Hey guys,

I'm looking on doing some upgrades to my 81 D150 this coming summer(I know planning way far ahead). I'm a college student, so need to do things on the cheap, However my buddy who is helping me is a welder/fabricator.

I want to spend less than $600 total. I have some questions about weather to pick up a cheap 360/350(I can find used ones locally for $150-250. Or should i just upgrade my slant 6. My main goal out of this is reliability. This was my first vehicle and have been driving for 5 years. It has been unbelievably reliable too. I have an all new cooling system(rad, pump, hoses, therm, vavle).

I plan to run almost all new wiring for it, I can get free wires/connectors. Does anyone know what is in the computer of the truck? from what I have heard for some people that it is pretty simple electronics and maybe i could rebuild it? I am in my 2nd year as a EE technologist so I know a decent amount.

I have heard that i could to a 2" suspension lift very easily, so i plan on doing that.

Things I have already done
-brake/fuel/vacuum lines all new
-Cooling system
-rear shock aborbers
-some new sheet metal
-new interior(yes, is very pretty)
-a few others, cant remember off top of my head

This is my daily driver, while im @ school but have a s-10 i drive around in the summer so it can sit for a bit if needed.

I basically am asking for opinions of to updrage my current slant 6 or get a 350/360.

Thanks

 

A slant 6 to v-8 is change would be a huge power upgrade and probably a desireable one unless you have a stick shift or live where it is realllllly flat and must have better fuel economy. Reliability would depend on the condition of the new motor. I would not reccomend bigger (taller) tires and wheels until after you get the v-8 or lower gears. The slant-6 could have some low gears already so the v-8 will probably really get the job done power wise.

 

the slant 6 is a great engine. i would keep it if there is nothing wrong with it. you would run into more problems trying to install a v-8 than you would upgrading you slant 6. what type of upgrades were you think of doing? i would not touch the wiring unless you you run into electrical problems.

 

I honestly have no clue what upgrades to do. I have been trying to look up some information, however did not come up with much. What do you guys think?

 

There is a company that is just for slant 6's it's clifford 6=8 i think is the right name. I have seen ads in mopar muscle. I think there is a site called www.slant6.com

 

you could look for something like this for your truck. 4 barrel carb intake for a slant 6. it would increase power and top speed.

 

Thanks tooltime and crazzywolfie.

Those both sound great but also seem out of my budget a little bit. I dont want to hurt my fuel economy much as i have to drive 500 miles to school, and its not that great right now. I guess i was thinking more of a restoration of the engine.

Would it be hard to install a rebuild kit? Also thinking of replacing the clutch if I'm going to have the engine out.

81 dodge ram D150 225 slant six trailduster edition 3spd manual +od

 

rebuilding your slant 6 should not be too hard if you have all the tools. replacing the clutch would be a good idea if you are going to have the engine out. how often do you do a tune-up on it? tune-ups help with fuel economy.

 

I was going to do this to mine, http://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15779 but decided to go diesel instead.
That site also has a lot of other /6 info.
They even have fuel injection and turbo's. Lots of possibilities.

 

Thanks racer9, is that a carb to efi conversion???

I would love to dot that.