im tellin ya, while sitting the gauge hasnt moved at all. hell i did a burn out once and i swear i saw the needle move. wtf

 

I wouldn't rely on the fuel gauge, especially an old one. The float on the sending unit may be sticking or otherwise hung up somehow. Depending on its construction, perhaps it has absorbed or partially filled up with gasoline and doesn't float so well any more.

Fuel slosh such as occurs during your burnout can be violent enough to break a minor case of "stiction" and ultimately let the gauge needle "float" (sink?) down to the position it should have been in. No way a burnout with a 9.5:1 289 would ever use half a gallon, which is about the smallest change you'd ever be able to see on the gauge. I'm not sure that the average fuel pump can even pump half a gallon in the length of time of your burnout regardless of how much the engine actually used (with the rest just getting spit out on the ground).

Best to keep a gas mileage log at least for a while.


Norm