Daily Driver.. LA318 vs 360 Magnum

AJ/FormS said

@MopaR&D
My post was irrespective of emissions equipment. I'll wager not one in a hundred of us consider it when we hop our cars.
My post was comparing a well-built, alloy-headed, hi-compression, small displacement, V8 of yesteryear, to a similar displacement, highly regulated, over complicated, engine of today, in the fuel-economy arena only, and at about the same weight; sorry if that was unclear.
If I, a common uneducated country-boy hick, can get 32mpg out of a 6 liter 1960s tech engine; and modern cars are doing that but with 2.5liter 4-bangers, and it's 55 years that have elapsed, you gotta suspect something. And when you consider that this 6 liter makes 335 NA hp with just a carb swap, com'on; Somebody is holding back.

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I too consider myself a "country-boy hick" with an engineering degree. As a young man living in South Dakota, I tried all kinds of combinations with a 273 Commando in a 1964 Barracuda. The best combination would get high 20's on the highway. That was with 273 commando short block machined like a Stock Class car, 72 J Heads, 71 340 intake and Carb, a used 340 cam, and 75 manual OD trans. I can't remember the rear ratio. When gas went bad I pulled the 273 and replaced it with a 170 /6 that would get 30+ mpg. No sense in talking average mpg since it is heavily dependent on location and drivers ability. I believe AJ's 32 mpg. He was trying, I was not, it just happened. My odometer was calibrated so it was accurate by mile markers after 200 miles of steady cruising. mpg was calculated using multiple fill ups and was consistent. My 2009 6 speed manual Challenger will get 28 mpg. My 1996 ACR Neon would get high 30's with 3.91 gears and 23" OD tires. My 1998 5 speed SOHC Neon would get over 40 mpg.