swapping to a mild cam, more MPG?

[reitsma]

Hi

been buying upgrades for my stock 304; good condition engine but want to make it more cheaper/efficient to run. 4whl drive with 4 speed manual. It will be the summer cruiser for my family, will see little off road activity, but will take it out for a spin once-a-while.

Bought the headers & aluminium manifold from Jeff, a Holley TBI with closed loop oxygen sensor and swapped for an electronic ignition unit (pertronix).

Than I was looking for swapping the cam, is this a servicable part? I mean to say, how much work is it to swap this part and will it give me more mpg?

The 304 will otherwise be pampered by swepco oil, new performance coil, plugs, leads, etc.

Hoping to get 1 liter to 7-8 km's on average with long trips, too idealistic? I am not interested in swapping to a diesel engine, what's the fun in that?

input welcome.

 

[RobertC]

I do not consider a cam swap a servicable part -- too much time (and cost involved) -- even if you value your time at zero... I would only consider a cam change when the engine was rebuilt or the cam bearings needed replacing.

I do not know if I did the metric conversion correctly, but I come up with a 18 - 21 mpg figure,

this is too optimistic as far as I am concerned.

I would consider 15 - 18 (a stretch) mpg - given the terrain / roads in norway - 15 mpg May be good.

And, I would advise driving it for a year and see what mileage you get before considering a cam change.

I used the "mildest" isky cam in my ihon 392 rebuild (1210 t/a), but I vacilate on any mpg improvement. On my "best thinking" days, I think it is 10% (from 10 - 11 mpg) on the highway. I have gotten 12 - 13 mpg on "single runs" -- more prevalent if cruising speed is under 65 mph. But, I also got 12 - 13 mph with the original engine on "optimal runs"... T/a does have a t-34 5 speed overdrive transmission.

 

[mcgyver]

Just chiming in here,but it seems to me ,any time you spend money to save money, you really ought to do the math.
I just bought gas today at $ 3.20. If it cost $500.00 to go from 15mpg to 18mpg, I would break even some where around
14,000 miles. I was wondering if any one else has been playing with a hydrogen generator.with my Scout 80, it's easy to run
either tank dry and put in a measured amount. In doing that with and without the generator I keep showing a %23 improvement.
As I said in the begining, I'm not in to spending money to see if something works, so I made one with what I could find around
here. I'm sold on the idea and will now make a good one. I expect 20+ mpg @ 65mph