Are any of you considering building an "efficent" hot-rod?

Using a light old car with a newer economical fuel efficent 4-cyl powerplant and a o.d. manual trans? I've gotta imagine that 40mpg or even better would be within the realm of possibility... although old car aerodynamics generally suck so it might vary on the freeway.

I wonder how one of those GM 2.2 eco-techs or a Fjorrd z-tech would do in a t-stlye chasis? If you needed more "juice" there are always turbo's and a bevvy of a.m. parts to hop 'em up if the desire is there. A bucket or a stripped down "A" has got to weigh quite a bit less than a Cobalt or "Fiesta" so even in town or low speeds the mileage would have to be phenomenal...

Thanks for allowing me to ponder... I guess that's what petrol at $3.73 per gallon does to day dreamers stuck at their desks at work.

What do you think?

 

The beauty of this board, is the variety of opinions to be found. Since we are about transferring horsepower to the ground, you touch an important and yet sensitive topic. So I say yes, there are some great threads on late/early 4-bangers and such. If you are competing in a class at Bonneville, some of the smaller displacement classes have attainable records, the HAMB has the folks who know how to do it. And yes, it's time to go to the shop.

 

There are many who went through this back in the 70's, but I don't think any of the traditionalists would be excited to consider a 4 banger in their 1920-30's cars.

I will say that the car that Leno drives on a regular is a Model T (if memory serves correct) and is getting terrific gas mileage. Now you can do some 4banger hop ups, but I don't think it will get near 40mpg. Look at your combinations, I am going to look at taking my 292 into fuel efficiency (separate thread already going on that) and might be able to get around 20-26mpg if I play it right.

I don't see any reason if your car is light enough, you go low enough and have enough power to push your car and yet not always feel like you need to get out and push your car. It will likely need to have some torque to it to get to a solid cruising speed.

 

i've built some import ricers for guys i'd go with a rotary out of an
mazda rx-7 they're rear wheel drive and you can get everything at a decent price with turbo or not

 

I'm not sure "efficient" and "hot rod" were ever intended to be used in the same sentence.

Seriously though people can preach traditional all they want, but the sad reality is that there will come a day where you just can't get these cool old "traditional" power plants for your hot rod or the emissions laws will essentially run them off the roads. We're currently building up a GM 2.8L V6 for a future project.

 

I think GM is already planning on it.

 

$3.73? It's $4.19 here.

Meanwhile we're building a truck in the shop and the Hemi has been DETUNED to 600hp.

Look up Clark's 999 car. It has a Ranger 4 cyl and it is pretty kick ass.

 

Some of the stock modern 4 cyl will make hp # better than many flathead v8s.

Aerodynamics won't be as good as a late model,but lighter weight might offset some of that.

 

A 4-banger done up like a really old race car in a tiny little car might be kind of fun. I guess it boils down to horsepower to weight ratio. If the car weighed like only 900 pounds, it might go like hell with a hopped up 4-banger. In anything that's like 3000 pounds, it would drive like a big turd, and even if it does get good mileage, it doesn't seem worth the effort or all that fun to drive if you like having a lot of power.

But I like my hotrod engines to be loud and obnoxious and they should scare people when you start them up, and pin you in your seat when you stomp on it.

 

Not all 4-cyls suck... how about an "offy4" (from a thread I started a while back.)


Hmmm Offy!....
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I also recall someone posting a link to a company that makes adapters for the GM 2.3/2.4L Quad4 recently here on the HAMB and they pointed out that the GM Quad4 looked a LOT like an old Offy. I'm still going to run a small V8 in my s/coupe... but I'm tinkering with the thought of an old "T" or maybe an RPU with a 4cyl in it down the road. It's all just food for thought.


EDIT... bingo... here's the Quad4 Link http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=260304&highlight=quad4

 

I'm not going to trade out my 455 BUT I am seriously considering installing a 700R for the overdrive factor.

 

KEWL

Too bad they can't get those past the EPA and the NHTSA... I don't need airbags, a cd player and 11 cup holders... sell me one of those... and make it a roadster!!!

 

I'm in the process of putting 3-carbs on our 4500lb '58 Olds and collecting parts for a Caddie 390-powered Model A with as many carbs as I can find intake for. Screw worrying about gas prices, if I'm too broke for gas, I'll ride the motorcycle...

 

Gee, Denise, with all the press you get, I'd think you'd have a Gear Vendor's Overdrive sitting on your front porch by now!!!

 

No, like an idiot, the 530 Caddy engine I ordered from MTS will run on premium only and will probably do its best with a bottle of 140 octane booster innit..If I want to go efficient I'll drive my Jetta, not near as much fun....

 

I have an 07 Chevy HHR as a daily driver with the 2.2 and it does scoot. They are making an SS version of it now with a higher HP. So-Cal built one for GM to run at B'ville a few years back. They might be a cool engine for a lite car like a T.

P.S. I haven't de-tuned my Hemi I want the 700 ponies out of it.

 

I really thinkin about sellin my 39 pontiac and buildin a Model A with a 4 or v-6 with injection,I'll just run a hood and most people wont know.............

 

i have...i'm running a switch pitch behind the soon to be dual quad 461 olds i'm putting in the one i'm building right now. i'm running two q-jets and a 3.23 rear. i oughta get around 20mpg on the freeway in low stall mode fairly easy...hell, i got 14mpg around town with this engine in a 4000lb car with the one q-jet and it's a 10.7:1 compression monster. same engine with a different cam in a car that's almost half the weight will do well enough for me

 

saw these the other day on a blog. not quite a 4 banger or hot rod but a modified with a hopper up on HD mill might be fun.

http://bp2.blogger.com/_lVCC9aDALT4/SBJjauJAjhI/AAAAAAAAB2k/nOO9WIKvry0/s1600-h/IMG_1034.JPG

 

Here's some food for thought, a couple of scans from Jan. 73 R@C track roadster issue. I thought they were pretty bitchen back then, and now 35 yr. later, they are lookin real good.

 

I don't worry about it, mainly because my engine runs on water

 

Maybe I could get Zach to build me an "aero" body... hmmmm?
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=261497

Also... there's a TON of s10's and sonomas with 2.2L 5speed combos out there... hell... you could probably donor-truck the entire drivetrain out of the thing. I also recall some Hi-po GM Tech4 2.5L go-fast stuff like an AL Head and V8 valvetrain stuff from my dealer days that they used on Fiero's or race-cars... something like 200hp+

 

Isn't "Efficent Hot Rod" like an oxymoron or something?

 

Does going from a 383 Chrysler with a 4 speed to a 283 Chevy with a T5 tranny count?

 

Not at all

Maybe you could buy the one that Boyd (r.i.p.) built for B'ville... with the right driver that car could've gone 400 or 500mph... of course your car is faster right? >nudge<

 

Childrens Tears?

 

So whats it take to be called efficient? Wouldn't most of us inliners qualify ?

 

two words.

plymouth prowler

 

Well, I have to admit I'm planning on going down that road... Gas is roughly 10$ per gallon over here now and is expected to reach 14$ within a few years.

When my car (eventually) is finished I really want to drive it as much as I can, like every day! There's no question about how it will look on the outside (thinking Westergard style), but I obviously have to make sacrifices on the inside to achieve this.

I was thinking Ford 2.0 at first, the one that replaced the Pinto. But, and I know this is sacrilege, as an example, BMW just made a diesel engine that runs 45 MPG and has 200+ hp.

Only bad thing is that it will probably sound like a diesel sewing machine and look like something out of the old Star Trek series under the hood...

And, of course, it won't be a Hot Rod, more like a New Age Custom?

 

I wouldn't piss on a 2.2 s10 motor. They get the same mileage as a 4.3 under light loads. the heads are junk. The 5 speeds in the 95 up s10s are weak.

Use an ecotec, they are badass.