I just bought my first Ford and she's a real beauty. But my conscience can't handle the gas mileage. What can I do to improve it? And I'm a total noob when it comes to trucks so feel free to talk to me as such.

 

Welcome to FTE

The fuel mileage will never be "good", but it's important to have it tuned up, so that it will be as economical as it is capable. It will start easier, run better, perform better, less pollution, etc. First thing acquire a Ford Shop Manual for the year of your truck and study it.

The second is to perform a compression test of all the cylinders. The logic is, if the engine is worn out, a tuneup won't be of much help. Assuming the basic engine mechanicals are OK, then continue on with a thorough tuneup.

Proper carburetion, engine timing in particular will realize big percentage gains in fuel economy. A $10 vacuum gauge should be in your toolkit they are very useful for diagnostics and engine tuning. The better it runs the better fuel economy will be within the limitations of a big *** truck.

 

as a matter of fact, get a vacuum guage for your dash, it will help fix your foot!

 

I've gotten between 1/2 an mpg to 12 so if you getting much more there might not be much more to do to make it better

 

I agree wholeheartedly on the vacuum gauge. It will teach you about easing into the fuel and driving for efficiency. The next thing is rpm. I don't remember trucks back then having tachometers but that's a great tool as well. Anytime you go over 2,000rpm, the mileage will start dropping fast.

A forum where folks live and breathe fuel efficiency is Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com. Those guys are serious about mpg. The site has lots of general tips, too.

I feel the biggest modification is to the nut attached to the steering wheel. In my '95 F-150, I get 19 on the highway whereas my brother barely gets 15. Same truck... different drivers.