Had the 61 poncho out last weekend and I don't know where the gas mileage went but it went . I've got a dodge ram hemi that gets doube the gas mileage as that 261. It was bad last year so I put new plugs AC44, points and condenser, cap, timed it and still no better. As there is no tag on the rear end, don't know what gears are in it. 2 speed pg is working great but is reving quite high as far as I'm concerned, any suggestions would be appreciated, thanks guys Brent
That powerglide won't win you any prizes in the fuel economy dept. You may want to look into converting to a 700R4. Does anyone know if this is an easy swap behind a 261?
Last Years rotten Gas??? Mine went through the gas that was in it over the winter like no tomorrow, had STA-BIL in it but no milage, got better on 2nd. tank, back to normal now
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Some times I wake up GRUMPY, but today I let her sleep in !!!!!!!!BLACKSTOCK Ont.
That powerglide won't win you any prizes in the fuel economy dept. You may want to look into converting to a 700R4. Does anyone know if this is an easy swap behind a 261?
If it will match up to the bellhousing <edit - see above for adapter>, I'd say a 261 would be an ideal candidate for a 200R4. A stock 200R4 should easily be able to handle the torque of that engine. I was told that the 200R4 will handle 300 to 350 ft-lb torque - lots more if it's built for it, but from my research, the cost goes up very quickly if you are trying to beef one up and you want to be picky about who does the work. You want to find a shop that really knows the 200R4 if you're planning on beefing one up.
The 200R4 is much more of a "bolt-in" swap for a Powerglide than the 700R4.
I tried a 200R4 in my Beaumont for awhile. I liked it but the tranny had about 300,000 km's on it and was slushy on the shifts. The local trans shop was much more familiar with the 700R4 so I went with that. My gut tells me a good rebuilt or low mileage 200R4 would have worked fine for me - I don't drive it that hard - but I've got no complaints about the 700R4.
One other benefit of either the 700R4 or the 200R4 swap is the lower first gear. Better off the line and you cut the rev's on the highway!
-- Edited by 66 Beau on Thursday 29th of April 2010 07:32:41 AM
Thanks guys, as far as choke its turned back to off as it is a summer car and really don.t need it, brakes are fine and not dragging, and for changing the trans i guess the 200R4 would do me quite well and I don't really want to sledge hammer the body to get the 700 in.
I did a bunch of research on the 200 and 700 R4's before I installed either in my car. It was a few years ago so I forget the details but I am sure I still have some links and notes. I'll check and get back to you.
Not all 200R4's were created equal and there are some years/models that are more desireable. Ones from Buick Grand Nationals for instance are highly sought after...