mileage chevrolet 350/454 June 04, 2021, 11:14:57 pm Apologies if this topic has already been discussed, while we wait for some LDs to come up for sale we are trying to do our homework, we need to have chevy power (another story), can anyone compare the mpg for a 1980s 22ft twin king with the chevy 350 and the 454 engines? Also, anticipating that the small 350 engine may need a rebuild, how involved is replacing the 350 with the larger engine? Thanks.
Re: mileage chevrolet 350/454 Reply #1 – June 04, 2021, 11:33:12 pm Our '83FL would get 8-9 mpg on the highway below 2000'. Above 5000', 7mpg, above 8000', 4-5 mpg. I believe in '89 they changed to throttle-body FI, which would handle altitudes better. Don't know if you could find a big block you could shoehorn in. You would also need all the peripherals like manifolds et al designed for the van.Steve 1 Likes
Re: mileage chevrolet 350/454 Reply #2 – June 05, 2021, 06:59:40 am Quote from: NOTWINNIE - June 04, 2021, 11:14:57 pm", we need to have chevy power (another story)," Sorry, I have to ask for the rest of the story. WHY do you have to have Chevy power? I will add that back in the early 2000's when I joined the Lazy Daze message board, a gentleman that was retiring from GM was ordering a new LD. By that time, LD was only using the Ford chassis. His pick up report was interesting. I was a Chevy salesperson and have been driving Chevy pickups since the 1980's. In my opinion, the Ford V-10 has been an impressive beast of an engine. If having the Chevy "Bowtie" on the front of your RV is THAT important, paste one over the Ford blue oval.😀 1 Likes
Re: mileage chevrolet 350/454 Reply #3 – June 05, 2021, 02:07:23 pm I agree with Steve. Our rig Harvey is a 1989 with a 350 and FI. He gets 9 mpg pretty consistently. There is a separate thread on swapping to the 454. Needless to say it's a big job. Doable, but fairly impractical. If I found a really cheap donor truck, it would be a good project, but I was a professional mechanic and have experience with similar swaps...but with a 30+ year old rig I have plenty of other things to upgrade on Harvey before getting to the motor.
Re: mileage chevrolet 350/454 Reply #4 – June 05, 2021, 02:07:39 pm The need for Chevy power will limit you to an old LD, pick a 1991 or later model so it will have fuel injection and a 4-speed, overdrive transmission.Having owned a 1983 LD, with the 350, and the three-speed RUrbo 400, it was a gutless RV with just enough power to get out of its own way, but not by much. The motor spins at a high RPM, at highway speeds, causing them to wear out prematurely. and get poor mileage. The carburetor refused to go above 10,000'.The 454 is more powerful but older models with the Turbo 400 transmission had the same RPM problem and low gas mileage.There is a world of difference with Ford V10, 2004 and later engines are long-lasting and just about foolproof, worth saving up more to get the better engine and drivetrain.Older rigs are hobbyist RVs, good for those with time, patience, mechanical, electrical, and carpentry skills, a place to work on it, and sufficient funds to cover all the unplanned things that you will find that need replacing.No matter the age of the rig, RVing is not a cheap lifestyle.Larry
Re: mileage chevrolet 350/454 Reply #5 – June 05, 2021, 02:44:03 pm My first LD was a '92 RB with the 'big block'. I got a consistent 9mpg, flat land, mountain, towing a boat types of driving. The best I saw was a long trip on flat land where I got 12mpg. With this big block I was able to climb the toughest mountains with ease (this includes driving in Colorado. I was still working while I had this LD and sadly there was a lot of down time due to work so I sold it (sorry I did that) *sigh* 1 Likes
Re: mileage chevrolet 350/454 Reply #6 – June 08, 2021, 10:00:44 pm Thanks everybody, The story on the Chevy is that my brother in law who was a mechanic for many years loved Chevys and hated Fords, and made it clear (in a friendly way) that he would only work on a Chevy for me. Having said that, I know that the older rvs, even a Lazy Daze have a lot of issues, and are for the hobbyist who is also a mechanic, electrician, carpenter, plumber and knows a lot of spells to keep things going. But there is that LD in the haystack like Jerry's, with an original, 90s 454, maybe even a twin king, which will just show up and make my dreams come true. Or I could just save up for a newer model, and wait until prices go down, and just not ever show it to my brother in law... 2 Likes
Re: mileage chevrolet 350/454 Reply #7 – June 09, 2021, 05:29:01 pm Hi Notwinnie,Thanks for sharing your Chevrolet based LD reasons; I appreciate your candor.Looking at the "LD changes through the years" info, it looks like the last year LD even offered a Chevy based model was 1998; i wonder how many Chevy units were manufactured after Ford became the main focus for LD? You might get lucky and find an appropriate unit in great condition but it could be quite the challenge. This is probably blasphemy to say on the LD group, I think if I absolutely HAD to have a Chevy, I would be looking at Chevy based Class C from another manufacturer, made in this century instead of a Chevy LD from the 80's or early 90's. I would encourage you to seriously think about a Ford chassis LD from when they started using super duty chassis.Good luck with your quest!Steve K 1 Likes
Re: mileage chevrolet 350/454 Reply #8 – June 10, 2021, 03:28:08 am Hi Steve K; When I ordered my '99 TK from Ed in August of '99, Ed offered a discount on the two Chevy chassis he had sitting around. I don't know what year they were. Could have been '98's. I assume he sold those as motorhomes, but he could have just sold them as cutaway chassis to some other manufacturer.. RonB
Re: mileage chevrolet 350/454 Reply #9 – June 11, 2021, 01:25:18 am Quote from: Steve K. - June 09, 2021, 05:29:01 pmLooking at the "LD changes through the years" info, it looks like the last year LD even offered a Chevy based model was 1998; i wonder how many Chevy units were manufactured after Ford became the main focus for LD? This is probably blasphemy to say on the LD group, I think if I absolutely HAD to have a Chevy, I would be looking at Chevy based Class C from another manufacturer, made in this century instead of a Chevy LD from the 80's or early 90's. I would encourage you to seriously think about a Ford chassis LD from when they started using super duty chassis.We owned a 1983 22' LD FL for eight years and a 2003 23.5' FL since new, same floorplan, a world of difference.The 350 V8 was grossly underpowered, on long, steep upgrade, it was in the VW Bus category, gutless. This was with the dual exhaust option, an aftermarket distributor kit, and a jetted Edlebrook 4-barrel replacement, it was well-tuned engine.The 454 V8 Chevy does have more power but both engines suffer from undersized cooling systems.If you must have a Chevy, get a 1991 or later, fuel-injected, a 4-speed overdrive transmission, and one-piece front cap are the big advantages.Replacing the 1983 FL with the 2003 FL, was a wonderful experience, stronger everything, more power, more cargo capacity, better brakes, a beefy front suspension and better mileage...win-win.Larry
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