mileage for a 240

I recently lost my 61 window van to fire and started looking for a replacement. There's one van that has piqued my interest. It's a 67 with a 240, mostly rust free. But the owner said something that disturbed me a bit. He said it barely gets up to 55 - 60mph, and only gets 14mpg! Now, my 61 had a 300ci from a '73 shoehorned in and I got 18mpg! And 60mph? No problem, it would probably do 100mph!

I'm going to assume this 240ci is bagged! Am I correct in that assumption?

thats a good question. and i have it too!!!
whats the estimated mph on these vans? i have a 200 engine on mine. but its never been driven by me, it is still in the works... but i've had some people say that these vans are very economical gas wise...

most of these old vans were for local delivery and had a low gearing. if you want to get down the road you will need to replace the rear gearing to a higher gear i have 308's in my van 250 6 with a three speed i get 22 on the highway at 65.

ah... that would make sense, he did say it was formerly a telephone company service van. I guess new gearing is readily available through my local rear end shop.

i need to rephrase my post.. i messed up
whats the average miles per gallon for these vans...

I ve driven many 240's for many ,many miles. 16-18 is generally about right,depending on driving conditions and habits. Stick a set of 3:5 or 3:0 gears in it and you'll be able to comfortably cruise 70- 80 without issue. That 67 you speak of probably has 4:11 gears in it.

Many thanks guys. You are a wealth of knowledge!

edit: is the 3:0 ratio a typo? or is this not actually a ratio but some other naming convention?

how can i find out what gearing i have on my van?

Post the whole VIN tag data at the Oldeconolines site and Mark will decode it for you.

Technically it's not 3:0,it's really 3:00 or 3:00 to 1 ratio. The lower the ratio,the lower the rpm's and faster you can go without straining the engine.

Do you know where I would find a lower gear ratio than 3:00 to 1?
I mean in "what kind of car should I look for at the pull a part yard"

I assume they should have tags on it ( hopefully)

econorat wrote:Do you know where I would find a lower gear ratio than 3:00 to 1?
I mean in "what kind of car should I look for at the pull a part yard"

I assume they should have tags on it ( hopefully)

Do you have a 9" rear end?

Yes, with a 3:00 to 1, three speed auto, 300 cid.

Alot of the 70's big cars had 9ers in them, I found one in a Merc Monarch that had 2:86/1 in it. You have to look for 70's cars though.

Thanks,
Found a '77 LTD w. 50k miles on it and tag. 2:47 to 1
What a big difference
Unfortunately now my speedometer stopped working.
It still indicates the speed (which is off now) but doesn't count mileage.
I was getting 12 mpg with a fresh rebuild.

dakeddie, did you ever find out what started the fire in your van?

Cool find, maybe should go back and pull the speedo gear to see if it works in your trans. Ford didnt like to change things, theres a good chance it will. Have fun with that speedo.....sounds internal, maybe lookin for a new one.

If you have a 3:00 to1 rearend then there is something else wrong. That 300 inline six should do 85 easy. My 200 ci motor will do 95 but it is modified. I had a 300 in a pickup that was way heavier than an early Econoline and could do 100mph with it.