We out in the South Oregon Pacific Coast area are getting reamed (read: screwed) on our gas prices. I am in the middle of a quandry - will my stock 68 slant get better mileage than a stock 273? If so, what can I expect? Is it enough to leave the six in?? I have both plants available. An eight would probably increase resale, however, I wanna drive this thing everyday eventually, and with the way we seem to be going, I need to do what is economically feasible. Any advice would be welcome, especially on any mods I can do to make the fuel last a little longer. I commute nearly 40 miles a day to work. I seem to recall my folks 72 charger with a 318 pulling low 20's. I have never been able to get more than 18 out of a slant.
Mark

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On the Oregon coast, where late at night you can hear everything rust

I'd be interested to learn what you consider "royally screwed" on gas prices. Perhaps the spike will finally get Self Serve on the ballot in your state.

A slant-6 set up for economy will get better mileage than a 273 set up for economy. You don't give a lot of info on your setup...what kind of car, what kind of transmission, how many miles on the engine, what rear axle ratio, etc., so it's difficult to give you concrete pointers on what to do to set up a mileage maker.

Well. in some areas of the state, gas is $1.70, here on the coast it is $2.19 and rising, diesel is $2.79 and rising, and the gas comes here to be shipped by truck!!! So what is the extra cost? Greed.

Yes, I'd be for self service and a sales tax too, but....

The car is a 1964 Valiant convertible. The engine is a 225 slant with one barrel, single exhaust, bone stock. Trans is a push-button three speed 904.
Tires are P20570R14, rear end gears are stock 3.23 - using a 7 1/4 rear axle.

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On the Oregon coast, where late at night you can hear everything rust

You've got a ways to go before those gas prices are in "rape" territory. Do some travelling outside the US—heck, go to California!—and you'll see real high gas prices.

Next question: How much money are you prepared to spend to improve your gas mileage? You could put together a real mileage-maker by swapping in a high-compression 170 engine (or a 198 crank and rods into the 225 block) with a fully-programmable spark-and-port-fuel-injection management system such as an SDS, Dutra Dual exhaust system, a 4-speed overdrive transmission and a 2.93 rear axle ratio, a set of "green" tires inflated high, and get dåmn near 40mpg on the highway. But do the math, and you'd find the payback time would be measured in decades.

You could do any or all of the following to your 225: The Dutra Duals, put on a carefully-built small (170-size) carburetor, put in a 2.76 rear axle and an electric radiator fan, duct the air cleaner, go to electronic ignition and recurve the distributor, and your MPGs would go up (probably way up).

BTW, the OR coast is one of my very favorite parts of the US.

Oregon has a fuel tax above the national average and the state requires special winter blends for pollution controls. You also have a requirement that an attendant pump gas and your state mandated minimum wage is more than $2 above the federal minimum. I'd say your price problem lies in state government and is more the result of green than greed.

Heck I'm in the middle of nowhere KS & it's 1.99 & I pump--------------- not even sure what or if, I can find a full service pump!!!!!!

Yep, I know other places are getting hosed. Where I live, the uneployment rate is highest in the nation, hence we feel it a little more than other places perhaps.

So let me see if I got this right - a smaller carb (got one), dual exhausts,
an electric fan (instead of the fan blade behind the radiator?) a different rear end. Duct the air cleaner...like run ahose to the radiator core support like they did in the mid 70's and up? Okay, electronic ignition (got it) and recurve the dist - got me there.

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On the Oregon coast, where late at night you can hear everything rust