[adfokker]

hi... i have a 65 chevy II actually it has the 6 cly 230 2 spd powerglide im getting 18mpg ,,,this chevy is my daily driver ,love this car but i would like to get better mpg,,,i was looking on getting the 4cly chevy 153 to bolt it rigth to my 2 spd powerglide ,,,with no mayor modifications or headaches ,,but its hard to find a 4cly chevy 153 ,,anyone knows what other 4 cly engine can i use with my 2 spd powerglide to fit it in my chevy?
thanks for your help

 

[327NUT]

You could find a Chevy II 4 cyl. boat engine, Mercruiser installed a ton of them in I/O configurations long ago. My Dad had one in his '69 Silverline and it ran forever but I'm afraid you're expecting too much. After all that work and expense you might see an additional 2-3 mpg, not worth the effort to me.

If you're real handy and really serious you could adapt a small 4 cyl. diesel for better mpg......still lots of work and money. Save your $$$ and get that 6 banger tuned up and maybe even slip in a lower numerically set of rear end gears if you drive the highway alot.

 

[joe_padavano]

Mileage is affected more by weight of the car and weight of your right foot. You'll never see a payback from this swap. You'd see much more benefit by swapping a 200-4R overdrive trans for the PG.

 

[adfokker]

4 cly for chevy II

you migth be rigth ,somebody told me that because of the weigth of the car a 4 cly migth be not a good idea ,,,weigth/power/fuel economy relation will be better with a 194 6 cly ,,,thanks for your help ,.,,im serius im trying to get better mpg ,,

 

[swvalcon]

Find you a 283 v8 motor put on dual exhaust, a two barrel carb. The car will perform better get better mileage and be more fun to drive than it ever will with a 4 banger. Small hp 327 would be the other option.

 

[OneMoreTime]

You would get a lot farther in the search for mileage by doing the 200R4 overdrive and going with EFI on the 230 as EFI controls mixture so much better than any carb...The best would be to find a late model and swap in the engine trans combo with the computer controls...

Sam

 

[AutoGear]

would a ford or jeep TBI from their respective inline 6banger work as a stand alone for his GM i-6?

I saw a Gremlin X with a Jeep TBI i-6 and O/D auto stuffed in it...looked VERY factory and reportedly got great mileage.

To the OP; if you do a lot of stop and go driving; that powerglide is killing you. A 200-4r automatic would be much better. Or a stickshift, but that will be somewhat more spendy.

 

[swvalcon]

A good running 283 set up right should get you in the low 20's. Be some what stock and be fun to drive. If your looking for high 20's or more sell the car and get a little rice grinder.

 

[adfokker]

i was looking ,also in some type of kit to replace the carburator for some fuel injected unit ,,,could not find nothing for 230 6 cly gm,,without spending less than 500$ ,or getting into a lot of complicated work,,
it's rigth the powerglide its killing me ,,i go 55miles and at that speed im not getting more thank 18mpg ,,,i replaced the points for electronic ignition ,,,works better but still the same ,(when they mention that saves fuel is not true) ,,,,
maybe changing the powerglide will be a good idea ,,the 200-4r is a direct fit?
i don't have to cut the drive shaft or put adaptor plate between the engine?

 

[timothale]

4 cyl power

My neighbor used to race a 4 cyl Iron Duke GM block with a Mustang boss 302 head The torque plate used when boring engines fits several different manufactures blocks. guys put a Volvo head on 2.3 ford engines lots of work but they are lookiing for more power. When new engines are designed usually the critical dimensions have to match existing automatic major tooling Things like bore spacing , cylinder head bolt spacing. I've seen a studebaker V8 head on a model T Ford block, In the 30's 4 cyl overhead valve Olds heads were the hot setup to put on a Model t flathead block, ohv chevy also could fit, even then there were easy swaps.

 

[joe_padavano]

The GM factory TBI system from the 4.3l V6 is a popular swap onto the I6 Chevy motors. You need to modify the I6 HEI to trigger the EFI, but that's pretty easy. You'll need to change the fuel map in the PROM due to the smaller displacement. This has been done a lot - try Google.

 

[ap72]

Unless you plan on putting another 100,000 miles on this engine you'll likely never recover your investment. That being said a 3800 engine with a t5 from a camaro will be cheap and produce good mpg's. They can also be modded fairly easily if you choose to down the road. You'll need to swap to a manual trans with overdrive and efi to see some real mileage gains. Beyond swapping the engine installing a set of headers, freeflowing exhaust, raising the compression, the right cam, tuning, and getting you suspension and tires done can all help turn 18mpg's into 30.

Again though it takes a long time to recover the initial investment.

 

[ap72]

Btw 500 is next to nothing when it comes to any serious modifications. If you can't do it right id just save the 500 and buy an old escort or civic.

 

[against all odds]

Well, GM STILL sells this engine new, here's the link:

http://gmpowertrain.com/MarineEnginesControllers/ProductPortfolio.aspx

Also, check the industrial section.

i forgot how much it costs, but there is a start. I'm sure you can find the pricing with more research.


But i'm concerned that you can't do better than 18mpg, with only 230 inches? i get about 16.5 and in some instances high 17's with a 305 in a truck that weighs probably 1000lbs more than a nova.

a) How, exactly, are you calculating mpg?

b) Perhaps the engine needs to be rebuilt?

Other gm 4 cyl engines could fit the powerglide with an adapter such as the 2.0/2.2 chevy or even the ecotec, but then how are you going to fuel it and provide spark?

 

[adfokker]

[i calculated the mpg this way i fill the tank that's about 14gal full ,,,see how miles i have at that moment lets say 50000 at the end of 4 days more or less
i check how many i did lets say 50200,,,so i divide the 200 for 14 that was the full tank at that give me the miles....you have a point the engine is not new ,,it works ,no leaks at all extrange for a chevy i6 but it's very use,,i bougth the car and was not even woriking ,,i guess i6 runs for ever ,

 

[against all odds]

What's your rear axle gearing?

 

[adfokker]

yes you have a point ,,,there's a lot of good ideas ,,that people is giving me ,,
but like you said it all comes donw to money ,,,if you spend lets say a 1000 bucks ,,,in changing things around ,,1000 bucks at 3.30gal that's like 300 gal of fuel,,,a lot ,,,you can go a long way ,,,im trying to figure the cheapest way ,,,
my father once told me ,,,you can't go back in time with those cars ,,,they are what they are......
thanks,for the help

 

[ap72]

You can buy a used econobox from the 80s for about 500 bucks. It'l get you 30+mpg. That's as good as you're gonna get for 500 bucks.

 

[adfokker]

you kill me on that one ,,,it's stock,,65 chevy II mine is a 100 series ,but no idea the about the axle gearing since i have no tags or nothing in it ...

 

[adfokker]

sound like a plan were i can get that?
30mpg its a good deal im doing 18mpg