Speakin' of 440 fuel economy.

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DavidWymore

D100=Abody?
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My 318 mpg stinks, and it's worn out, so I figured I might as well have some power with my sorry mpg and rebuild the 440 and put it in. Least I won't be making a car payment.
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I researched Mopar V8 MPG through the years. It didn't really get good until the '09 and up Variable Valve Timing Hemis.

Mostly for curiosity's sake, can a 440 be modernized and get decent mpg?

I'd guess alum heads, high compression, really good rings...RV cam? EDIT forgot MPFI...

Seems I've read a few times the shorter stroke 383s could get decent mpg with a 2 barrel, manual, and gearing.
 
..............I've had 70s big Chryslers that made an honest 20 mpg, they had 2.76 gears........also a couple 72 up trucks that made 16-18 mpg with 2.76s...........kim.....
 
oldkimmer said:
..............I've had 70s big Chryslers that made an honest 20 mpg, they had 2.76 gears........also a couple 72 up trucks that made 16-18 mpg with 2.76s...........kim.....
Click to expand...

...so build it low end torquey and gear it to the moon eh?

same kim from sweptline.org?
 
Yeah you can do it. Eddy performer intake, Thermoquad, low tension rings. Light right foot. Highway gears.
 
I always wondered how much a lock-up torque converter would help......or if it could be adapted at all. I'm thinking it could.
 
I had a 74 Dodge camper 9000 that had a 360 2 barrel that was tired. I pulled it and set in a low compression motorhome 440. The 440 actually got better mileage while making more power.
Thats like a second wife that is better looking and cooks better than your first one.
 
More than three gears would definitely help. RPM gaps in my 318 727 are huge, poor little 318 luggin' it's heart out. Can't have too many gears. I thought about sticking my NV4500 (truck 5spd OD with granny first) behind my 440 in my D100 and gearing the rear to the moon.

4500 worked pretty good behind my Cummins with 4.10s and 39" tires.
 
............David, i'm not on sweptline.........the only rv type cam I've used is the Blue Racer 270/280D with 420/443L.......Kim.......
 
It not just cubic inch that has an effect on gas mileage theoretically if you had a /6 which is a little more then half the cid of an 440, if you had a /6 revving 3000 rpms on the high way and a 440 revving 1500 they should be able to get similar mileage.

Also if say the 440 made 500 lb-ft and the /6 made 250 lb-ft and geared the 440 2:1 rear gear and the /6 4:1 rear gear they would both have 1000lb-ft to divide between the tires the the performance and mileage would be similar. So in other words a N/A engine will get similar mileage for a similar performance.

If mileage is more of a concern than power build for peak power 4000-4500 rpm but if power isa little more important up it a 1000 rpm.
 
Just blueprint a 440 Super Commando to stone stock specs, stick a Thermoquad, headers and a good hot ignition on it. Done. Drive it respectably. That will probably be the best balance of power and economy.
 
I had a 68 road runner 383 with 323 gears used to give me 18 highway I think thats good in that size car and it still had decent power.
 
...my 318 in my 2W RAM made high 30s..no ****. I documented it because folks wouldn't believe me. Before I bought it, it pulled a 5th wheel trailer.

So It was a major surprise to me that me /6 couldn't do better than 17 with a lot of fiddling.
 
grassy said:
...my 318 in my 2W RAM made high 30s..no ****. I documented it because folks wouldn't believe me. Before I bought it, it pulled a 5th wheel trailer.

So It was a major surprise to me that me /6 couldn't do better than 17 with a lot of fiddling.
Click to expand...

What exactly were the specs of that 318 and Ram?

I like the small turbo the spools up at low RPM to boost mpg theory.
 
David,

I have no idea. This was before I got into MOPARS. I bought it as a company truck. I had a friend that the same truck with a 6. His gas millage was so bad that Revenue Canada declined his gas expense..he had to go back to Chrysler to get a letter confirming his gas millage. When I moved to a 4*4 Ram with a hemi I wa kinda shocked at the gas millage.

I had to keep record of my gas millage for my company manually. I wish I still had them.

My dad had a 68 Delta 88 with a 455 two barrel that got almost 25 to the gallon.

The truck could have been a freak. Chrysler was interested in playing with it but I wasn't crazy about it....it eventually self destructed in '07.

ian.
 
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oD_2qB9XnNs"]Current MSQ test with "Race Render" overlay. in the Injected 68 Charger - YouTube[/ame]


440 on mega squirt this should get great MPG if you could keep your foot out of the throttle.
 
When I was younger and delivered pizza, my dad had a automotive garage, I probably driven 40-50 different cars delivering from a CRX to a 78 Caddy, CRX cost $5 and Caddy cost $10 a shift and everything else was in between, a (your) cars weight and aero dynamics is gonna take a certain amount of work=hp=(fuel and air) to push it around no matter if you throw a 2.2l or a 440 in, as long you are a little conservative with cam and gear selection, you should be good.
 
The 78 New Yorker I had averaged about 12.5 highway at 70-75. Stock 78 440, 727, and 2.7x gears.
 
There was a purple 70 challenger with a single turbo big block mopar making 800 hp and he was getting 17-18mpg highway. Key was low duration ,overlap turbo cam and was tuned lean at cruise speeds with efi and overdrive trans, not cheap though.


http://www.theturboforums.com/threads/307296-Got-the-dyno-numbers?highlight=challenger+turbo


Best bet would be late model hemi . best balance of power and mpg .Typical hemi- overdrive builds result in 400-450 Hp with 20-22 highway mpg.
 
- Lightweight crank and pistons (like 3rd gen Hemi's)
- fi. 383/400 with strokercrank with 440 rods and well tuned distributor curve.
- Tight-ish bearingclearances for use with thin synth modern oil (5w20).
- Good compression.
- Cammed for low rpm (-3000rpm) torque.
- Turbo might help but would complicate things underhood.
- EFI is mandatory, or at the very least a permanent RPM-, AFR- and vacuum-gauge mounted in the dash.
- Well build A500 or a GM overdrive-transmission.
- Proper chosen rearaxle gearratio to work good with the cam.
- Light vehicle with lowered stance for less undercar wind turbulence and resistance.
- Lightweight spare tire (fi Centerline frontrunner with proper sized tire).
- Low dragging brakes.

for starters... :)
 
The 440 that is in my son's Dart did well when it I had it in my old Dart hardtop. Without a fine tune it would get 15 on the highway. All iron 440 (including intake and exhaust manifolds), big AVS, 18-spline four speed, 3.23SG 8-3/4. That was cruising at 70.
 
I'm more inclined to believe that todays junk gas gets less mpgs than in the old days when it was real fuel and real octane ratings and yes leaded gas those were the days and no alcohol 'blended in' but thats just my 2 cents...have had cars and trks both that even in fine tune got crappy mpgs and others that seemed to just sip it..lots of factors come into play,air,type of fuel blends, carb or efi/tbi conditions,driving habits,type of trans/rear gear ratio,weight,wind and weather,elevations types of roads, etc....
 
Big block fuel economy? LOL! Head to the junkyard and pick up a 5.2 Magnum. There ya go.
 
PD74...
There is always room for improvement. While the small blocks can get decent mileage, a well tuned big block can get equal or better if a load is applied. Towing or hauling with an overworked small block shortens the life span of the engine.
 
Basics,the three V's : Vacuum secondary (T/q shines here),vacuum advance,(curve the dist properly,run it),vacuum gauge. I thought this guy was on a budget.
 
I know this is not exactly a budget thing but EFI goes along ways. Rich Nedbal got 14 mpg out of his 572" 725 hp HEMI......
 
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