i would like sugestions for my 85 350 turbo

[Travis Z]

i have a stock 85 350 turbo and i would like better fuel economy and a higher performance. would fuel injection do that or a new carb? and if so what kind would be best. i wanna make my truck a lot faster.

 

[bucket]

Does the truck currently run well? What's the current MPG?

 

[bigcountryguy19]

The faster you make your truck, the less mpg your going to get, You gotta pay if you wanna play, overdrive would help

 

[GreaseDog]

The faster you make your truck, the less mpg your going to get, You gotta pay if you wanna play, overdrive would help

Not always true. A truck making 100 ft lb more torque will accelerate faster than a lesser powered truck. At the same time, a truck making 100 ft lb more will put less strain on the drivetrain, and will use less fuel.

So many guys focus on horsepower, when the reality is what they're after is torque, especially so in a truck. Smokey Yunick once said, "build for torque, horsepower will follow." I've say that is sound advice, considering his reputation.

 

[HotRodPC]

And it's been said, Horsepower sells cars, Torque Wins Races. And that's true. Everyone is impressed with horsepower.

Overdrive will help with highway mpg only. Also, giving up durability to have the OD.

 

[GreaseDog]

Overdrive will help with highway mpg only. Also, giving up durability to have the OD.

Not necessarily... On both statements. If it's currently undergeared (like 99% of these trucks were) overdrive will hurt mpg by lugging the engine below it's powerband. With that said, the 3.06 1st gear gear of the 700R4 will help the truck get out of the hole quicker. If we're talking about 1/4 mile racing, or stoplight, the 700 has an advantage, as overdrive doesn't (or at least shouldn't) be part of the equation at all.

 

[HotRodPC]

That only IF it's undergeared. I do forget that sometimes. My 85 is 3.73's and I'd like to have OD, but so far, not willing to go back to the 700r4 that I swapped out to a Th350 and I beat the hell out that transmission. I'll tear up a driveshaft before I tear the up the transmission. Of course I built it, so I don't worry much, and if I do break it, so what, I got 6 more cores and a kit on standby.