RoswellGrey

Only trouble was, that was at 55 mph, downhill, with the wind behind you.

mopar2ya

Actually not... carb was aftermarket Holley "econo-master" designed for fuel economy, and resulted in 25 mpg at cruising speed on the highway. For real, not an exaggeration or play on numbers. My point is we really should be seeing better numbers in the cars today... why we don't is really beyond me...

jh27n0b

The reason is weight and power robbing accessories which also adds weight.
Bob

lear4406

I'm not one to call someone out... but that seems a little high. They (Nova) had the 700 R4 trans and a 4" bored 350. It must of had a really tall gear to get that kind of mileage. I'm not saying this is not true, but it seems unusual to me to get that kind of mileage when today they have 5.7s that are multiple displacement, fuel managment and they are just getting that kind of mileage. Thet use a 5-speed auto and cut down to 4cyl. A 5.7 is 345 cid. The best I remember from the 350 Chevies would be 18-19 with granny shifting and a lot of highway miles But I'm not a GM guy so I might be wrong on this and we have some sharp guys here and they will set me sraight if I'm wrong

RoswellGrey

Well, I suppose 25 mpg with a Nova 350 could be accomplished with the Economaster carb, an overdrive transmission and very careful driving. I know that one time during the gas crisis of 1979, a buddy and I were able to get 20 mpg out of his '69 Chevelle SS 396 on the highway between Minneapolis and Des Moines. We had to -- hardly any gas stations were open, since it was a Sunday. Also, the 1976 Plymouth "Feather Duster" was reputed to get up to 36 mpg on the highway -- and at only 180 pounds lighter than a conventional Duster, it was a fairly large car by today's standards.
I think mopar's real point is very valid, however. If respectable mileage was possible with what were, mechanically, relatively primitive vehicles, why isn't it a lot better today? Now, you have to get something like a Honda Civic to see figures like 36 mpg on the highway. And the tiny SmartCar only rates about 40 mpg. For the millions and millions of dollars that have been spent on research over the years, you'd think there would be a lot more to show for it.
Speaking of mileage, I should note that last month, my wife and I were back in Des Moines to see her relatives. We rented a Dodge Caliber, and it got 24 mpg in strictly in-town driving -- I didn't even use the freeway. Not a bad vehicle, except you can't see the front end at all because of the extremely long dashboard and the way the hood slopes downward -- and I'm 6-2. She's only 5-3 and didn't even want to try driving it because because of this rather strange feature.