And then there was the 200mpg vaporizer carburetor:
http://www.byronwine.com/files/200%20mpg%20%20carb%20.pdf Of course we can’t forget the Fish:
http://www.rexresearch.com/fishcarb/fish.htm But in reality, 13-15 mpg is a realistic figure for a 216 or 235 and that‘s all that Chevrolet
claimed back in the day. It’s my opinion that if you’re getting better than that with a stock
AD truck then you can sleep nights knowing that you’re more knowledgeable that all the
GM engineers that worked for Chevrolet back in the day. Maybe we’re just better
educated today.
Can you improve the mileage by changing the gearing, of course you can, but what you
add to one side of the equation you gotta remove from the other. Acceleration and hauling
ability goes right in the dumper. “MORE POWER” Tim- The-Toolman would say. Yep,
more power will compensate for that new gearing, but more power comes at the cost of
fuel economy. Mentioned was aerodynamics, above 50mph that definitely becomes a
factor. But short of cleaning up by removing ornaments and chopping the top 8 inches
there isn’t much you can do to an AD, and you can‘t make an Art Deco into an Advance-
Design.
I picture a dog chasing his tail whenever I hear fuel economics discussed.
I’ve never understood how one can expect 20mpg out of 60 year old technology when it’s
a rare thing even today to find a pickup that will give you that kind of mileage.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL
