Notices
1961 - 1966 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks Discuss the Slick Sixties Ford Truck

peter fox

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jan 5, 2014 | 10:55 AM
  #1  
peter sipp's Avatar
peter sipp
Thread Starter
|
Tuned
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 340
Likes: 21
From: Weaverville NC
peter fox

I have a 65 F-100, with a 240 cid. 6. I took off the 1/2" plate & Miller welder and am getting 17.9 to 18.3 mpg. I am wondering : would headers help so I could get even more mpg? Anyone know about this???
 

Last edited by peter sipp; Jan 5, 2014 at 10:57 AM. Reason: miss spelled : getting
Reply
Old Jan 5, 2014 | 11:10 AM
  #2  
johnmel59's Avatar
johnmel59
Tuned
10 Year Member
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 289
Likes: 4
Originally Posted by peter sipp
I have a 65 F-100, with a 240 cid. 6. I took off the 1/2" plate & Miller welder and am getting 17.9 to 18.3 mpg. I am wondering : would headers help so I could get even more mpg? Anyone know about this???
I'd love to get 17.9 mpg. What 1/2" plate did you remove to get that kind of mileage? Also, what trans and rear-end are you running?
 
Reply
Old Jan 5, 2014 | 11:39 AM
  #3  
peter sipp's Avatar
peter sipp
Thread Starter
|
Tuned
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 340
Likes: 21
From: Weaverville NC
peter fox

Originally Posted by johnmel59
I'd love to get 17.9 mpg. What 1/2" plate did you remove to get that kind of mileage? Also, what trans and rear-end are you running?
I used to do portable welding, the plate was bolted down to the chassis. The welder was bolted to the plate. I run 16" rims, I have Michelin radial tires a granny low 4 speed... the rear end ratio I am not sure of. The biggest thing is to take off from dead stops real easy. I also watch the lights ahead of me and put her in neutral and coast. Soooo... do you know: would headers help me? Where are you, what do you drive?
 
Reply
Old Jan 5, 2014 | 04:17 PM
  #4  
Pickupmanx2's Avatar
Pickupmanx2
Lead Driver
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,677
Likes: 999
From: Near Yosemite CA
I had headers and an Offy 4bbl intake and Holley 390cfm carb and a nice cam and best ever was a tad over 16,,, 16.5-16.8, but I also had 4.10's~,,, you have to find the balance of rpm and torque, to low rpms and your engine is working to hard, mileage sucks. On my 66 F100 I have now, I have a 240/1bbl all stock and 3.70's and a T18 and avg. 16.8-17 on the flats,,, you might notice an increase from headers, they are cheap enough to try it out.
 
Reply
Old Jan 5, 2014 | 04:42 PM
  #5  
peter sipp's Avatar
peter sipp
Thread Starter
|
Tuned
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 340
Likes: 21
From: Weaverville NC
Headers for a 65 F-100, 240 cid 6.

Hi, ty for your input. True the headers are reasonably priced. Then the mufflers, 2&1/2 pipes, gskt, probably $350-400. total investment. Do you know if the starter can be changed without having to take off the headers?
 
Reply
Old Jan 5, 2014 | 05:12 PM
  #6  
mechanic58's Avatar
mechanic58
Tuned
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 284
Likes: 6
From: Clover, SC
Sounds like you're trying to squeeze blood out of a rock. Good luck with that! lol
 
Reply
Old Jan 5, 2014 | 08:17 PM
  #7  
Pickupmanx2's Avatar
Pickupmanx2
Lead Driver
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,677
Likes: 999
From: Near Yosemite CA
Originally Posted by peter sipp
Hi, ty for your input. True the headers are reasonably priced. Then the mufflers, 2&1/2 pipes, gskt, probably $350-400. total investment. Do you know if the starter can be changed without having to take off the headers?
On mine it couldn't, I wrapped my headers before I put them on, never had a problem with the starter,,,
 
Reply
Old Jan 5, 2014 | 10:49 PM
  #8  
Shadowrider123's Avatar
Shadowrider123
Fleet Mechanic
15 Year Member
Photogenic
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,984
Likes: 107
I would go with the late model 300 split exhaust manifolds. They are not very expensive when you can find them and will last forever.
 
Reply
FTE Stories

Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 Fords at 2026 Carlisle Ford Nationals

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership

 Brett Foote
story-2

10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-3

Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained

 Brett Foote
story-4

10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)

 Michael S. Palmer
story-6

Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)

 Brett Foote
story-9

Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

 Joe Kucinski
Old Jan 6, 2014 | 10:26 AM
  #9  
peter sipp's Avatar
peter sipp
Thread Starter
|
Tuned
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 340
Likes: 21
From: Weaverville NC
Originally Posted by Shadowrider123
I would go with the late model 300 split exhaust manifolds. They are not very expensive when you can find them and will last forever.
Hi Shadowrider, thank you for your great suggestion about the split exhaust mnflds. I went to Geek Parts in N.J., I put in 1995 F-150(as per your saying late model), they called it (the engine) a 4.9, ( I do NOT like the foreign form of measuring) is this a 300 like you said? You are right on. They are cheaper than the headers. Looks like I can change the starter and leave the exh. system intact. WAAY COOL. Also obtain my objective: better mileage.
 
Reply
Old Jan 6, 2014 | 10:38 AM
  #10  
peter sipp's Avatar
peter sipp
Thread Starter
|
Tuned
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 340
Likes: 21
From: Weaverville NC
Originally Posted by mechanic58
Sounds like you're trying to squeeze blood out of a rock. Good luck with that! lol
I always find a way. My father had a 1960 VW. It got great mileage, when gas was 17.9 per gal. After the car got some age on it, a hole developed in the muffler. He always checked to see how the car was doing for mpg. With the only change to the car (the hole in muffler) the mpg went up!!! So knowing this, I want to help my engine "breathe" better. I will let you know how it works out. I will be taking my time to get everything done. It may be a coupla months or so. Happy New Year!
 
Reply
Old Jan 6, 2014 | 02:04 PM
  #11  
jmf66's Avatar
jmf66
Tuned
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 370
Likes: 0
From: Near Nashille, TN
Club FTE Silver Member

Install headers and exhaust on because you want to, not to save mpg.

I doubt that you'll see a 1/2 mpg increase, but lets say you did. Roughly speaking.. $350 is 100 gallons of gasoline. Going from 18mpg to 18.5 mpg, it'll take 66,000 miles to save that 100 gallons.

66000/18 = 3666 gallons
66000/18.5 = 3567 gallons... 99 gallons less than 18mpg.
 
Reply
Old Jan 6, 2014 | 02:52 PM
  #12  
PROSTOCK's Avatar
PROSTOCK
Cargo Master
20 Year Member
Photogenic
Photoriffic
Shutterbug
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 2,081
Likes: 174
From: Central Texas
Originally Posted by jmf66
Install headers and exhaust on because you want to, not to save mpg.

I doubt that you'll see a 1/2 mpg increase, but lets say you did. Roughly speaking.. $350 is 100 gallons of gasoline. Going from 18mpg to 18.5 mpg, it'll take 66,000 miles to save that 100 gallons.

66000/18 = 3666 gallons
66000/18.5 = 3567 gallons... 99 gallons less than 18mpg.
LOL Don't you hate reality? Where were/are you in the diesel vs. gas debates? Logic seems to be overlooked often in those wars.
 
Reply
Old Jan 6, 2014 | 06:32 PM
  #13  
tinman52's Avatar
tinman52
Welder User
15 Year Member
Photogenic
Photoriffic
Shutterbug
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 5,269
Likes: 50
From: northwest MT
Club FTE Silver Member

If you use the split manifolds with true duals, I would not go bigger than 2 inch pipes...remember there are 2. If you Y them together you could run a single 2 1/4 or 2 1/2".
 
Reply
Old Jan 6, 2014 | 07:39 PM
  #14  
peter sipp's Avatar
peter sipp
Thread Starter
|
Tuned
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 340
Likes: 21
From: Weaverville NC
Great suggestions, thank you. I think the split exh.mnflds are the most practical. The whole point of changing the original restricting stock exh. mnfld is so the engine can "breathe" and then preform to its max. ability. I bet Ford came up with the split mnfld so as to reduce the back pressure/ increase the engines mpg. I was in Choteau Montana in June/ JULY 1976. Nice country you live in. Course I should be there now. Good luck On your COE.
 
Reply
Old Jan 6, 2014 | 07:56 PM
  #15  
Pickupmanx2's Avatar
Pickupmanx2
Lead Driver
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,677
Likes: 999
From: Near Yosemite CA
Originally Posted by Shadowrider123
I would go with the late model 300 split exhaust manifolds. They are not very expensive when you can find them and will last forever.
Good Call!! They were on my 79 so I duh... didn't even think about them.

And the heads are the really restrictive part, when I was rebuilding my first 300, my machine shop guy loved the 300, and hooked me up, he did a little porting, and polishing, cleaned up intake and exhaust and matched the headers to the head, (forget what it is called, brain fart) and then he had a grind he really liked for the cam, and he balanced the rotating assembly, I rolled her up to 5500 a few times to whup a rice burner or two but then she would always poop the dipstick out... I have heard of them taking V8 heads and adapting them to the I6,,, but that is a few more bucks than I want to spend!
All in all, you should be pleased with what you are getting! Yer not gonna eeeek much more out of a brick!
 
Reply



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:01 PM.

story-0
Top 10 Fords at 2026 Carlisle Ford Nationals

Slideshow: Top 10 Fords at 2026 Ford Nationals

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-09 11:10:08


VIEW MORE
story-1
3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership

Based on years of owning multiple modern Ford products.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-09 10:53:36


VIEW MORE
story-2
10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches

SPONSORED: From muddy boots to rain-soaked cargo, these upgrades address some of the most common frustrations Ford truck owners face every day.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-06-08 18:50:34


VIEW MORE
story-3
Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained

Here's everything you need to know about every Ford engine available for the 2026 model year.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-05 12:58:01


VIEW MORE
story-4
10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love

Slideshow: 10 ugly Ford trucks that we still kinda love.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-03 09:51:16


VIEW MORE
story-5
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)

Slideshow: the best gifts for dads & grads

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-06-03 15:43:58


VIEW MORE
story-6
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath

Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-06-03 11:38:36


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer

Slideshow: 10 most expensive Ford trucks ever sold on Bring a Trailer.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 16:24:34


VIEW MORE
story-8
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)

Here's everything that has changed for the latest model year.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-27 16:17:28


VIEW MORE
story-9
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

Slideshow: Top 10 Ford truck tragedies.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-18 19:34:33


VIEW MORE