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Gas Mileage?

47K views 29 replies 19 participants last post by  85chevycamino 
#1 ·
I am just starting do drive with a learners permit and I have always wanted an el camino. Locally there is a 1972 ss el camino with a 350 v8. I am just wondering if anyone knows what kind of gas mileage they get.
 
#2 ·
I don't have a third gen, but I would guess 13-15, depending on the mods. But if you get behind the wheel of that thing, you won't worry about gas mileage :cool: .......... But it may sting when you have to fill it up :-(

By the way, welcome to the forum! let us know what u decide. But don't let the gas mileage alone scare you off.
 
#4 ·
Realisitc

Ok, I'm 20 and honestly if you are just turning 15/16 and you are looking at a 3rd gen SS with a 350 you are not going to drive this thing like a grandma and theres no way in hell its going to remain stock.

As is (meaning stock) and driving like me you will probably get about 9 - 12 MPG. Thats realistic. If you are trying to convince your dad to buy it because its economical tell him the average driver (30 - 50 yrs old) will be getting 14 - 15 mpg city. Its pretty good and its a solid structure compared to a plastic import. :D
 
#5 ·
There is no way I can get that one it is 15k, I just wanted to get an idea of what kind of mileage they get. Also I didn't think about the insurance on a car like that considering insurance is going to be insane as it is. What about a 5th gen el camino. What kind of mileage do they get. I don't care what year it is but I want one that would be good/decent on gas and one that insurance wouldn't be high, and I have a car budget of around 5-6k.
 
#6 ·
the gas mileage on my 83 is very good its only a 305 wich i think is better for a beginner driver not too fast so you most likely wont wrap it around a tree or a telephone pole... although i do not know the miles per gallon i can tell you that i took it to hayward ca from modesto ca and back. then the next day went from my house to school about 15 miles in the city and back and to work and back for the next 2 days about 10 miles to work, before filling up again. oh yeah from modesto to hayward is about 70 miles. so i got 210 miles on my tank so lets do math. 22 gallon tank so 210 divided by 22 comes out to 9.5 miles a gallon...so actually its not very good if a 350 is getting the same if not more miles than i am with a 305 i just have a big tank. so disregard all the things i said about being very good on gas. but i can say that my gas needle doesnt work so i dont actually know if i was low on gas or not. it could be better. maybe someone else will be able to help more than me this was pretty much a waste of time for me to type this. I still think that a 305 is good enough for a 16 year old you got the sound of a v8 just not as much power as a trans am or z28.
 
#7 ·
PM

Just PM'd you
 
#10 ·
I have a 79 with a 267, auto. I took it on a 350 mile trip last week, mostly interstate driving and got around 25 mpg. Kept it around 65 mph and had a topper on the back. I didn't get as good of mileage on the way home without the topper.
 
#12 ·
anything with a v8 will have a rumble with the right exhaust "or no exhaust"
what you do is find a v6 fithgen and put a v8 in it like mine lol insurance is as if it were a two wheel drive s10 pretty cheap
 
#13 ·
WOW I want one even more now. I was dreading that they got horrible gas mileage so hearing they get pretty good is a relief. As for finding a v6 and putting a v8 in there, I know little about cars there is no way I could do that but it is ingenious. All I have to do is find one now, there aren't any for sale locally and I don't know where I could get one.
 
#14 ·
My '85 305 cu in with K&N air filter, true dual exhausts and low profile topper gets 18 to 23 MPG on the highway. I have checked this on several long trips. I keep the Elky in good tune, have all the original emissions equipment intact. Believe gas milage in town is about 15 MPG. The Highway mileage depend on wind conditions and speed. Speed limit on I-70 east of Denver is 75 MPH, get about 18 to 20 MPG at that speed. I believe the topper is responsible for some of the decent mileage. Doug
 
#15 ·
From my research, 4th gen cheaper, V6 fifth better mileage..

From my research, 4th gen cheaper, V6 fifth better mileage, particularly with an OD trans.
A "Grand National" V6 engine should be a simple swap when you have more money, without completely lying to your insurance company.

My STOCK '78 with 350/350 4V carb gets about 22 on the highway if I keep it down around 70, town mileage is bad due to low speed circuit of the carb being loused up.
I expect a significant mileage improvement once I install the F.I. system I bought.
 
#16 ·
I got my 64 when I was 16 and spent too many years running around with too much carb/cam and gears. It got horrible mileage, somewhere around 10, but I'm convinced now I could build a combo with a 283 or 327 that would still run 13 second et's and get 20 mpg. The key is tuning, which I didn't know when I was younger....more is always better right?

Devin
 
#17 ·
Something you may want to think about. the 86 and 87 had an overdrive tranny option, so if you find one of those around, you'll be able to get much better gas mileage without having to swap the trans yourself.

another thing, a fifth gen will not perform like the third gen in stock form. When I started looking for one I was 15 and didn't know much about cars, but I was expecting the fifth gens I looked at to be good performers. There were several I looked at that already had a 350 swapped in, but my dad convinced me to buy the bone-stock 305, which I will be pulling out tomorrow (two years after I bought it) and doing the 350 swap like everyone else.

If you go with a fifth gen, I can almost promise you that you won't be satisfied with the 305. It is rated at 140 Hp and is a terrible platform to try to "build up". there are a ton of 350 swap 5th gens out there for sale, so you may want to look into those.
 
#18 ·
My 78 has a 350 with comp. magnum cam,holley 650 street avenger carb., 200r4 tranny and 2.41 rear gears. It gets 10 mpg around town and 18 on the highway. I hope the milage improves when I get the 3.73 gears installed. I hope this helps.
 
#19 ·
a 305 might not be a bad idea to find though

learn how to drive it and when you want a lil more power you can learn how to do something like an intake swap and when your ready for a 350 you can swap every thing off of the 305 to the 350 well everything except the pistons
 
#21 ·
hagensen 78 said:
My 78 has a 350 with comp. magnum cam,holley 650 street avenger carb., 200r4 tranny and 2.41 rear gears. It gets 10 mpg around town and 18 on the highway. I hope the milage improves when I get the 3.73 gears installed. I hope this helps.
city mileage may improve slightly but your highway mileage will probably get worse
 
#22 ·
I was getting 18 MPG (city driving) in my 85 with a 4.3 V6 completely stock. With my 350 at about 325HP and all emmission gear intact I get 12.5 MPG. I'll be honest......I can't drive it slow either :)

You can find 85 to 87 models with a 4.3 for $2,500.00 to $ 3,500.00. Typically they do not sell for as much because most every one wants a V8. You can also put on a Flowmaster single line in dual line out muffler for about $100.00 and it will sound very good. No one wanted to believe I was running a V6 when I installed that set up.

Take your time looking for one.....you'll be glad you did later. I drove my V6 for about 3 or so years before I swapped engines out.
 
#23 ·
My modified 350 TPI with 3.90 rear gearing gets absolutely excellent gas mileage regardless of speed or conditions!

Every once in a while though, I have to take it off the trailer.

Take care.
 
#24 ·
I don't quite understand why folks can't get decent mileage with these cars, here's the deal as I understand it.
Gas mileage is predominately determined by the weight of the vehicle and the rolling resistance more so than the size of the engine....the power required to move a vehicle down the road does not change because the engine size changes.....hard skinny tires roll easier than soft fat tires and aerodynamic bricks (like our crucks) have more wind resistance then the kidney bean shaped ricers, not to mention twice the weight too.
That's not to say that the engine size doesn't effect fuel economy---it does just not dramatically....
When you compare apples to apples the only difference is the amount of fuel it takes to overcome the difference in internal resistance in the two engines. A larger -low compression engine consumes less fuel than a smaller high compression engine etc..
The key is volumetric efficiency, or getting the right air/fuel ratio into the engine and getting it to burn completely and at the appropriate time to produce the maximum usable power-----to say it plainer fuel inject it , tune it up good and enjoy it.
Just as an example, my Monte Carlo SS has a 383 stroker with a throttle body fuel injection system, an overdrive automatic and a 3.73 rear gear--it gets near 20 to a gallon when I can keep my foot out of it--(pretty easy really cause when you stick it to it it will scare you pretty quick) and runs pretty consistent high 12 second quarters on street tires, it has all the accessories intact--and starts and drives like a stocker...............Dan
 
#25 ·
So what type of mileage will I be looking at for my 305 with this list of new parts..


Edelbrock High-Rise Intake Manifold
OEM Fuel Pump
High Velocity Oil Pump
High Rise Valve Covers
K&N Air Filter
OEM Thermostat
OEM Water Pump
OEM Cap/Rotor/Plugs/Wiring
Chrome Thermostat Neck
Exhaust:
Dynomax Blackjack Shorty Headers
2¼” Tubing
Borla Mufflers
Vibrant Chrome Tailpipes

The OEM just means its a stock but new replacement.
Also, most if not all of the emissions stuff has been taken off.

Thanks for the help, I am actually considering a new car mainly because of mileage.
 
#26 ·
I particularly like your use of "go-fast" bits, but doubt that you will able to discern any appreciable economy improvements from these following items:

High Rise Valve Covers
Chrome Thermostat Neck
Vibrant Chrome Tailpipes

:p :lol:
 
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