Dreamer, I always learn from you too. I didn’t seriously think you were recommending that engine for a PU.
I think that our friend could bolt a 302 or a 351 into his truck with existing trans and rear end and see no difference in the gas mileage. Some of us will switch to a more powerful engine and then use that additional power just for fun. Mpg goes down. I think that with a work truck, most of us just use the power we need. I remember the 3/4 ton trucks I had in the 1970s. My 1972 had a towing package on it. A 4.11 rear end, a 350/350 and one ton springs and tires as well as Hellwig helper springs. It was rated for 3800 lbs load, but you could carry a lot more a short distance if you didn’t need brakes down a steep hill. They would fade away if you overloaded the truck. With two or three thousand lbs in a truck like that, the mpg would sink. If you didn’t downshift, the 350 automatic would do it for you.
That’s why I think that if you use a work truck as a work truck, you won’t get better mileage with a smaller engine.
There’s a thread on the forum titled “Am I overbuilding?” A young fellow with a 1969 Dodge 3/4 ton and a 318 V8. He received recommendations to build a high RPM expensive 318 with aftermarket aluminum heads and new rear end gears and a high stall torque converter. Those would be good ideas if he was building a little Dodge car for drag racing. He was in a position to find an old Dodge 383, rebuild it for cheap and get more torque, mpg and longer engine life.
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