| keith oh | -- 09-26-2015 @ 12:31 PM |
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If your spark plugs are showing light color tips, not black and sooty it is running as it should. Remember, back when these flatheads came out the fuel prices were anywhere from 20 cents to 60 cents a gal. and we didn't give a damm about the mileage. In other words the Ford V/8 flatheads were built for power, durability and ruggedness and they sure filled the bill. These tales of 25 MPG are probably from poor math, running 20 MPH downhill or just wishful thinking.
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| cliftford | -- 09-26-2015 @ 5:51 PM |
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As I recall, back in the day, 16mpg on a flathead v8 was acceptable, and 18 mpg or better was considered excellent, and the sixes didn't do much better.
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| agriffey | -- 09-26-2015 @ 11:09 PM |
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I agree guys, but I would be happy with 16 MPG. No, I'd be satisfied. I use more than double the amount of gas to go the same places I went with my Volvo which was running 23 on local roads in and around towns. I am thinking with today's fuel (in CA.) I could maybe advance the timing a couple degrees, and try to find a pair of EAB heads as the 8RT heads are lower compression than the cars. Cars were 100 HP, pickups were 90 in '51. I think with EAB heads in '53 they were 110 HP. I don't need more power, I need more miles per gallon. I am considering installing a T-5 so I can run in 5th and get a little better mileage. I also need a synchronized first gear anyway, the high speed rear end won't pull it at a walking speed in second. I can get into low at speeds a man can run but any faster and I don't always make it without a little crunch or grind. Good idea about checking the plugs, I will do that tomorrow. It always runs at 162 degrees with 160 thermostats. Even in 100+ weather. In town or freeway. I want to try 180 stats and see if that will help. Kieth, I remember 20 something cents a gallon. I ran out once in my '39 and paid a farmer 22 cents for a gallon of gas because that's what the going rate was during a price war that was going on. It got down to 11 cents for a few hours before the ended the price war. We really did not worry about mileage because the Ford V8 was fast and almost as economical as the other makes, except the Henry J. And most of us wouldn't be caught in one. Although one of my friends had one. That 4 cylinder buzz bomb got good mileage but we thought the girls wouldn't like to ride around in such a small car.
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| keith oh | -- 09-27-2015 @ 10:14 AM |
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I have had my 35 since the 60s, before the tree huggers and corn growers had to be appeased, it averaged around 14 MPG. After the alcohol addition it dropped to 12 or even less. The best was a 1950 Crestliner with overdrive- close to 17 mpg. I think the old saying " if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen". I love my old flathead and will keep on feeding it no matter what the cost.
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| ford38v8 | -- 09-27-2015 @ 1:21 PM |
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agriffey, before you lay out the upfront cash for a transmission transplant in order to gain MPG, divide the cost into the remaining years and miles you expect to drive to see your target MPG. Also, if your car runs at 162º F in 100º weather, you don't drive a Ford flathead, and for that matter, no other gasoline powered car I know of. Alan
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| len47merc | -- 09-27-2015 @ 5:38 PM |
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Wow agriffey - you gotta lot goin' on here and in your previous thread! First of all I agree with Alan on your engine temps. I run 155 degree stats and the engine runs 185-195 degrees in late spring/summer/early fall, temp validated with a calibrated Fluke themocouple. When using 180 degree stats, same. The stat temps only control how quickly the car warms up and how warm the heater is in winter. Personally have never seen a car of any make run at 160 degrees regardless of the stat ratings. Not certain of the logic of your comparing a 60-70+ year old flathead's mpg versus a modern Volvo. Also not surprised that you are getting the same mpg at 40 and 60 mph, although from your original thread 10 mph does seem on the low side. If your '51 F1 has a 4.11 rear then am not surprised at all. 12-15 mpg around town (city/hwy) and 15-17 MAX on the road (hwy) for 3.54 or 3.78 rear gears should be all you should expect even with 89 octane non-ethanol fuel. If you go to anything higher than a 3.54 rear gear I think you will be sorely disappointed and even then if you are running in hilly terrain even the 3.54 may be a strain on your flathead. Should you choose to put in an even stiffer gear then yes, you may be able to run 60 mph at a lower rpm but wind resistance will be tougher to push against with a higher gear and you may end up with worse mpg and even higher engine temps (reference TomO). Plus you will be shifting your butt off around town and lose most all peppiness your truck may have with whatever gear you currently have. If you must, a 30 percent OD with a 3.78 rear may, and I stress MAY, give you as much as 19-20 mpg on overall flat terrain at nothing other than a steady 55-60 mph, but expectations city/hwy would still be 12-15 mpg and all city stop-n-go 11-12 mpg MAX. Have to agree completely with keith oh on his poor math/wishful thinking comment about anything other than the mileage expectations here and in the previous paragraph. Suggest you talk to a lot of experienced, seasoned flathead experts on this before investing in effort and $$$'s. Steve This message was edited by len47merc on 9-27-15 @ 5:44 PM
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| agriffey | -- 10-03-2015 @ 10:50 PM |
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As I said before, I have a 3.5 rear end from a '72 F100. I have no intention of changing it again. I have two temp gsges. yeh stock gage is connected to the left cylinder head, the right head has a gage hanging under the center of the dash. The original reads dead center when wared up, the other one reads 160 to 162. I can drive slowly in heavy traffic or cruise at 60- 66 on a 100 degree day and the temp gages do not go up. I have not added anything to the radiator this year. Nothing. When those vehicles were new they did NOT overheat. Why should they now. My '33 never ran hot, my 2 46 Ford V8 fordors never ran hot. My Dad's 36, 47 and '51 never ran hot. The F1 has a huge radiator. I've worked on these cars 60 years. All I see and hear is guys bragging about how much they know about those hot running Fords. They run with cr*p in front of the radiator, 80-90 % antifreeze, retarded timing and loose fan belts, etc. When I was a kid on the farm we loaded hay idling along in first gear on the F5 flathead and F6 V8 in 85-90 degree weather and NEVER had heating problems. We had a Dodge that would get hot so we'd run the heater to help keep the temp down so we wouldn't have to stop & let it cool down. May that helped, maybe it didn't. Somebody asked what the mileage I get on my Volvo has to do with all this. I mentioned it because someone suggested I maybe don't know how to drive. I kinda agree with Keith too, but 10 MPG? I never heard of an F1 having a 3.54 or 3.78 rear end. The standard ratio was 3.92 A 4 something was available too.
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| agriffey | -- 10-03-2015 @ 11:10 PM |
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Since you fellows think I am a liar about the temps, oh, and I have seen several cars run below 160 on a hot day, and you don't read or believe what I say about the rear end I will have to just stop posting on this forum. I put the 3.50 rear end in the truck myself. It is a G-D D-M 3.50! If you can't make your cars run cooler than 185, and there is really no need to, you are doing something wrong or driving the wrong make of cars. A car should be run at 180 to be efficient. 160 is not hot enough with today's oils and fuels. Anybody that wants to is welcome to come take a ride with me and see how cool Fords really can run. By the way Keith, I took out 3 plugs this week and they are running clean. I found the ones I took out 3 or 4 months ago and they aren't bad either. Oh, did I mention I DO NOT HAVE A Gd DAMd 3.78 or 4.11 rear end?
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