1984 F-150 - 302 4BBL. Auto w/OD, 114K miles.
Got this for a song because of current fuel prices...
It runs and operates fine...Like new even...One owner, always garaged, Full maintenance DOCs, new AC/Tires and exhaust and recent complete tune-up.. etc etc etc....
I have some questions and would appreciate ANY input from those with more experience than me on these trucks.
It "knocks" unless you run premium...This is prolly the reason I got it so cheap, considering it gets 12-15MPG(Mixed-Primarily Highway)...Premium is a hard pill to swallow I know this isn't a high compression engine and the truck originally ran on regular. What gives? Carbon? Timing? I'll check these this weekend...What else could I look at?
Is 12-15(max) "normal" for this vehicle with an "adult" driver?
I read somewhere that on "some" engines - you can disable the secondaries on the 4 bbl carb for increased fuel economy...Does this apply here?
How about a nice "hot" aftermarket coil?
Since this isn't fuel injected - does it have an O2 Sensor and/or other items that could be swapped for immediate MPG gains?

I would like to make it produce 6x the greenhouse gasses it would normally by removing the restrictive Catalytic-converter. What kind of improvement would removing this restriction from the exhaust cause? I know newer vehicles can have problems if it's removed because it's figured into the engine management firmware but since this is not a "managed" engine...
Oh and FYI: I live in an area where it's OK for me to remove the converter but NOT ok for a biz to do it & there are no inspections...So I'm covered as far as big-brother is concerned....I've got a welder.

 

12-15 around town or highway or mixed? i'd run no less than midgrade fuel. i have seen it where people have flipped over the air filter lids on carburated engines and actually gain some horses. not sure about mpg. msd coil sends more spark than factory does. i'd do an engine oil flush and trans flush to get started. have you checked what plugs were used for the tuneup?

 

Thanks - I updated the post to reflect it's mixed - mainly highway.
I have heard about the cover-flip trick...It stands to reason that if it makes more HP available - it also makes MPG better(unless you use the extra HP).
The flushing wouldn't seem to help IMO - I mean if it's needed - sure thing, but given it's maintenance history it's not "mud".
I've also read that using synthetic helps MPG - even to the point of using all synthetic stuff for every lubricant on the truck. Has anyone experienced the 2-3 mpg increase from this I've read about?

 

i know you wont get that much better mpg. but 12-15 sounds about right for your truck being carburated. if synthetic motor oil was used for the life of the engine then don't worry about the motor flush. otherwise it could have some sludge and will cause a little difference in mpg.

 

Has the motor ever been rebuilt maybe with higher compression, or the timing just played with?

 

Never needed a major repair - All minor work done by their mechanic and it appears he was a good/honest one. I don't know what he may have been done w/the timing. I guess I should put a light on it...

 

Not sure, but I don't think the truck came with a 4bbl carb from the factory. If I am not mistaken, stock had a feed back carb. If it no longer has the feed back carb, hopefully they were smart enough to change the distributor. Getting the distributor recurved is dollar for dollar about the best bang for the buck. Better performance and better milage.