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drastic change
So, I'm still planning the samurai project, but I've had some developments.
I had a 1969 ford 1 ton van, with a 302 and auto tranny. Swapped it for a 79 bronco with 4speed and 460 engine. Rediculous I know, but it was cheeper than swapping my van to a manual, and with the really high gears in my van my best ever tank avereage was 8.31mpg! driving like a grandma too. Talked the guy with the bronco into letting me put a tank through it before I swapped, didn't actually take that many miles.......:-) got 12.24mpg!!!!
Still rediculous I know, but 32% increase in economy, with zero $$ spent, not too shabby. It is on 33x12.5 inch tires, with one ton axles, so I can haul as much weight as my van, but have 4x4 now too. Had a set of real truck chains for this size tire from another project, and a high lift jack/straps to use as a ghetto winch etc.
Like I said, I'm still going to do the samurai project, but this was fun as a super low dollar experiment comming from another angle.
That guy with the 2x4 f250 with the diesel/4speed is getting double factory specs with his, around 30. I'm betting I could do the same. My goal is 20mpg
Planned mods.
Walmart pizza pan smoothie wheel covers, I have aftermaket wide rims.
A/c delete, system missing hoses, just going to remove the rest.
Roof rack delete
External tire carrier delete
Fast-back soft top, I've got some nice canvas lying around from a yurt project, it'd be sweet if I could loose a few hundred lbs, and make a more efficient shape at the same time.
max tire pressure, probably pretty low, do what I can.
Dual fuel propane swap. It's cheaper, gets better mpg's if you up your compression, on the 460's upping compression just means finding some pre-73 heads bolting them on.
eventually a re gear in the axles, the granny low tranny and super low transfer case will get me plenty low.
lockers for 4x4 capability with little efficiency penalty.
E-fan
Headers, Jeffs bronco graveyard has some for my engine that claim a dyno'ed 21%mpg increase with this same engine over stock manifolds.
What do you guys think? Anybody else with a 32% increase in mpg for free
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