Inliners International Forums General Discussion MOPAR Myth busters

met a fellow yesterday driving a sweet '53 2-dr plymouth with stock/rebuilt original engine, 3spd transmission w/od.

he swore that he could get 25+ mpg driving a steady 65 mph on the interstate. now i'm not accusing the guy of lying, but my dad always said fishermen and guys talking about gas mileage have been known to streach the truth!

can anyone give me their experience on this subject?

really, i hope he was being truthful, cause i like the idea of an older MOPAR getting that kind of economy.

I get an honest 20 MPG highway with my stock 230/3 speed in my '55 Ply. With different rear end gears, 25 would be easily within reach.

Dennis,
way back in 56 a new plymouth 230 cu in was road tested by Tom McCall of popular mechanics magazine. He posted figures of 23 MPG at highway speed,....how they preped the car I don't know,......my 54 Dodge 230 is also a 3 speed, with Ford 2.75 gears and a few other better performance parts,.....shows 22 inches of vacuum at 50 MPH on flat highway,......and will never see 25+ MPG at 65 MPH,.....maybe there is a fish stuck in my carby.
Cheers
Bob.

I just noticed that you mentioned he has OD. I'm planning on getting an OD trans for my '55, and when I do, I'll post my milage, but I bet it's 25 or higher.

Thanks, bug, i'd be interested in seeing your results.

Isn't the best fuel consumption gained by having the cruising speed as close as possible to the revs at which maximum torque is delivered?

The old 0.7:1 overdrive would surely help get this bit of math sorted...

I get 19-20 on the highway with my hopped up 230 flatty, a '55 Dodge overdrive, and stock rear differential gears in my '50 plymouth. The overdrive is 33% gear reduction. I'm sure a stock motor would probably get better mileage...

Pete

that's a purty engine, blueskys! you've done a beautiful job on that car and drivetrain. i'd love to hear those dual exhausts! what kind of mufflers are you using?

Dennis-

I have a handfull of sound clips of the car on my site, go to www.50plymouth.com and click on the sound link.

The mufflers are Smithy's, Langdon's tube headers, and dual pipes with a crossover, all the way out on one side.

Pete

Couldn't get the sound to work, dang-it! I'm sure it's sweet, though. It's the kind of thing i'm not about to get tired of, either. I've got a Mercruiser 4-banger in my Model A, and I love it, but that cool six-with-duals sound just ain't there.

(a buddy says my engine sounds like a fork-lift to him! that hurts!)

Some forklifts were powered by Coventry-Climax engines... tell him they had a Grand Prix heritage!

For my money, there's nothing sounds like a good six.

Dennis-

the sound clips should work fine if you download the latest quicktime software, free at www.quicktime.com

Pete