74 chevy 3500 4x4,4 door, 1969 430 big block buick, 4 speed, 3.73 rearend that gets 14mpg pulling a 6500lbs through the san juan mountains is good MPG. An empty truck with a 6 speed thats gets 18mpg on the highway is crap. That 430 my friend has is putting out over 400 horses and 500ft lbs torque. It will beat out any gas engine production truck on the market including the toyota when it comes to hauling a load. Todays mpg are crap for all the new technology we have on the market. Could you imagine the MPG he'd get if he installed a 6 speed manual?!
All he did to that 430 was install an RV cam and some glass packs. Everything else is stock on the motor.
Got one little dirty word for you..............
Emissions..................
Not to mention the current 3/4 & 1 ton trucks all weigh in at 7-8.5k lb.
Still like to see ANY gasser pulling weight through the mountains get 14 mpg. Not saying its impossible, just that I'd like to see it.........
