1976 Lincoln Mark IV - Can it be improved?
 

I have a gas guzzling fiend of a vehicle, with a carb and an enormous old engine.
I have been daily driving it for 2 years and I love it to bits, but it does go through gas like crazy. I'm about to have the carb cleaned and rebuilt which should make it run a lot better.
I'm curious about mods that can be done to improve the gas mileage, like EFI.
But the other thing is the stench of the exhaust. Is there anything that can be done to help with this, like adding a catalytic converter? And lastly, what do you think the most efficient cruising speed is, with the brick type aerodynamics and all?https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4YScbSXUqhM/hqdefault.jpg
^ Not mine, I didn't have a photo on hand

Anything can be improved. Consider use case (how it's used), the need for ROI (return on investment) and 'what the neighbors will think'.

If it doesn't have fuel injection that could help. But also a transmission swap might do wonders. Wheels and tires are where the rubber hits the road, so to speak. :) Tall and narrow is the fashion.

Stance. How low can you go?

https://car-from-uk.com/ebay/carphot...ebay483990.jpg
https://car-from-uk.com/ebay/carphot...ebay483990.jpg

Do you smell exhaust inside or outside the car?

'brick'
 

This is the issue. In order to achieve any significant highway improvement your looking at 'epic' transmogrification. The appearance of the Mark-IV would be only a shadow of it's former self.
The Lincoln was designed 'pre- Energy Crisis', and after October, 1973, engineers, energetically went to work, downsizing ( mass and frontal area ), powerplants, improving transmissions ( overdrive, electronic lock-up torque converters, more gears ), introducing higher pressure, low aspect ratio, low rolling resistance tires, electronic engine management ( fuel and ignition ), lower power consumption engine cooling fans ,Messier 12-VDC electric water pumps of low hydrodynamic drag design, softer piston rings, roller-cams / tappets, high-swirl combustion chambers, tuned exhaust, synthetic lubricants of lower viscosity ( engine, trans., differential ), taller gearing, front wheel drive, and modest aerodynamic tweaks, etc..
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If you cannot lose your attachment to the car, the field is wide open for modification, however, your engine is of extremely low thermal efficiency, compared to contemporary powerplants, and with extensive modifications would still be at least 15% lower that of a typical modern car.
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Vehicles of the Lincoln's weight now have 10-speed electronic transmissions.
Half the drag.
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If you want the challenge, and you have a bottomless wallet and calendar, and you have nothing else to do with your life, then it would be a 'fun' project to see what you could pull off.
Like freebeard has said, anything can be improved, you just need to do the soul-searching, and figure out if it's worth the effort.
It's a $90,000 project, if you farmed it out. Without an engine.

Look on the bright side -- there lots of room for improvement.

The three general categories are: drivetrain, aerodynamics and the 'nut behind the wheel'.

• Swap out the generator/alternator for an eAssist altermotor.
• Air: diverter, full bellypan, and difusser
• Meticulous route planning (search on 'slowmover')

I was able to double the mpg in my 454 suburban by putting a carb on that I knew how to tune and then tuned it to lean burn using a wide band O2 meter.

Has anyone done better than funkhoss?

EFI can do wonders for some "unefficient" engines, yet I don't know if something like a Fueltech would be legal there even for a car originally fitted with a carburettor.


Not sure if an O2 sensor is used, but in Argentina some folks go as far as adapting carburettors to vehicles fitted with EFI instead of fixing the EFI when it goes bad.

What engine is in it?, if it is the 460, then look for a 89-95 F-350, it will have the stand alone engine computer, fuel injection, and the easiest of upgrades, both engines probably have similar compression.

And a 4-speed automatic transmission out of the truck (or out of an Econoline van) with the MPFI version of the 460 may also be a great improvement.

Lincoln Continental data
 

Slow, I located some original road test data for the 1981 year model of your car, from Popular Science, and Road & Track:
* Cd 0.48
* Af approx. 24.3379-square-feet ( 2.26106 meters-sq .)
* CdA approx. 11.6822- sq-ft ( 1.08531 meters-sq. )
* Curb weight 4,052-lb ( 1,833.48-kg )
* 302 CID V8, with throttle body fuel injection
* 4-spd automatic transmission, with lockup torque converter
* 3.08:1 rear axle ratio
* Fineness ratio- 3.648639
* Tires- P205/75R15 Uniroyal Royal Seal steel-belted radials
* Length- 216-inches ( 5486.4mm )
* Width- 78.1-inches ( 1,983.74mm )
* Height- 55.4-inches ( 1,407mm )
* Ground clearance- 6.5-inches ( 165.1mm )
* 18-gallons
* 23.5-mpg @ 35-mph ( 56.3 km/h ) observed
* 17.8-mpg @ 55-mph ( 88.56 km/h )
* This 1981 model is physically identical to the 1976 year model and remained unchanged until 1984.
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The 1984 Mark VII was shorter, narrower, lighter, and lower drag:
* Cd 0.38
* Af approx. 21.894-sq-ft ( 2.03409 m-sq )
* CdA approx. 8.32-sq-ft ( 0.7729 m-sq )
* EBLA = 15.5-degrees
* Tires- Goodyear Eagle GT P215 / 65R-15
* Fineness ratio approx. 3.84682
* 60-degree windshield
* 63-degree backlight
* Curb Weight 3,735-lb ( 1,690.04 kg )
* 302 CID V8 w/ TBI, and 3-way catalyst
* BMW 6-cyl diesel
* 4-speed automatic with lockup torque converter
* 34.0-mph/ 1,000 rpm gearing
* piston speed = 885- surface feet/minute
* 1,765-rpm @ 60-mph ( 96.6 km/h )
* 22.1-gallons tank
* 16-mpg 'normal' driving ( I have no idea what they mean ! )[ Road & Track ]
* 340-miles range, with 1-gallon reserve
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1993 Lincoln Mark VIII
* 17.0-mpg ave. ( Motor Trend )
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1998 Lincoln Town Car: ( from Popular Science )
* 23.5-mpg 'best'
* 17.3-mpg 'worst'
* 21.1-mpg 'average'