i may look at a 81 short bed truck that has the slant 6 with a 3 speed and o/d.he has had it for 9 yrs and has 94000 miles has not tripped when he has had it.how good is the motor and is this a reliable motor and how is it to work on and parts for money(myself and a mechanic)?what problems is there and whats good/bad about the truck and what to look for.it has rust at the rear wheel wells and no air and paint is ok(white) and will have 6 tires and wheels.any info will be helpful thanks

 

The slant 6 does not have a lot of power but I've always heard they are next to impossible to kill. Very reliable and sturdy...prices for parts should be pretty cheap as well because the engine has been around forever.

Only thing I've really found on my '81 that would be something to look for is how much play there is in the steering. There is a coupler between the steering box and column that wears out. They make a rebuild kit for it but if it gets too worn you have to replace the whole thing like I did. It was around $80 from the dealer. Other than that, items like weatherstripping and trim are rare to find new so be happy with the condition of that stuff if you buy the truck.

Derek

 

do you know what the hp is and the mpg?how do i check the steering box and column?is there any pic so i can see what the frontend looks like and the inside thanks

 

There is one thing I would check I wil explain it to you the best way I can so you will know what to look for. On the exaust manifold there will be a piece of metal thats in the shape of a circle it is mounted to a shaft and has a spring behind it.I am describing a valve that when closed(cool conditions) will help the engine warm up.You will want to try and turn it if it turns free its ok if it is siezed there is a chance that it has siezed in the closed position or partially closed and alot of times when this happens the motor will suffer from burnt exaust valves.
For the most part slant sixes are indestucable. I have a cousin that owned a truck that was equipped with one of these engines he really abused it at times runnig it for weeks without any oil in it(he liked to party and spend his money on things other than his truck). when he sold the truck it still ran.

 

yea ill third the legend of this engine.As for hp well stock i would say pretty darn cruddy (100 - 150?) but i bet it is mostly limited by aspiration (in and out). Try the part of the forum where it sais "What MPG are you getting?" somebody around theremay have posted with that engine. Maybe 13 city /15 hwy? Hard to say since that one isolder, but this is always a good site for a ballpark (go for closest year avialable)

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm

i think this is where you want to look for more info http://www.slantsix.org/

off the top of my head you can get an aluminum head for this engine, there aresome performance parts and youll often hear of it called the "G" engine in those circles. My uncle had one which was called the "Super Six", 2bbl carb (probably 150 hp). i was really little i dont remember anything exept that he sold it still running.

 

ok so i called my uncle and were on the phone. he says that there was a Valiant which was available from the factory but reallydesignedto winNASCAR (Chrysler did this with the 300 magnum as well). It was called the "Hyper Pack", and the 8 Valiants which were in the race won the top 8 places. the hyper pack added a giant 4 barrel carb adn some stupid high compression. also better exaust manifold.


apparently this guy builds his own? http://www.dutra.org/doug/doug-sl6-exhaust/doug's-sl6-exhaust.htm

imagine how much gas you canpour down this badboy (claims a600cfm carb):
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...ayphotohosting
ps. it looks like a hand, and manifold is acutally an Old English (pre-900AD) word for hand. pretty neat huh?

ok sry for the long post.

 

There are only two alyminum heads known to exist that is Mopar heads anyway. They did offer a aluminum block in the mid 60's but most of them are unusable due to pitting around the water jackets.

 

ivebeen told (from a previous /6owner)also that it was poor quality aluminum and the factory heads (from Alcoa) tended to warp or pit like you say.

also, somebody told me aboutthis engine having the slight problem of eating dipsticks? can i get a confirmation?

 

Heres some pics of mine, same as yours, right down to the motor and trans. The parts are fairly cheap, the suspension is almost the same on all of them. The slant should get high teens for mileage, maybe even 20's highway. There are plenty of upgrades you can do, and a couple of pretty good /6 websites.
These trucks are starting to get popular, but right now there is not a lot of aftermarket dress up parts. One of the best slant sites out there http://www.slantsix.org/with tons of info.
I've been doing a lot of searching, and can't wait for spring to drive mine, we still have a couple feet of snow on the ground.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...r/P1000814.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...r/P1000813.jpg
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...r/P1000815.jpg

 

slant 6's


do NOT remove intake and exhaust manifolds seperately....they will never match back up.. you may find aluminum manifolds at a wrecking yeard.

oil and water is all you need to keep a slanter alive!

they have torque but ponies are lacking.

be sure to remove the spring choke (if equiped) and replace with electric unit.

I had a 1972 1/2t utility truck with the slant 6. great truck and engine!

was only able to hit 60mph on the freeway with the low geared rear end. I could haul a full 500 gal water tank easily in 1st gear (granny)


old trucks always need extra attention for the steering assembly, ball joints, u joints, brakes, and axle seals.