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3F improving fuel consumption tips and tricks?

Higgins

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Feb 17, 2015
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australia
Just wondering what people have done to improve their fuel consumption for the 3f petrol?
 
You have an engine that dates back to Chevrolets 1st 6cyl in 1929 when petrol was 2c a gallon. since then it has had umpteen upgrades and nothing GM ever did improved the economy although they got more power out of it.
Some time in the 1950s, the US congress allowed GM to sell the design to Toyota (NISSAN got an old truck motor from Austin in the UK) . Toyota played around with it ,releasing 4 versions of it and never improved the economy.
The best you can do is add some electronic ignition which will give it a hotter blue spark,some good leads. Get the carb tested and/or rebuilt. Keep the valves adjusted. Keep your tyres hard.
The other thing is to convert it to run on LPG ,which increases the consumption by about 15% but economical if the LPG is cheap.Of course , the conversion cost is quite high and it would take you years to recoup it.

But there is nothing that is going to improve it by 20% or even 10 or 5%. Except drive it downhill and push it uphill

1929 version
1280px-1929_Chevrolet_2-door_sedan_engine.JPG
 
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Ja boet! What to do.
Since I bought bought mine here in RSA in 2008 the fuel price has more than doubled.
Of necessity I bought a Kia Picanto platcar 1100 just for daily commute.
So between trips I run the Cruiser to the shops on the weekends [so sad].

Yes, subscribed. 6 km/L is very hectic !! It represents at least 1/3 of the cost of every trip we do.
But I would not change that drive experience for the world !!
 
And of course as Rosco says everything follows from the basics - such as electronic ignition, ported head, proper exhaust branch, carb tuning, advanced ignition timing [12 degrees], tyre pressures... - for starters... but yes it's not easy !!!
 
Thanks for the info/ advice guys, iv since rebuilt the carby and fitted a new rotor button, distributor cap, leads, plugs and new points. it seems to have made a difference to the power but didn't do much for the economy iv heard that fitting a snorkel can improve fuel consumption at highway speeds?
 
While a well-tuned engine will aid longevity, fuel economy is probably one of the single most over-rated aspects of automobile ownership. It's far more economical to continue to operate a well-tuned, yet fuel inefficient vehicle than to purchase a new automobile or to make modifications with pure economy in mind. Especially if they impact longevity, with increased repair costs.
 
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The only way to slow the 3f from sucking fuel is with your right foot.
 
The fuel efficiency gained from a snorkel is in the .01% zone. I had a 3F in my FJ73 a few years back and when it got tired, I pulled it out and fitted a 1HZ diesel. I overspent partly becuase 1HZ were not easily attainable in used condition and partly because I had the money.
Now 1HZ can be found quite cheap. I think I went from about 400klms a tank to 600klms without much difference in power. A good 3F has more power than a 1HZ but it really sucks the fuel when you use it.
Buying a cheap run-around might the best fuel saver you can find.
 
I believe you can fit the fuel injection from a similar 6 cyl Chevy of the same/similar capacity, I seem to remember an article in an American 4wd magazine a few years ago saying it was pretty much a bolt on mod. I think the mag was Four Wheeler. There was definite benefits in power and economy in an FJ40.
 
Toyota fitted fuel injection to US models in the FJ62 and FJ80 and they still talk about dismal fuel consumption. Try IH8MUD in the 60 and 80 forum for 1st hand opinions. The cost benefits of doing these conversions is virtually nothing.
In the middle east ,Toyota offer the 4 Litre V6 in the 7* series that is also used in the Prado. They are still struggling to get 17mpg with fuel injection and all sorts of gadgetry.
The 70 series weighs around 2 tons and has the wind drag of a barn, you just aint going to get them running on petrol economically which is why most of them are diesel these days. The ones that are still petrol are mainly in Arab countries with government discounted fuel.
Get a $500 Hyundai for work and save the Landcruiser for the weekends.
 
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