Community Forums

mak1 · 10-04-2019, 02:32 PM

At one time I had a'83 HR with the big engine. Burnt some ignition wires, cracked the manifolds and got cooked out until I put the headers on....big, big difference....but very little difference in mileage.

EyezOpen · 10-04-2019, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mak1

At one time I had a'83 HR with the big engine. Burnt some ignition wires, cracked the manifolds and got cooked out until I put the headers on....big, big difference....but very little difference in mileage.

All this talk of improving gas mileage took me to a place i was not ready for...i looked into my 83 imperial 454.There is something to said for minding your own business.....what i found was my passenger side header was fractured..no exhaust leak but fractured. So time to make a plan...i see you have added headers and while i do know better i think you had a performance gain...was that gain in take away power from the curb or passing power on the fly sort to speak...or maybe both.

T12 · 10-04-2019, 07:32 PM

We have a 1984, 27ft Pace Arrow with a 454 motor home mover with HEI. Near as I can tell we are getting better than 10 mph. Mph is a combo of several things. We have headers and free flowing exhaust on ours. Ours has a carb, not tbi or injection. I like this setup because the amount of gas you use is determined by how hard you step on throttle, not by a computer. I installed a tach. Horsepower and torque are found at different rpms for different engines. Clean air filter, Lucus oil treatment, good plugs. Are your tranny bands tight? If you have a multi sectional drive line, make sure carrier bearing is well lubed if it can be. Tires are another issue. Do you have rollers or grips? Rollers get better mph, grips get better traction. Are they radials or bias ply? Radials usually get better mph. Bias ply tires handle corners better and have less sway. We have radials. Our RV is somewhat aerodynamic because it doesn't have a flat face. It is kind of wedge shaped.

EyezOpen · 10-04-2019, 09:01 PM

What to me would be most interesting would be tire size...rpm and fuel economy..while speed is important... finding the optimal rpm and econ are paramount. i can check into gearing but thats weight related and not the sweet spot for a engine.

T12 · 10-05-2019, 07:49 AM

We are blessed to live in SW Missouri. In my earlier post I mentioned several mechanical issues related to better mpg. I don't mean to but I'm sure I drive a lot of people nuts because of the way I drive. When I was a trucker it was always better for the paycheck to get somewhere fast. But I am in my 60's and don't have a great deal of income. At first, the better mpg I got from diving slower was more of a necessity. Today it is because I enjoy the scenery. Although my main focus is on the road, there are so many cool and interesting things to see along the way. Cool cars, interesting buildings, beautiful sunsets and sunrises. After I come to a stop at an intersection, I don't put the pedal to the metal, I look both way and ease on my way. My insurance company gave us a device to put in our vehicles to determine our premium. Our vehicles are paid for. We pay about $52.00 a month for 2cars and the RV. While we don't live in the RV full time we sure have a good time when we go somewhere in it. And for people like us, that is why we own one. By the way the R in RV stands for recreational,just saying. I guess I could have just said slow down a little. Save money and have a great time.

BarbSibley · 10-06-2019, 09:33 PM

If you will install a SteerSafe or something like it, you won't have the handling problems. Makes a big difference.

AnotherMike · 10-06-2019, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BA-in-Mich

I had the distributor recurved

Can you elaborate on what was involved? I need to replace the distributor on my '85 454 (worn bearings)... If recurving it would help I'll do that before I install the new distributor.

Thanks in advance

Mike

Brob · 10-07-2019, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnotherMike

Can you elaborate on what was involved? I need to replace the distributor on my '85 454 (worn bearings)... If recurving it would help I'll do that before I install the new distributor.

Thanks in advance

Mike

Recurving the distributor is basically replacing the springs and limiter of the mechanical advance to allow the full mechanical advance earlier. Typically the distributor has very stiff springs, by installing the lighter springs, your engine can achieve full mechanical advance at lower RPM. It typically increases power earlier as it makes for a leaner mixture.

GypsyR · 10-07-2019, 08:52 AM

A lot of folks into old Pony cars have grown to assume any distributor new or used for their car will be laughably out of whack. Thus they are sent out to be recurved before use. With a complete description of what condition the engine is in (hotrodded or not) and what the vehicle is realistically expected to be doing. And it's pretty much always money well spent.

mak1 · 10-07-2019, 10:41 AM

I never thought I would hear these words spoken again in my life time...

EyezOpen · 10-07-2019, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnotherMike

Can you elaborate on what was involved? I need to replace the distributor on my '85 454 (worn bearings)... If recurving it would help I'll do that before I install the new distributor.

Thanks in advance

Mike

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f65/88-wi...sue-56279.html

http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/dis...ecurving-power

GypsyR · 10-07-2019, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mak1

I never thought I would hear these words spoken again in my life time...

Getting remarried?

No really, you probably need to quote someone when making a statement like that. It is not at all clear to me what "words" are in question but since your post was made directly after my last one I am led to presume I said something unusual.

AnotherMike · 10-07-2019, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brob

Recurving the distributor is basically replacing the springs and limiter of the mechanical advance to allow the full mechanical advance earlier. Typically the distributor has very stiff springs, by installing the lighter springs, your engine can achieve full mechanical advance at lower RPM. It typically increases power earlier as it makes for a leaner mixture.

Makes sense. Any idea where I would go to have this done and what i would expect to pay? I can imagine that the spring combination for a 454 in a street muscle car would be different than my motorhome 454...

Mike

AnotherMike · 10-08-2019, 12:43 AM

THANK YOU for the pointers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by EyezOpen

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f65/88-wi...sue-56279.html

Now that was a VERY interesting thread. Looks like I am going to add a cold air intake hose and visit the carb guy in Huntington Beach... (pointer in the article) or maybe the carb guy in Ontario (no pointer provided). And if exhaust manifolds are needed then I'll go with the Tri-Y ones.

Quote:

Originally Posted by EyezOpen

Recurving Your Distributor for More Power - Corvette Fever Magazine

Very educational. I was thinking about an MSD distributor and a 6A module (don't need a 6AL). Both are available from an acquaintance that used to race. And I'm going to add the starter pushbutton to allow spinning the engine before switching on the ignition.

Mike