SMA PLT ON IFR FLT PLAN FINDS FUEL LOW. REALIZES UNABLE TO MAKE IT TO DEST. REQUESTS DIVERT TO ARPT WITHIN 10 MI. ENG QUITS AT 3 MI FROM ARPT. GLIDES TO RWY.

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I WAS ON AN IFR FLT IN MOSTLY VMC CONDITIONS; FROM KISSIMMEE; FL; TO MCN AT 5000 FT. BTWN IFM AND VNA ON V- 579 MY FUEL GAUGES APPEARED TO SHOW LOW FUEL. I RECALCULATED MY TIME ENRTE AND FUEL USE AND REALIZED IT WOULD BE VERY TIGHT FOR ME TO GET TO MCN. AFTER TALKING TO MCN APCH WHO TOLD ME TO DSND TO 3000 FT; I ADVISED THEM OF MY LOW FUEL SITUATION AND REQUESTED TO BE DIVERTED TO THE PERRY-FT VALLEY; GA; ARPT. APCH GAVE ME VECTORS AND TOLD ME I COULD STAY AT 3000 AND DSND AT PLT'S DISCRETION. 2-3 MI BEFORE REACHING PERRY THE ENG QUIT. HAVING ENOUGH ALT; I MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG AND TAXIED THE AIRPLANE INTO THE GRASS SO I DIDN'T BLOCK THE RWY. I CLOSED THE FLT PLAN FROM THE GND. THE ACFT WAS FUELED AND I TOOK OFF AND FLEW TO MCN AS MY INTERMEDIATE STOP TO CHA AND TYS. BACKGND: DURING THE LAST ANNUAL IN JUNE; THE ACFT GOT 2 NEW CYLINDERS AND THE PROP WAS OVERHAULED AND REPITCHED. DURING THE FLT THE TAS WAS CALCULATED REPEATEDLY IN MPH AND THE AIRPLANE ENG WAS FLOWN RICH FOR ADEQUATE COOLING OF THE NEW CYLINDERS. THE COMBINATION OF POOR FUEL USE CALCULATION; USING TAS IN MPH INSTEAD OF KTS; AND INCREASED FUEL CONSUMPTION DUE TO PURPOSELY NOT LEANING THE MIXTURE CAUSED THE FUEL TO DECREASE MUCH FASTER AS EXPECTED. THE MAIN FACTOR IN THIS INCIDENT WAS THE POOR FLT PLANING. EVEN IF THE ACFT'S PERFORMANCE TABLES ARE IN MPH I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN; THAT IFR MAPS GIVE DISTANCES IN KTS. ALSO THE INCREASED FUEL USE DUE TO THE FAILURE TO LEAN SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION.