M35 GAS engine fuel economy

[panzerbob]

Hello again everyone, I am planning an picking up my $400 deuce on friday, but need to know how much money to bring for gas. This thing is way up in the hills in NM, and the only gas station near it will not take credit cards. Anyways I have about 500 miles to drive the truck home, and the truck is a gas 6 cyl reo engine. Does anyone know what milage I should expect with an unloaded truck, with no cargo cover?

Thanks

p.s. Pictures should be up this weekend

 

[DDoyle]

If you figure on just over a hundred gallons of gas you'll be good. This is allowing some for hills and poor tuning.

Take brake fluid and know how to check it - even if the former owner checked it yesterday.

Regards,
David

 

[kcimb]

Do all the pre-trip PM. I'd change the oil, check brake fluid, etc etc...you are driving this 500 miles! not a short trip.

Gonna be a loooooooong trip in a deuce

 

[panzerbob]

yes, it will be a long trip, but it is broken up into 2 days, so it should not be so bad. I had a chance to do a basic PMCS last weekend, and the first part of the trip is driving it to National Guard drill. I'm hoping to talk a few of my mechanics, to help me go over it after drill is out on Sat, they have the expertise, so they should be able to spot any glaring problems. the tune up should not be to bad, the engine was just overhauled, and it has a NOS carb on it, installed a whopping 8 months ago.

 

[Recovry4x4]

500 miles is a day drive! Doing it in 2 days should be a walk in the park.

 

[acetomatoco]

Get some lead additive to help lube the engine...it was designed for MOGAS in 1949 and not the new EPA Friendly stuff.. Oh the days of gray hands from washing parts in real leaded gasoline...didn't affect me much, much, much, much, much....

 

[SasquatchSanta]

I drove my deuce from Orr Minnesota to Minneapolis and back (approx 500 miles) in one day last summer and immediately became an hororary member of the flat a$$ society.

All joking aside, I would like to know more about attainable fuel mileage with a deuce gasser. Also power compared to a multi. I've wondered about converting a gasser to propane.

 

[panzerbob]

Another question i had was whether or not disconnecting your rear axle will save on gas, one of my mechanics mentioned that, but I did not know how much it would save, how hard it is to do, whether it will damage the truck, or actaully even how to do it on this vehicle.

 

[ems4ty]

I have a 1953 Reo M35 with a OA331 Gasser motor. I average roughly 4-6 miles per gallon. So I'd guess you would need 100-125 Gallons to get home. I'm not sure if this MPG ratio is normal for the OA331, but that is what I average.