Fast Wagons! Circle your wagons here

I'm not sure where you are getting your numbers from, but even the 351 in the vaunted Lightning only made 240hp and 325 ft-lbs. The numbers I have found on the older four barrel 5.8 HO are 210hp and 305 ft-lbs. I don't see any way the 2bbl VV carb'd 351's were making 215hp much less 390 ft-lbs.

I have no idea how you've managed to effectively double your gas mileage with a four barrel carburetor and dual exhaust, but more power to you.

 

Mileage? Gross...

This is the "performance" thread, let's talk gallons per mile not miles per gallon or i'm outa here

 

I am enjoying watching this discussion unfold. I have been back and forth on what to do for engine upgrades. I had been thinking about getting it rebuilt and stroked to 347, then putting Edelbrock heads, intake manifold, carb, and reuse my electronic ignition. I was hoping that combination would yield me 350 hp at the crank, and at least 250 hp at the rear wheels.

I can't use nitrous (voids my insurance), but I can use boost. I do like the idea of a turbo setup. With the 347 build up, I would keep in mind later adding a turbo to the seutp and plan the build accordingly. With a single turbo, I was hoping to add another 50-75 hp at the rear wheels.

Also, I don't use my wagon as a daily driver, so gas mileage isn't a priority. I like Lump's calculations - $ per cylinder and gallons per mile. If I can get around 15, that's good enough.

 

50-75? You are setting the bar pretty low. To go to all the trouble of fabbing up some turbo headers, even non-intercooler on pump gas, you should target minimum 2HP per cube. That's easy peasy.

 

Calm down.... every good thread gets high jacked.......


I get 90 MPG and do the 1/4 mile in 4.1 factory stock !!!! so there:banana:....in my dreams..

 

Lump: What is wrong with a car that gives plenty of usable performance AND something approaching fuel economy at the same time? I ran BFG CompT/A HR-4s on the 89, simply because they were the only tire I tried that could handle the weight and torque of the car. That beast ran with the Mustangs, and handled better than any 4 door, 2 ton TANK should ever have thought of. Mind you, stiff bushings, 1 1/4 inch front and 1 inch rear anti-sway bars will do that for you. That it matched an 89 Honda Civic for mileage was pure gravy as far as I was concerned.

 

Our definitions of "plenty" are different. Everyone has their own thing they like to do - i like to go fast.

If my daily driver truck has more horsepower and torque than my "fun" vehicle - it's just not fun for me.

Maybe when i'm 60+ yrs old i will be more interested in mileage?

 

I guess it also depends on how much you drive. At about 40,000 miles a year, fuel bills do matter in a daily driver. And by 'plenty' I mean a car that would cruise at 100+ mph and not even notice, and would do that from morning until night. I never had any shortage of power on and off the highway, either, no matter how laden the car was, and there were times it was well and truly loaded down, right up to max weight capacity. I never did find out the top speed of the Mercury. The fastest I ever had it was 200 km/h, or 125 mph. Still had plenty of throttle available at that speed, too.

 

You really don't know how cool a pacer is. Do you? And you have the very rare station wagon too?!

 

Here is a photo of my fat ass and the 1967 Falcon Futura wagon I found in a junkyard. 289 was broken and frozen so it is in the junk pile now. Got a 427 CID SB now and kept the c-4. Its a manuel shift now. Putting in some 3-88 gears in the stock ford true trak rear end and some competition engineering slide o link traction bars. Interior is completely original and bone stock as is the body. It is a two owner car and I am one of those. Absolutely rust free even though it was sitting in three feet of mud when I found it. The engine should make around 6 bills and the car weighs 3600 with me in it. I might have the wife drive it though as she has better reaction time than I do.

 

Mike, I get it, your wagon gets infinite mileage, up hill both ways, hauling twenty fat chicks after dinnertime, and has more than enough power for anyone LOL You're right, nobody would ever want something with more power or worse mileage, I stand corrected...



unkldave - bada$$ car! love the futura, you will embarass many people on the street

 

My Wagon .... from the past

 

And with one of the other paint jobs........

 

awesome pics Glenn!

 

Thanks Lump,

It looks like this now ....