welcome dont worry about gas milage on the ranch i have a 67 country with a 390 and get 17mpg stock but tons of enjoyment per mile:2_thumbs_up_-_anima
Boy...times have changed. I have seen a lot of people swap a V8 into the hole that used to be filled with a 6 cylinder but never the other way around. I am not a Ford guy, except I love the 302, but I think you are going to have problems with that switch. Tranny, engine & wiring. It would be my suggestion to find the wagon that you want with a 6 in it from the factory. Not easy, I don't imagine, but, maybe a lot less headaches. I also think that, if you do make the switch, you may not get the whopping gas savings that you may think. I had a Lincoln Mark VII that has the same drive line as the Mustang. I have a heavy foot and that 302 (5.0) got 23 & 24 MPG religiously with combo city/hwy driving. Just sayin'
Best mileage from a 352 Ok lets say I forget about puttin a six in. What can be done to tune a 352 for optimum gas mileage? Smaller carb? different cam? It just sounds like a gas guzzlin monster ready to suck money out of my wallet. Other than that I cant tell you how much I love the lines on that '65 Ranch Wagon. Also...wasn't the Ranch Wagon the base model? What will be missing compaired to the Ranch Sedan or the Country Squire? FORD GUYS FORGIVE ME! But I'm just learnin about these blue ovals!
aboz- Yes, the Ranch Wagon was the base model, followed by the Country Sedan, and then Country Squire. The Country Sedan is going to have more standard equipment and appearance trim, such as rocker moldings, bright window frames (rather than just painted), and nicer interior seat covers and door panels. Interior and exterior color choices would be less plentiful on the Ranch Wagon. I know there are a couple 65 owners here in the forum, and since I'm more versed in 66's, anyone who knows better is free to clarify. Here is a link to a Popular Science article from Dec 64, comparing an Impala, Galaxie and Fury III. The Galaxie had a 352 and AT. The fuel mileage was recorded at 15.8 mpg. I'm going to assume that was average for overall testing conditions. However, I wouldn't expect too much more than that, no matter what you do to tune or modify it. http://www.348-409.com/literature/1965_psroadtest.html If you want to browse a good forum for technical info and modifications, check out the Ford FE Forums. Do some searches for gas mileage: http://www.network54.com/Index/10214 Interesting item here - There is a classic car dealer in the Northwest that posts YouTube videos showing a short spin around the block in cars that are for sale. Here is a 65 Ranch Wagon from last year. Amazingly they didn't know if it was a full-size or Fairlane. In any case, fun little video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvnL_kbk2xM&feature=related
thats your mind playin tricks on you....... aboz....the easiest way to make a 352 get milage....is to turn it into a mid 80's injected 302
Thanks for the Popular Science article. I love seeing old magazine advertisements like that. I recall my '65 Biscayne sedan I had in high school with the 3-speed, manual steering/brakes, and the 230cid six had no trouble achieving 19-21mpg in mixed driving, and I was still 16-17 back then so I wasn't exactly easy on it. According to automobile-catalog.com, which admittedly is only about half complete (they say through the L's, so I use Buicks or Chevies for Olds/Pontiac and Fords for Mercury) your wagon weighs 4233lbs and they claim from a computer simulation it should get 9.1mpg US. Ouch. "FORD RANCH WAGON Station Wagon Thunderbird V-8 Cruise-O-Matic, model year 1965, version for North America U.S. with 5-door wagon body type, RWD (rear-wheel drive) and automatic 3-speed gearbox. Basic specs and characteristics: petrol (gasoline) engine of 5766 cm3 / 351.9 cui displacement with advertised power 186.5 kW / 250 hp / 254 PS ( SAE gross ) / 4400 and 477 Nm / 352 lb-ft / 2800 of torque. Dimensions: this model outside length is 5334 mm / 210 in, it’s 1966 mm / 77.4 in wide, 1440 mm / 56.7 in high and has wheelbase of 3023 mm / 119 in. The value of a drag coefficient, estimated by a-c, is Cd = 0.58 . Standard wheels were fitted with tires size 8.15 - 15. Reference vehicle weights are: official base curb weight 1920 kg / 4233 lbs . How fast is that car ? Performance: top speed 178 km/h (111 mph) (theoretical); accelerations 0- 60 mph 9.7 s; 0- 100 km/h 10.3 s (a-c simulation); 1/4 mile drag time (402 m) 17.1 s (a-c simulation). Fuel consumption and mileage: official: , average estimated by a-c: 25.9 l/100km / 10.9 mpg (imp.) / 9.1 mpg (U.S.) / 3.9 km/l ." By comparison, my Biscayne sedan with the six only weighed 3505lbs and they claim 14mpg from the same computer simulation. That's 40% below what I calculated by hand. So if they're off by 40% or so...then 13mpg seems about right and 15.8 from that test just goes to show their sedan weighs less than the wagon, and might even be geared different. You'd often find wagons with 3.25 rears and sedans with 3.00. Tow package vehicle got even higher gears. Then by the 70s the 2.75 and 2.47 were more common in the pumpkin.
