Got a kick out of an old notepad

[L31MaxExpress]

I was recently unpacking some boxes that came from my mothers house when we moved her to the new house she bought. I found the mini spiral notebook my dad kept track of fuel ups with on the old 1983 G20 van in the late 90s and the last year of entries was after I got my license in 2001 and started driving the old tank. Some of the log is in my moms hand writting because she drove it daily for several years after the 97 was around, before she got a new 2001 Sentra to run around in when I started driving. The sending unit was a dud in the thing so the mileage book was a reference of how much gas the thing had in it to keep from running out. It had a 33 gallon tank but we were careful not to run out. I know the years because of the dates and the change to my handwriting. A Q-jet fed small block backed to a 700r4 was not half bad on fuel even in a brick of a G20 van. The log goes from ~110K miles to 165K miles over a ~4 year period. I happen to also know the last long road trip my parents took us on in the 1983 was to a family reunion in eastern TN in the Summer of 1998 before we got the 1997 Express in Fall of 1998. That was right after they had raised the speed limit back up to 70 mph after old double nickle days. We filled up in Tennesee and my dad cannonballed that old G20 back home to Fort Worth, TX in 1 day (06/13/1998) something like 800 miles. Just thought it was cool to see real world fuel economy numbers on a higher mileage SBC with a Q-Jet. Over 17 mpg with the old A6 cranking out cold ac, there are stock 5.3L trucks that struggle to do that. Almost every entry was over 13 mpg even in daily short trips around town and that includes my 16 year old right foot. I am an EFI convert all the way now, but to this day I would not be scared of daily driving a Q-Jet fed SBC in a vehicle that came with one. This was a solid mix of stuff too, sometimes towing a utility trailer or boat.

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[Green1998]

I was recently unpacking some boxes that came from my mothers house when we moved her to the new house she bought. I found the mini spiral notebook my dad kept track of fuel ups with on the old 1983 G20 van in the late 90s and the last year of entries was after I got my license in 2001 and started driving the old tank. Some of the log is in my moms hand writting because she drove it daily for several years after the 97 was around, before she got a new 2001 Sentra to run around in when I started driving. The sending unit was a dud in the thing so the mileage book was a reference of how much gas the thing had in it to keep from running out. It had a 33 gallon tank but we were careful not to run out. I know the years because of the dates and the change to my handwriting. A Q-jet fed small block backed to a 700r4 was not half bad on fuel even in a brick of a G20 van. The log goes from ~110K miles to 165K miles over a ~4 year period. I happen to also know the last long road trip my parents took us on in the 1983 was to a family reunion in eastern TN in the Summer of 1998 before we got the 1997 Express in Fall of 1998. That was right after they had raised the speed limit back up to 70 mph after old double nickle days. We filled up in Tennesee and my dad cannonballed that old G20 back home to Fort Worth, TX in 1 day (06/13/1998) something like 800 miles. Just thought it was cool to see real world fuel economy numbers on a higher mileage SBC with a Q-Jet. Over 17 mpg with the old A6 cranking out cold ac, there are stock 5.3L trucks that struggle to do that. Almost every entry was over 13 mpg even in daily short trips around town and that includes my 16 year old right foot. I am an EFI convert all the way now, but to this day I would not be scared of daily driving a Q-Jet fed SBC in a vehicle that came with one. This was a solid mix of stuff too, sometimes towing a utility trailer or boat.

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Cool, thanks for sharing.

 

[DerekTheGreat]

I hate moving, but coming across gems like that which shake loose.

 

[L31MaxExpress]

I hate moving, but coming across gems like that which shake loose.

I agree, it was a cool find. Before vehicles had the fuel economy displays or even on board diagnostics, keeping track of the mileage also showed you when some kind of problem developed. I did some maintenence work on this old rig, did an upper end rebuild, put a RV cam, had some annoying glass packs installed, tweaked on the Q-Jet and HEI back then. In my normal daily driving it jumped up a solid 2 mpg, which I thought was cool. The entries stopped for a month during the summer time which I know was while I had it torn apart. First time I ever touched a small block.

 

[DerekTheGreat]

That's exactly why I keep track of my mileage, lets me know if the thing is running right.

 

[Caman96]

That's exactly why I keep track of my mileage, lets me know if the thing is running right.

X3

 

[454cid]

My parents had a log in thier vehicles when I was a kid. It seemed like such a chore to me for information that never seemed to be used.

 

[L31MaxExpress]

My parents had a log in thier vehicles when I was a kid. It seemed like such a chore to me for information that never seemed to be used.

This one served a purpose though. Typical GM product gas gauge in it. It did not have a working fuel gauge in it until I swapped a TBI tank and new sending unit later on.

 

[Supercharged111]

So these vans are yours or your parents'?

 

[L31MaxExpress]

So these vans are yours or your parents'?

Both mine now. I bought the 83 off my dad for $750 as a first vehicle in 2001. I was looking for something and he was ready to sell it off. It was not worth much, but ran and drove and had cold AC, so to me it was a bargain at the time. Most $1,000 beaters at that time did not have a SBC or AC. In 2012 after my dad passed away, I traded my 2006 Ram for the 1997 Van and my mom traded the 2006 off when she picked up something newer. It was an easy way to get rid of that truck that had transmission issues starting and get her something newer and gave me the 97. I did not need the money from the Ram, wanted the Van and she needed the extra help at the time. The Ram was just sitting in the driveway because I had bought the 2012 Titan in December 2011. It is a long story but lets just say big family feud between my dad's siblings and my mom.

The old 83 actually stayed at the lakehouse for a decade with antique plates on it. From 2007-2011 it was used like a farm truck and the keys were hanging on a peg in the house. I lived in place with minimal parking and had the Ram and a G35 in the driveway. It got used mainly to launch the boat or run to town for stuff. The rear and middle row of seats were removed by us and it got used like a pickup. My parents had an Acura Legend they drove almost everywhere at that time because it was good on fuel and fun to drive. Hard launch a big pontoon boat with a FWD sedan. After my dad passed, the lake was over 20 ft low for 5 years and we seldom made it out to the property because of work. I went out, put a hot battery in the van, shot some ether into the throttle body and it fired right up. Loaded it on the trailer and brought it to the shop. It has had an 8100 for years in it, but the front end is shot. It is eventually getting a SAS 4x4 swap.