Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

Here is a Mobilgas ad from 1954.

Mind you these cars were being driven in the most conservative manner between 30 and 50 mph. Today's drivers are so rude and impulsive that I hate driving. I've seen enough death on the motorways to fill a graveyard. That doesn't mean that I drive under the speed limit as my modern car will easily outperform a J model Duesenberg.

It's 22 degrees here and I'm going to walk a mile to post a letter.

Attach file:

---

  ad-1.jpg (119.10 KB)

When I first got my project Packard, I was contacted by the daughter of the first owner, who said when it was last on the road (in 1969) it was getting 11 mpg for fuel and about the same for oil. Well I have since rebuilt the engine, so that should fix the oil thirst, but I am not expecting micro-car mileage from a low comp flathead with 3.9 gears and no OD. That's imperial gallons not US by the way.
Gary

I remember reading about those economy runs and some of the tricks the drivers used. Tires pumped up to be rock hard, accelerator pumps removed from the carb and coast (engine off) down to about 5 MPH then slowly speed up to about 35 and then coast again plus a few other things that I have forgotten

The whole thing smacks of gimmickry, but I put it up because it was mentioned. I don't think the Chevy Six ever did better than 18 mpg overall, but that is 100 more miles per tank than a Packard. And due to reciprocating losses the small V-8 would do better on gas than the six. I had a Ford V-8 that would do better than a Chevy Six. But when I look at the engine bay of the Chevy Six with stick shift it sure is a better way of life.

In my experience, I think the 327 with the 4bbl carb and the Ultramatic, on a Cavalier or Patrician, isn't going to do better than 15 mpg, and city traffic or sustained highway driving at 65 (or more) is worse, down probably to the 10 mpg level,due to the Ultramatic (in town) and the 3.54 ratio without overdrive, which makes the engine spin pretty fast at highway speeds.

Interestingly enough, it seems like before I rebuilt the engine, when performance was noticeably poorer, I got better fuel mileage. I think that is because I am heavier into the pedal - driving style contributes a lot.

My 1954 Patrician (359 w/Ultramatic) would often get 16, occasionally nudging 17 mpg on easy Interstate highway driving. That was pre-ethanol containing fuel so today it would probably get about 5% less.

One thing about the road test reports is they correct for odometer error. My Dodge had 2% speedometer and 2% odometer error so so my 45 was actually 44.

My 282 got 9 and small change on it's first half a tank. Didn't trust the gas gauge and refuse to push. I fill it to the brim, so I know that I'm consistent there. Damn thing takes a long time to fill. The engine has a bit over 300 miles on its rebuild, so I don't expect much. And those miles are around town. After saying all of the above, I have no conclusions.

Walt,
Like you I rebuilt my engine last year and now is broken in after 3000 miles, I actually track my fuel mileage and use regular 87 ethonal fuel with the correct amount of Marvel on every fill up. My best milage on the road when I was returning from a Car show about 100 miles from my house was 22.9 with my overdrive engauged, I topped her off when I started home and as soon as I reqached home topped her off, As far as my city/highway fuel mileage I am averaging 11.2, at times I get as low as 9, bit generally between 11 - 12, I have the 282 engine and use 15W40 Rotella oil, so most likely you will experiance the same

My '37 120 conv. coupe gets around 15 to 16 MPG with a mix of bad gravel road and 2 lane at 45 to 55 MPH. I'm sure it would do a little better with a carburetor rebuild, since it obviously both leaks fuel and runs rich. The car weighs 3660 and has a 4.09 axle. 7.00 16 bias ply tires. 24 PSI cold. Odometer checks out to be very accurate.The engine has an iron HC head, which should give 7:1 compression.