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Transmission decisions

I can live with that! Thank you Midlife!!

"Midlife" said:
With standard 2.80 or 3.0:1 rear ends, you can expect to be at 2000 rpm at 60 MPH in top gear. Mileage should range between 13-15 mpg in town with standard Ford tune; if you tweak the advance, you can get 17 in and around town.
 
Mid is optimistic. If your 289 is bone stock with Ford tuning and you have 3.0:1 gears you might get 13 on highway. You may get 15 around town. You see these C4 trannys have a final gear ratio of 1:1, therefore you RPMs on the highway will be around 2500 at 70. In Kalifornia where the speed limits are low you'll be OK, but out here where the speed limits are 75-80 you'll be able to watch the fuel gauge go down as you drive along.

I like and respect Mid, but I think he is wrong. Also if you use the Kalifornia blend gas you will get lower mpg.

If you do anything to your 289 you will drop your mpg with the exception of an electronic ignition. Oh, and what he didn't tell you is that his numbers are with a 2V carb.

Rock stock 289s with C4s are not loads of fun, they are fun, just not loads.

ALL IMHO....

Mel
 
I got 15mpg on the highway (purely highway) with my 351w, 3.00 pegleg, and FMX trans. It's possible :beat
 
my car always seems to need a fill up. probably in part due to the small gas tanks these cars have. Mine wasn't great on mileage when I had a stock 289 with a two barrel.

Now that I have the four barrel and other performance parts I can practically watch my gas gauge go down. I don't really care since my car is just a toy to crruise in locally on nice days
 
I had a 66 with stock 289 and C4 a few years back. I took it to Knott's the first time I went with the Cali guys. Well I lived in Cali too. Anyway it is the one I had for the first MITM in Morro Bay.

Anyway on the way up there I did the math and got 12, on the way back got 13. It was a 2V stocker. I was happy to put the Edelbrock manifold on it and the 4V holly 600. I took it to Knott's and got the same 12 to 13. I drove it at about 70 mph both times. I kinda resolved myself to the mpg.

Now the 67 with the mods on the 289 and stock 3.0:1 pegleg and T5 gets up a respectable 25 on the highway. One time I got 28. Only once. The 65 with the TKO and 3.50:1 gears gets 22-23 on the highway. Normally I don't even get that because my foot loves the floor!

Mel
 
I've never done the math but I'm probably getting about 10 mpg driving around here with all the lights, etc.

I don't know what the Stang would get on the freeway.

Might get better mileage if I ditched this Holley carb that is my main pita on the Mustang. I've threatened to ditch it a couple of times and buy one of the Summit carbs.

My Explore in town gets about 14 ish...on the freeway on cruise control it gets much better gas mileage.

The problem is I work 5 to 10 minutes from the house and don't go to town very often so I don't spend much time on the freeway.
 
"guruatbol" said:
Mid is optimistic. If your 289 is bone stock with Ford tuning and you have 3.0:1 gears you might get 13 on highway. You may get 15 around town. You see these C4 trannys have a final gear ratio of 1:1, therefore you RPMs on the highway will be around 2500 at 70. In Kalifornia where the speed limits are low you'll be OK, but out here where the speed limits are 75-80 you'll be able to watch the fuel gauge go down as you drive along.

I like and respect Mid, but I think he is wrong. Also if you use the Kalifornia blend gas you will get lower mpg.

If you do anything to your 289 you will drop your mpg with the exception of an electronic ignition. Oh, and what he didn't tell you is that his numbers are with a 2V carb.

Rock stock 289s with C4s are not loads of fun, they are fun, just not loads.

ALL IMHO....

Mel
Mel:
Not quite. My numbers are based upon documentation on my website for Midlife, which is a 4V 289, bone stock.

Here's my website: http://midlife66.com/mpg.html
 
"RustyRed" said:
If you mean legally as in on the freeway...not to much. I run up to car shows in Conroe on rare occasion but that's about it.

On the parkway here more locally where the speed limit is 45 mph...well I plead no knowledge of any wrong doing and exercise my fifth amendment rights thank you :)

I do need to look at my exhaust as well. Thinking maybe I'll keep saving up money and keep my ear to the ground for now.


Speaking of the Parkway...is this road not begging to punch it except for the pokey joes that get in front of you from time to time...


129_07_05_10_11_07_34.jpg



P.S. please notice there are no PT Cruisers leaving me in the dust :10
 
I don't know.....that dark one 3 vehicles in front of you could be a PT. We will have to wait for a certain person to reply based on his expert knowledge of the rear view of a PT from any distance but close up......
 
"AzPete" said:
I don't know.....that dark one 3 vehicles in front of you could be a PT. We will have to wait for a certain person to reply based on his expert knowledge of the rear view of a PT from any distance but close up......

COO walked by in the hall when I read your reply and had to be wondering what the heck I was laughing so hard about.

Maybe we should create a new game called "spot the Cruiser"....any time you see one a good clip ahead of you snap a picture and see if certain people can pick it out :beat
 
"Midlife" said:
Mel:
Not quite. My numbers are based upon documentation on my website for Midlife, which is a 4V 289, bone stock.

Here's my website: http://midlife66.com/mpg.html

Sorry to disagree with your website. I know it is on the web so it must be true...hehehehe...Anyway, my comments are from actual daily driving in SoCal and in the low desert in Cali. Maybe it is all due to the Cali crap gas blend. I don't know since one of them was in the early 80s. I can tell you when I put 302 heads on the 66 I had a few years ago it seemed that the cheaper the gas the better it liked it. Probably due to the larger chamber size and thus a lower compression.

Like I said I do respect you, just disagree this time.

Mel
 
Ya all know that tire brand, inflation pressure and size will also change the results as will altitude, gas mix, and your off the stop acceleration. Don't forget the little things plus no two cars will be identical.
 
I've been kicking around the idea of buying an extra C4 and just rebuilding one myself. Not sure how exactly to do it but the video link given above http://www.badshoeproductions.com/products.html#c4 looks like it would be helpful.

I am pretty much done with the Mustang for the most part anyway and have time for a project...might learn something in the process and could add the parts I want like the valve body from Summit racing, figure out how to put in a non-stock stall converter, etc, etc.

Anyone think it would be difficult to rebuild a C4? I think it would be fun and a learning experience.

Figure if I pick up an extra for cheap then I can take my time rebuilding it and still have my car on the road while the tranny is in progress.
 
"RustyRed" said:
Anyone think it would be difficult to rebuild a C4? I think it would be fun and a learning experience.
I've rebuilt a couple, and they're a piece of cake to rebuild. I didn't have any videos, just the Haynes manual.
 
"66gt350" said:
I've rebuilt a couple, and they're a piece of cake to rebuild. I didn't have any videos, just the Haynes manual.

This is the easiest automatic to rebuild - my son (15 at the time) rebuilt his with minor supervision. I like the Haynes manual too - just be sure to be clean and well organized!

-Rory
 
I think I will give it a try.

What I want to find first is a second transmission. Figure that way I can take my time. Nothing worse than getting in a hurry to get your car back on the road. I've found hurry equals mistakes.

The one in the car doesn't have any slip or anything along those lines but the last time I am aware of that it was rebuilt was 15 years ago. I could just change out a few parts like the valve body on it and call it a day but if I have a new motor might as well have a rebuilt tranny as well. Besides with my luck I'd upgrade the existing one and it'd crap out on me.

Another benefit would be if I did have an issue with the rebuilt one I could put the existing one back in while I figure out my mistake.

After a trial period if all is well I could always sell off the one I have now or keep it for any future projects that might come along.
 
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