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You can't. The engines with cylinder deactivation have to be designed that way from the factory. For example, the way GM does it in their LS series engines is by turning off oil flow to half the lifters, which causes them to collapse, thereby deactivating the valves. You'd have to get a brand new unmachined engine block and drill the oil passages yourself, fit electric solenoids in place, and program a computer when to activate it or not, in order to do that on a version of the engine you have now; you're better off just buying a junkyard motor that has it already.
A couple of places you CAN look for fuel economy improvements in your current setup might be in friction reduction. Is your motor an overhead cam engine or a pushrod engine? If it's a pushrod engine, look into roller rockers. These reduce internal engine friction. If an overhead cam, maybe check into camshaft roller bearings.
Another area to think about when you have to rebuild your engine is with new design pistons. get hypereutectic pistons with anti-friction coatings on the skirts and heat reflective coatings on the tops. Get the pistons that use the thinnest rings available. We've seen horsepower increases by as much as 20 hp just by going with these; all they do is reduce internal friction and keep more heat in the combustion chamber.
Maybe look at porting your exhaust ports. The faster the cylinder blows down after the exhaust valve opens, the less work the engine has to do pumping the exhaust out of the cylinder. I doubt intake porting would help much, but pocket porting the exhaust, especially to increase low lift flow, would certainly help make the engine more efficient.
You said your engine was carberated. If it is a pushrod engine, see if it has roller lifters. If not, think about converting. It will not only reduce internal friction but increase reliability, as well.
I realize you're never going to save enough gas to justify the more radical mods, but I'm coming at this from a performance viewpoint rather than a cost standpoint.
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