in the 50s? I remember my dad's take-home being $86/wk. in the early 60s.

And the average working man wage was prolly around 10 to 15 grand/yr...

Let us not forget gas was 20 cents a gallon back than and most people wanted power

I have a Dodge 3500 maxi van. One of several I have owned over the years. The 360 engine with an overdrive automatic will get 14+ around town and about the same on the highway. As soon as I hook up my car trailer I'm lucky to see 7mpg or less depending on driving style. The only way I've found to improve this is to backward convert the engine to a non-electronic set up. Parts cost is in the thousands.



Y's guys rule!
Looking for McCullouch VS57 brackets and parts. Also looking for 28 Chrysler series 72 parts. And early Hemi parts.

MoonShadow, 292 w/McCulloch, 28 Chrysler Roadster, 354 Hemi)
Manchester, New Hampshire

My speedometer was about 15% fast, which seems to be common, original transmission and 3.31 gears, and 205/75R15 tires. On one hand, my car has fewer miles than indicated by odometer. On the other hand, gas mileage is worse than indicated. Hopefully, C4 transmission, 2.72 gears, and metric rings will show an improvement. Once the rebuilt engine is broken in, I might consider swapping carb for FiTech. The car will never be a daily driver, but might as well make it more efficient during restoration. 

By the way, my 2015 Toyota Rav4 and 2017 Ram 1500 miss the mpg mark. There is a big difference in mpg between driving 65 on a flat highway/w little traffic, and driving around town, no matter what you drive. For what it's worth, I had a 1988 Mustang 5.0 convertible/w AOD and 2.73 gears. It was capable of over 25 mpg on the highway, and 18 mpg in town. I think Ford got it right with that one. 

I have a "57 T-Bird " C " car with a 292 engine, 2 bbl. carb with a 3 speed standard transmission. I swapped in a 3 speed 
overdrive transmission with a 3.10 rear gears. I did not make this swap for the mileage, but to reduce engine rpm's, so I
rarely checked mileage. On one trip from Tyler to Denver Colorado, a couple of mileage checks showed slightly 
above 24 mpg. This was without driving for maximum mileage. A well tuned engine is essential for best results.
Ernie