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Ford 360 MPG

17K views 17 replies 16 participants last post by  just4cuz 
#1 ·
So my bro in law has a 360 Ford 4x4 with 4:10 gears 4 speed granny that im thinking about getting from him. It needs some minor work to get it going, I want to keep the tire size around 33"
What would the estimated MPGs be? I want a Highway worthy rig that I can do some Mudding and light off roading. Long bed truck

So the big question is.. Im wanting to get up in the 15+ MPG range.
What is the estimated MPGs with the current setup?
How much MPG would I gain converting the gears to a different ratio? And what would the MPGs be if I converted to propane?
Transmission swap?

Cant find any of this info, I was looking for some charts on ratios but cant find any.
Thanks
 
#3 ·
My experience:

69 F250 2WD - ANY CONDITION - towing, city, highway - 10 MPG
71 F250 4WD - ANY CONDITION - city, highway, 3000lbs of gravel in the bed, 2000 lbs of firewood - 10 MPG.

Both were NP435 and 4.10 gears.

good luck on getting better... My next attempt will be to swap intakes and carbs...
 
#4 ·
Estimated based on my own 1971 F-250 4x4 with a stock 360 7-10 in town at 55mph highway about 10-12mpg.

Probably will gain something swapping gears how much I don't know.
Propane would likely go down hill from where you are at now
Transmission swap is bitch, probably easier to swap engines

Some things that are worth doing on a 360 are camshafts, clutched or electric fans, and working on the exhaust flow.
 
#5 ·
From my experience with a 1969 f-100 2wd long bed with a 360 and a c4 automatic, around 10 MPG all the time whether it's got a load in the back, highway, city, towing whatever, didn't make much of a difference. always worked out to be right around 10 MPG.
 
#6 ·
I hate to state the obvious but you don't drive that kind of truck for the milage.

The cost of any modifications required to gain a significant increase in milage would surely offset any potential fuel savings.
 
#9 ·
Same Boat

I have an 89 F250 4X4,351W,C6 flatbed that averages around 6mpg! Also have a 76 F150 4x4,400M,NP435 that stays around 10mpg. And before I tore my 78 down to build my buggy I got about 12 with it having a 300/6. currently working on a 6.9 Diesel swap for the 76 so I can afford to drive it more.
 
#10 ·
I have an 89 F250 4X4,351W,C6 flatbed that averages around 6mpg! Also have a 76 F150 4x4,400M,NP435 that stays around 10mpg. And before I tore my 78 down to build my buggy I got about 12 with it having a 300/6. currently working on a 6.9 Diesel swap for the 76 so I can afford to drive it more.
That '89 should be getting at least a little better than that, my '94 351/e4od/3.73/38's gets better city than that! and about 14 hwy w/od off.
 
#11 ·
My old 72 F250 with 360, C6, 3.73 got 10 mpg +/-1. Not long before I sold it I had dual exhaust put on it. That really made a difference in the way it drove on the freeway. 65 mph didn't sound like it was laboring anymore. I never did check the mileage after that. If you want economy, it is gonna be in airflow and the carb/distributor tune. Put a small set of headers on it with reasonably sized free-flowing exhaust. Add to that a small 4 bbl or Motorcraft 2100, no matter what, just tune it. Same goes for distributor, what ever you use, tune the curve. I would think 13-14 could be had on the freeway if you keep your speed to 60 or less and have a sharp tune.
Travis..
 
#12 ·
Aside from tuneup work and electronic ignition, I wouldn't drop a nickel into an FE if looking for economy. Swap a 5.0/5.8 in it with an overdrive trans, fuel injection if possible. Mine got 8mpg, with a best of 11 on a 200mi trip, 75 F250 4wd 360 4bl, cam, headers, C6, 4.10s, 35" MTs. Now it gets a consistent 17.5mpg, just took a $3k swap to a cummins with an overdrive trans, worth every penny.
 
#14 ·
No 360's here... But, I have a 1972 390 powered f250 4x4 sitting here that averages 18mpg. It never comes out of 3rd gear unless on the freeway, which is 4th gear at 55-60 mph. I have counted the tank ratio many times, and it does in fact average 18 miles per gallon. It's a really good old truck, I wish the cab was in better shape though.

Anyways... I know that post was irrelevant, but those old FE motors can do a good job when used in the correct manner. They never "REALLY" made good race engines...
 
#18 · (Edited)
Ha Ha I had a 74 F-100 with a 360 2bbl. Those engines are factory retarded 4degrees for smog. I changed timing gear and chain set to a Cloyes set (straight up), recurved the dizzy, installed dual exhausts (turbo mufflers and 2.5 pipes). Picked up a couple MPG. From 10 to about 13/14 on the road. Later found a 4bbl intake and carb and installed it, gained 1 MPG if I was disciplned and stayed within the speed limit. You can pull down mid teen numbers with an FE engine if you do it right.

I have heard of FE engines in cars getting better mileage, but they were running gears that would be worthless in a truck.
 
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