Two dana 44's?

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Iron Cross

New member
I am sitting on a Scout with 2 Dana 44's. My question for these two axels is problably simple. I am strongly considering using a crate engine since your standard 304 or 345 engine is less than economical with a 4 spd trans. I have a Dana 44 in front and rear w/ a 4" lift my Dad purchased. I have been told that the 304+ that you might as well plan on bad fuel economy. I plan on using this as a daily driver as welll as in the hills and once in a while the dunes.

Things this noob has considered; rebuild the 304 it came with, replace with 345 "last consideration" or purchase a crate engine "strongest consideration" and have better fuel economy and performance overall.


Again I have a Dana 44 front and rear and plan to use 33's or so and alreay have about a 4" lift. I am looking for a engine that will perform on the road, off road etc.


I am wanting a full restore and am brand new to this. I want to get her running for now and after that a piece at a time.

Thanks in advance for any help!
Respectfully,
-dave:confused5:
 
So what was your question regarding the axles? Did I miss something? Going with a crate engine means big upfront $$$ unless you already have one bolted to a stand in your gee-rodge. Sure, you might gain 2-3 average mpg and @ 2k more skirt-lifting revs on the top end beyond a properly tuned sv8. Even at $4 per gallon, its going to be quite awhile before you offset that upfront expense. There are other factors that influence the poor fuel economy of most any IH vehicle such as aerodynamics, overall weight and the size of your right foot. It isn't just the engine. While a sbc would certainly shave off a couple hundred pounds, it does nothing to improve aerodynamics. And if you're intoxicated by the sounds a wound-out v8 makes, the gas gauge will be moving from right to left in a hurry.

Yes, rebuilding an sv8 can also be quite costly. How have you determined that yours is in such dire need of that service at this point? Perhaps all it really needs is a full tune-up to negate decades of abuse and neglect. You might be surprised how many more times the ol' pig will oink when its happy.
 
I have a sbc Chevy in my Scout, bought it rebuilt from someone who couldn't finish their project due to the economy. There are deals like this all over the place due to the economy.

It really moves out even with 3:31 gears, and cruises down the freeway at 1900 rpms with the 700r4.

It is alot of work though, its much easier to restore then it is to engineer a custom swap.

At the end of the day its all about what you want
 
I too am confused by your question.

All my IH's run IH motors because, well to be perfectly honest, its the easiest. If I need to swap it out I can pick up a "good runner" for a couple hundred bucks and swap it in in an afternoon (not really but effectively). If your new to this swap a Scout motor with a Scout motor, as you learn more you can learn the parts required to swap between all IH sv motors.

Properly tuned, and with a mildly built Scout you should be able to get 12-15 mpg with easy driving, highway and not too much hot rodding. If you think that sounds like crap consider that a modern pick up, even with a small v-8 or v6, less weight and modern aerodynamics gets only 16-18, and a Scout can be cheaper to operate.

They are not "efficient" dd'ers. They are heavy, 1960's technology bricks going down the road, but they are fun, heavy, 1960's technology bricks going down the road. If you want economy get a second "dd" car. A 30 mpg+ honda, toyota or whatever. Heck, some new econboxes can be gotten for around 10k and you don't have to do anything but put gas in it for the next 5 years or so. Keep the Scout as a hobby.
 
I would echo what Mark a. Has said.

When you are talking about a heavy, brick shaped hunk no matter what is under the hood it is going to take a lot of dead dinosaurs to get it down the road.

While fuel economy was never really a major consideration when the sv engines were designed and built, there is no reason not to expect an sv304 turning 15+ mpg in a Scout II. I get an honest 13 mpg in my 3/4-ton 4x4 t-all that has the sv304 and 4-speed. I even get 10+ mpg when towing my 26' avion travel trailer.

A properly tuned sv engine run on relatively decent fuel will turn in many years of service with little to no muss or fuss.

When you consider what it is going to cost to put in a crate engine with all of the special "tooling" that will be required to make it work one has to wonder how many years of driving it will take before you "pay" for the swap in increased fuel economy.

At the end of the day, it is your ride and you will do what you want with it. But the "what is it" factor will be greatly reduced with a non-'binder power package.

Good luck.
 
I get an honest 14.5 mpg from a '71 travelette with a 345 5sp. For those who don't know the travelette, while the name sounds small, is a 3/4 ton 4 door long bed pickup. Only 13.5 from the Scout.
 
Well good thing peopleput 2 and together and answered the question I meant to ask on gas milage.

I talked to a Scout connection lin (sp?) who's been working on Scout's for 40+ yrs. And he can build me a 345 with a GM fuel injected 2 barrel carb. That will produce 18/21 mpg.

I am strongly considering going this route unless someone else presents me with a better idea.

Thanks for the replies,
-dave
 
I would think 15-18 mpg is a more reasonable estimate.

I am not saying you can't get 20+ mpg in a Scout. Variables such as gear ratios, tire size and type, driving habits, location, etc. Have so much impact on results that saying 18+ mpg is estimating a little on the high side.

But that is imho.
 
marko said:
I would think 15-18 mpg is a more reasonable estimate.

I am not saying you can't get 20+ mpg in a Scout. Variables such as gear ratios, tire size and type, driving habits, location, etc. Have so much impact on results that saying 18+ mpg is estimating a little on the high side.

But that is imho.
Click to expand...

X2. 18-21 sound a bit of talking out their a.... I've heard of people claim that, but they are few and far between. A solid 16 mpg I would say is a more reasonable, reachanble goal. And alot of that will depend on the factors the marko lists in the above posts.

scouts are meant to be fun, not "efficiant daily drivers". Take the top off (like they are meant to be) and efficancy goes out the window.
 
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