1PDQ55

Hey guys, what type of gas mileage should I be seeing out of a 394 2 barrel 63 Dynamic 88 with the three speed auto tranny? I know it is a heavy car, but I seem to be getting what I think is pretty bad mileage (don't know exactly, but I'm guessing around 8-10mpg). I drive 22 miles round trip to work every day and can go through a 20 gallon tank in a week. The drivetrain is bone stock. I pulled the plugs and they all looked light tan, but the car smells like it is running rich to me. Any ideas on how I might be able to get a little more out of it? It runs great and I keep my foot out of it, was just hoping for more in the 12-15 mpg range.

Aceshigh

It's a big block, so it's not going to be great on gas.

Is the 8-10 average city mileage or highway mileage ??
If it's city , it's not far off the mark.

Best things to check are air filter, plugs, wires, timing, carb cleaning or rebuild, tire pressure, etc.
I only got 14mpg with my 2.78 open rear 350ci motor.
Once I changed the rear end to a 3.73 posi I got 11mpg average.

An overdrive transmission would be a good consideration.....if it will mate up to that motor.

rocketraider

One of the Starfires with 3.42 gears would regularly get 17 mpg, the best the other one has ever done is 13.

10-15 was average for those cars back in the day and 394 were not known for fuel mileage.

Aces' suggestion on OD is doable, but either a 200 or 700 transmission requires case modifications to attach to a 394. Normally I like the 200 better, but in this app the 700 is really a better choice.

D Appeldorn

10 till 15 is average.

my olds 1969 88 delta with 455 is also in that range, my average is 13. ...... mpg

DreWRoolZ

i read somewhere that for my '60 88 with a 371 the gas mileage is about 10-12. i have no idea tho because i cant drive it til i get the tranny rebuilt

1PDQ55

Ok, well that makes me feel a little better. I did all the normal stuff. Haven't checked the timing but it sounds right and runs right so I doubt its off. The miles are a combo of city and highway. I don't know what gears are in it but it doesn't seem to be turning too many rpm on the highway. I would like to change the tranny at some point for one with a lock up converter.

Allan R

In 1963 this car wasn't built for gas economy. Like the other guys, if I was concerned about the mileage I would either look at changing to an OD tranny like the the 200R4, change out the gears, or buy an ecoboxcar.

20 gallons a week for a big car is nothing, especially if you do stop and go driving in the city. Even on the highway you will only extend the sipping rate that beast is used to.

A lot of folks who get into old cars take a bit of time to acclimatize to the 'smell' an old car makes with it's 'unrefined' and 'exempt' status on pollution controls. Old cars will have a heavier carbon smell than ANY car produced after 1974. I believe that's when legislation required the catalytic converter changeover.

You have a nice looking car there. Enjoy driving it and getting the envious stares/thumbs up!

66ninetyeightls

My feeling is the second you start worrying about gas mileage is the second you should sell your classic car. Then again i am not using it as a daily driver.

1PDQ55

Not looking to get rid of it in any way shape or form, I love it! I was just wondering if what I should be seeing and if there was anything anyone knew of that might be able to help. My Chevy runs on 93 octane and doesn't need lead additive so I don't know if that makes more of a smell or not. I was born in 1970 so wasn't really exposed to the old leaded cars. I misread some of your posts thinking you were berating me for my question but went back and re-read the posts. Please don't think I don't love this car, I really do and really don't plan to part with it (unless someone offers me stupid money ). It's worth the extra money in gas to talk to people who are reminded of their childhood when they see it - I had a guy taking pics of it in the McDonald's drive-thru at lunch today

D. Yaros

Well, here is one I can chip in on. My car is a 62 Dynamic 88 convertible, with a 2 bbl. I keep copious records on everything. Over a distance of 2,543 miles I have averaged 12.83 MPG. The highest mpg was 21, but that was all highway miles. I have also had the oddball low mpg of 4.8 once too.

Allan R

Yes, by all means 93 octane would be just fine for your car. The higher octane however will not change the 'smell' of the exhaust. You might want to double check your timing and fuel mixture to see if that will decrease the smell. It did on my car - but it's a 72 350. (I'm running it at 7° BTDC with a 74 HEI coil [different year and models dist have different curves for timing]- it was also leaned out too much to start with. It used to smell a lot, but is 'minimal' now ) If your car is set up properly and still smells, unfortunately that's just the way it is. Most of the time you only smell that when the car is sitting idling during warmup, right? So when you're on the go it's less of an issue

No, I think most of us understood your question and realized that you were relatively new to the type of car and combustion by product issues. If we came across wrong, sorry - not intended that way. Just that in todays world where everything is focusing on clean air and fuel efficiency, technology etc these old cars can't compete in that world. They compete in the heart of the enthusiast. Glad you re-read the posts. BTW, one of the very difficult things about posting on a forum is that it's soooo subject to interpretation. The 'wrong' word or misplaced word etc can have devastating effects on anyone. Printed matter doesn't always show you the smile on the face at the other end....

What a nice comment. Get used to having your car in pictures! It also makes you feel good too! There, consider your self tongue lashed . Hope you continue to make regular posts on the forum. We certainly enjoy the discussions

Aceshigh

I have an opposing view.

I think if you're worried about MPG then you should explore your options to improve it and enjoy it more.
GM auto overdrives have been in the market for 32 years now starting in 1980 model year vehicles.
Then there's the double overdrive 6 speed manual transmissions since the 90's.

Cars SHOULD be purchased for your OWN enjoyment.....not what other people think of your car.
No one ever see's the transmission anyways.

1PDQ55

Yaros, you answered it for me there! I'd say you are dead on with what I am seeing. Allan, I'll check the timing (I'll have to find out what it should be set at), but just from listening to it it sounds right and it doesn't blow any smoke. I only really notice the smell when backing down off the gas and sometimes idling. It just reminded me of the smell of my 55 when it was set too rich, but the plugs look great - definitely not rich. Its not really that big of a deal, I was just reaching at straws thinking it might explain something.

MDchanic

[rant]

Which is why (I remark tangentially) I sometimes get so b|+chy with posters who consistently make sloppy, vague posts. This is a printed medium, smilies or not, and your words need to stand on their own. If you can't construct a sentence in English that anyone other than you can understand, then perhaps you shouldn't be writing messages to literally hundreds of people and publishing them at the press of a button.

[/rant]

- Eric

Allan R

Shawn,
I just looked at your albums. My compliments on the beautiful cars. The only thing about the Olds that (at the risk of offending) I don't like are the 22??24?? wheels. The rest of the car looks absolutely stunning. I'd be proud of it too. The PO must have really wanted the engine to match the car. The original would have been something like this:

Allan R

[rant??hint of rant??] I sometimes .....blah, blah blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah, blah blah blah..of a button. Reminds me of Charlie Browns teacher [yup, done with my rant]

Eric, you always know how to make a guy laugh!!! But, I agree with your point and share some of your frustration that occurs periodically. Hey, this is probably my shortest to the point post today.

MDchanic

I believe that that's what my wife and kid hear when I'm speaking to them.

It's pretty much the only explanation...

- Eric

Mak

I've only checked my mileage once... on one full tank driving down CA highway #1 and back. It was 90% highway... but hwy #1 has quite a bit of stop & go sections. My 425 had a fresh tune-up. I was driving pretty mellow, but did get on it a few times. I was very surprised to get 14.3 mpg. That's good enough for me... I won't check it again... I don't want to know, lol.

1PDQ55

Allan, thanks. The wheels are 20's and 18's. I'm not wild about the style, but do like the size combo, but can't afford to change them right now. Not sure what you are talking about with the engine. Are you talking about the color? If so, I don't think the engine has been touched, the color certainly doesn't match the exterior - I believe it to be the original color and the PO said it hasn't been out. I believe I read that some of the early big blocks were green.

MD, I'm going to assume you were not talking directly about me. I don't think my question was vague

Allan R

Yes, it was the engine. I guess I've never seen one that color before.

Don't worry about Erics post - it was a general statement - not aimed at you. I'm positive I can say this without fear of reprisal. His point is simply that many times in a post it's very difficult to figure out what's being said or asked for, mostly because of the way the sentences are composed. Sometimes it would be really helpful if folks would take the time to reread and/or proof read their composition more carefully to make sure it's accurate....

His statement is just a reflection of what I had said earlier about printed media sometimes being a difficult way to express ideas or thoughts without being misunderstood, creating conflict, or hurting feelings. You're doing just fine.

MDchanic

No, no. At I said, and as Allen pointed out, it was a total digression from your original question, which was written very well. I was just taking off from what he had said - nothing to do with you, just happened to have come up in the thread you started.

Sorry .

- Eric