My 2 cents
I have a blank canvas. It’s an almost stock late 74 260. It sits in the garage and mocks me, daring me to build a what? I found Sean’s posting on I believe ecomodder.com. I’m pissed at the fuel prices, makes me want to buy a moped, but I like cars better…
My thoughts are a VW tdi swap that I guess would be about 42mpg or 11.9 cents per a mile. A 1.9 liter 4-cyl that should return 35 mpg, or 11.8 cents per a mile. Modify that same motor with high compression and a diet of premium, and an assumed 5% increase in mileage and you get 37 mpg or 11.5 cents per a mile. Kick the compression way up and run e-85 and you will get almost the same mileage as a regular fueled engine, say 34 mpg, but with the subsidized cost it returns 11.4 cents per a mile, but how long is the government is going to pony up with that is anyones guess. Or buy a moped and pay 4.2 cents a mile, no insurance, no registration, but no dates!!! My estimates are conservative on the returns, if you go with high-pressure tires weight reduction, and aero improvements you might me able to hit 40 on premium gas, 50 on diesel.
I figure a Maxima head and cam with flat-tops in my l-26 block with the Maxima injection and l-24 reciprocating ought to get about 32-33 mpg and no fabrication nightmares on premium. 13.2 cents a mile. How many miles do you have to drive to recoup 2 cents? Or say f-it and buy an old Geo, 50mpg easy with the right mods…
Fuel prices were quoted by TropStop;
e-85 $3.899
Reg $4.199
Prem $4.379
Diesel $4.999