K5 Blazer?

[Frank Lee]

On the bright side he says very low miles will accrue. Still, 14 miles/day takes care of work and school and putzing around? Much of the year that could be biked/scootered.

[wmjinman]

Originally Posted by BurningSkyline

No I wouldn't be using super big tires, just something big enough to not look stupid.

Good. Well, if they're not too wide or too aggressive (knobby), the higher effective gear ratio they'll provide could theoretically HELP you - possibly.

Originally Posted by BurningSkyline

I'm just wondering if there were any mods such as intakes, headers, exhausts, etc. that could boost the power and mpg a little. I drive pretty laid back and coast a lot anyways so that might help mileage a little

Generally, the typical "hot rod stuff" doesn't do anything for fuel efficiency unless your running at or near flat out. The reason is that most of those things add efficiency mostly at the top end of the power band, allowing the power band to go higher (power you didn't have before). But one of those pesky laws of physics says you can't get free power. Therefore this "new" power the hot rod stuff unleashes is, in the end, provided by burning more gas. So if it was a race car, "doing it's thing" at near max power, then the "performance stuff" could actually add fuel efficiency in that environment - maybe letting you go more laps between pit stops, etc.

One way to use this principle, (but I doubt it's what you want with your Blazer), is to put in a much SMALLER than usual engine & then hop it up. Then you'll be running closer to flat out, using the extra efficiency. But you wouldn't have any big "grunt" in reserve. That's why the little Metros get such great mileage but often don't have the ability to get out of their own way

Originally Posted by BurningSkyline

I'm not expecting it to be extremely efficient. I just want a cool truck that gets decent mileage despite its size, aero, and weight.

I respect that. Maybe, whenever you find your "ride", see what the EPA estimate for it is, then set about seeing how much you can beat it by.

[wmjinman]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

On the bright side he says very low miles will accrue. Still, 14 miles/day takes care of work and school and putzing around? Much of the year that could be biked/scootered.

True, but then, you can't be driving your Blazer if you're riding your bike/scooter.

[Frank Lee]

That's a good thing.

[wmjinman]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

That's a good thing.

Heh!!!

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by trooper Tdiesel

most likely id run a stock 6.2 diesel, but there are others.....

3.9L 4BT or isuzu 3.9L 4BD1 or 4BD2 these engines all have max rpms of about 2,800 rpms...so the more aggreseve road gears are more needed for them on the open road to help lower RPMs

There was a guy reporting to get 30MPG on highway with a 2WD Suburban repowered with a 4BT and a ZF 5-speed out of a Ford truck.

if i ran it as a gaser id use a GM 4.3L V-6 that's a 350ci V-8 with two pistons chopped off...the 305 V-8 gas engine has power levels that are about a wash with the 4.3L so no i wouldn't use it...

All that addiction to V8 engines back there is not pretty much justifiable. In other countries the Chevy trucks were not available with the V8 engines.

if i was really going corny.
id do dedicated Propane with high compression to take advantage of the high octane of propane. the GM 4.3L would be the easiest to get parts to mod for this....

GM engines have been favored for industrial/stationary applications using either LPG or CNG, and also on-highway usage of CNG (altough it's more usual in other countries). If you could consider a turbocharger with an over-booster to be activated while using the gaseous fuel, could still hold a smaller gasoline jug at least to eventually provide some limp-home mode, in a similar way to the current European Opel Zafira CNG

[Stubone]

My Dad had a 1981 blaser with 305 engine, manual trans. he got 27MPG (Canadian) highway.
I had a 1979 monza spyder 305, manual trans, very low gearing, I got 24mpg, I switched to a 350 and couldn't get 18mpg. I have had 1978, 1988, 1993 GMC trucks with 350's average about 18-19mpg. I have a 1981 corvette with a 350 and 4 speed auto, 28mpg highway, one time I got 31 but I was cruzing about 40mph.
My brother had a 4.3V6 in a S15 truck he was not happy with the millage, he didn't say what it was.
If I were going to choose, instead of just buying whatever I could get. I would get the 305, unless I could afford the LS-series model. The 305 gets the best mileage of the 3 engines, has more power than the 4.3V6, alot less than the 350. Might look into 3.4V6, have heard good things.
Diesel fuel cost more than gas here and they are expensive to buy, more to maintain, not cost effective. chev V8 cheap to buy, cheap to fix, easy to fix, and reliable.

[BurningSkyline]

I'm still kind of torn between the two because everybody has differing opinions so I may just take what I can get. Not only that, But over the past two months that I've been looking at these trucks I've only seen a few of non-350 vehicles, and all of them being the Detroit diesel. I only saw 3-4 Diesels and two of which were Military M1009s.

[wmjinman]

Seems the 350 was about the "standard" engine in almost all the ones I've seen. But then, I just realized I'm probably thinking of mid to late 70's rather than newer. Maybe the newer ones got better mileage with "newer" engine choices - like the 305. . .

But all through the 70's, seems like mileage in the mid "teens" - or worse - was the best you could expect. But that was before the sloping hoods, the "contoured" headlights & front bumpers that were almost like quasi-air dams, the 4-speed overdrive transmissions, lock-up torque converters, fuel injection, etc, etc, etc....

[Frank Lee]

But all through the 70's, seems like mileage in the mid "teens" - or worse - was the best you could expect. But that was before the sloping hoods, the "contoured" headlights & front bumpers that were almost like quasi-air dams, the 4-speed overdrive transmissions, lock-up torque converters, fuel injection, etc, etc, etc....

Yeah, and then after all that great stuff, mileage was in the mid teens plus one. :/