Jump to content

Flash's '78 Bedford Panelvan


Flash

Recommended Posts

My V8 Transit is also using  over 20L to 100kms at the moment, probably closer to 25! And that is with a Holley 350 2 barrel.

 

What diff ratio do you have fitted, and what gearbox are you running? And carb choice makes a huge difference. The Edelbrock carbs are supposed to be very economical, as long as you don't go silly on sizing, I have a new Edelbrock 500 that I am going to fit to mine. And as already suggested, it's hard to beat a Quadrajet, with its staggered throttle sizes!

 

I have no experience of the Quickfuel carbs, but a quick look around the forums suggest they are liked by a lot of people.  Have you got it set up & jetted properly?

That is pretty thirsty for a 2 barrel browndog. My mate is running a 302 with a 2 barrel Holley in his Bedford van and on a trip back from Kawhia last Sunday he averaged 12.8 litres per 100km. I drove right behind him so our speeds were similar and I ended up averaging just under 21 on the same trip. His van is running a C4 and a 3.0 diff ratio. Only difference is that he is running 15 inch rear wheels with a 50 profile tyre compared to my 14 inch 50 profiles.

My van is running a TH350 and a 3.0 ratio diff. Revs are around 2700 at 100km/h.

I had my Quickfuel professionally setup by a local V8 specialist (I won't mention any names, but they have a pretty good reputation). It wasn't a cheap exercise. I've done about 8,000km since I had the dyno setup done.

Everyone I've spoken to blames the crap aerodynamics of the van for the high consumption but my mate's van proves that decent economy can still be achieved.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 74
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

My God This is cool!  you sir, need a rochester quadrajet! easy enough to come by. set and forget 

cant recommend them enough! I have one on my 308 Statesman (OEM) Mind you my diff is a 2.74 ratio

yep, they sure seem to be a popular choice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is pretty thirsty for a 2 barrel browndog. My mate is running a 302 with a 2 barrel Holley in his Bedford van and on a trip back from Kawhia last Sunday he averaged 12.8 litres per 100km. I drove right behind him so our speeds were similar and I ended up averaging just under 21 on the same trip. His van is running a C4 and a 3.0 diff ratio. Only difference is that he is running 15 inch rear wheels with a 50 profile tyre compared to my 14 inch 50 profiles.

My van is running a TH350 and a 3.0 ratio diff. Revs are around 2700 at 100km/h.

I had my Quickfuel professionally setup by a local V8 specialist (I won't mention any names, but they have a pretty good reputation). It wasn't a cheap exercise. I've done about 8,000km since I had the dyno setup done.

Everyone I've spoken to blames the crap aerodynamics of the van for the high consumption but my mate's van proves that decent economy can still be achieved.

 

yes it is very thirsty, mine has a 3.9 diff so pulling 3300 rpm@ 100 kph. I have a set of 3.5 diff gears to go in, plus a 4 spd overdrive auto which will drop the revs to 1960rpm @ 100kph. And I will fit the Edelbrock to it at the same time. Sub 15L/100km is what I am aiming for, I think it should be achievable, and your mates van pretty much proves that anyway! To make matters worse, my van has a small 45L fuel tank, so the range is abysmal at the moment! 

 

You could drop your rear axle ratio to 2.7, which would give 2300 rpm@100kph, but will make it a bit more sluggish off the line. 

 

As an aside, I also have a LDV 400 van, it is an ex police van, factory Rover V8, 5 spd, and weighs 2000kgs empty. 15-18L/100kms is fairly easy in this on a trip, and it is much bigger and heavier than the Transit. And diff ratio not ideal either, it has a 4.45, and with the 5 speed it is doing 2700 rpm@100kph, so about the same as yours. 

 

Yes the van aerodynamics are crap, but I have heard of plenty of examples of Bedfords and Transits that can achieve over 20mpg (14L/100km) with a V8 fitted,  so I am certainly aiming to improve mine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cool, do you come thru to the monthly burger nights? Would be good to catch up.

By the way I invested $30 in an adapter plate and last night I chucked a spare Holley 350 2 barrel onto my van just for shits and giggles. I ran out of time so it was straight on with no adjustment and it sure smells like it is still running rich at idle. Earlier today we did a cruise out to Orewa and I gassed up when we got home. Worked out to 15.5 liters per 100km. I didn't really notice much reduction in performance either.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been to one of the burger nights a couple of months ago. When are they again?

 

Interesting about the 350 Holley. That's a very good gain in MPG! You know that you can trim the idle mixture on these quite easily? Just wind the idle screws fully in,(one each side of the metering block)  then back them out until idle is smooth. Usually 1 1/2 - 2 turns is about right on these. Would be good to get mine to 15L:/100 kms. But I think the diff ratio is hurting mine at the moment. And all of my running has been around Auckland, I haven't really taken it on a good run yet. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been to one of the burger nights a couple of months ago. When are they again?

 

Interesting about the 350 Holley. That's a very good gain in MPG! You know that you can trim the idle mixture on these quite easily? Just wind the idle screws fully in,(one each side of the metering block)  then back them out until idle is smooth. Usually 1 1/2 - 2 turns is about right on these. Would be good to get mine to 15L:/100 kms. But I think the diff ratio is hurting mine at the moment. And all of my running has been around Auckland, I haven't really taken it on a good run yet.

I think the next burger night is on the 19th November. Would be good to catch up if you can make it. Stu my mate with the 302 in his Bedford should hopefully be there too.

I'll play around with the idle mixtures and will let you know how it goes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the next burger night is on the 19th November. Would be good to catch up if you can make it. Stu my mate with the 302 in his Bedford should hopefully be there too.

I'll play around with the idle mixtures and will let you know how it goes.

 

 

okay cool, I will try to get there. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awesome build story!

So the red van only donated gearbox and exhaust? Bahahhaha

Also used the aluminium radiator, Ford 9 inch diff, disc brake front conversion, Momo steering wheel and boss and a few other minor bits. I flicked on the donor van and the overall cost was $300 for the parts I took. Not too bad and I got to use the donor van for 18 months while my van was off the road.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...