60-70s shorty that can do 75mph?

looking for a 60s-70s shorty that can comfortably do 75 on the highway. not 75 top speed.. 75 for hours, is the idea.

i currently have a 72 blazer with a 350 auto and it starts winding over 3k rpm over 70s mph. looking for something will taller gearing than that, ideally

been reading about various makes, motors, trans etc and gather that the 6 cyl's won't do it, and sounding like nothing in the 60s was powered and geared for high speeds?

also to fit in my garage (short and downsloping) it has to be short wheelbase

any ideas? thanks!

I can run 70 in my 69 shorty down the highway all day long. It's got a 230 six in it, and a 3 speed manual. and gets 17 mpg's and above doing it. if you want to go much faster, I suggest disc brakes and a v8 with overdrive. but your mileage will not be real nice, even with the overdrive.

I’ve got a dodge with a V8 and a trans out of some other vehicle.  at 70 I’m at about 3k rpm.  Not sure how much faster I’d want to go in one of these....

slightly built 250 six banger with 700r4 and 3.36:1 rear. did 100 mph towing a pop up camper. I now have a 292 but haven't opened it up yet.

If ya can't find it..build it!

Ditto, Digs! Most of these old vans need new engines anyway, so do your homework and build what you want. A big 6 cyl. and an overdrive is more than enough for most earlies but V8's are more fun.

LIKE =I always say = "You could have had a V-8!!"

Its all about how you gear 'em.  Running tall rear tires helps too.  Use an engine RPM calculator to figure out how transmission, gear ratio, and tire size figures into dialing in your van to cruise in the 'sweet spot' of your engine's happy power band on the freeways.

In my '65 Hella Sunshine, I have a th350, 3.36 gears with 27" tall 325/50r15 drag radial tires.  I cruise in the fast lane no problem.  This combo calculates 75mph at 3136 rpm.  Its powered by a small block chevy v8, which can take it up to 100 mph without worries.  




My '64 Wikivan has a ultra wide ratio t-10 4 speed (3.44:1 first gear) with 2.56 gears in the back.  295/50r15 rear tires, which are 26" tall.  This van cruises great on the freeway too.  Its similar to having a 3 speed + overdrive with 3.73 gears.  Both vans love the fast lane, and love the freeway, but the wikivan really knocks the revs down with the 2.56 final drive gear.    The RPM calculator brings this combo in at 2481 rpm at 75mph.




The engine in the '64 is a 230 inline six, which has a much lower torque power band than the SBC v8, so it is geared down accordingly so the engine is always working in the RPM it was designed for.  The wikivan's 4th gear is great for long cruising on flat stretches.  For pulling hills or passing, I simply drop it down into 3rd gear, get 'er done, and then back into 4th again for economic operation.

South of Olympia, on I-5 the speed limit goes to 75 all the way down to Portland. I've had the wikivan on this long flat stretch of road several times, and it just hums along at 75-80mph no problem.

You definitely need to rebuild the suspension, and have good tires, brakes, and good shocks for any kind of high speed operation.  Having at least a front sway bar helps too.  I still don't have one on Hella Sunshine, and I miss it.  

Another good idea is to pick up a stock van, and then plan on a overdrive transmission swap, which will give you an overdrive for the freeway, dropping your final drive high speed cruise rpms down by about 30%.  If you get a chevy, consider a 200r-4, which is a good swap for 64-70 vans due to its compact size.  Fords can use the AOD, and I think there is a Mopar overdrive automatic also.