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What a last 2 days

Ickie

Ickie

SOH Administrator
My neighbor has his daughter living with him, well she saved up to get a pickup. Well it was a 1985 Dodge 225 slant 6, my favorite engine, but wrong year, lol. (lean Burn Year) Well after 2 weeks it just stopped running so I had it towed home.
This engine had the hated lean burn carb and spark computer, not the normal stuff, well it all went out. The carb was on its last leg and the spark computer just died and took out coil. I priced all the parts out and it came to more than she paid for the truck.
BINGO I HAD AN IDEAL! I use to have a Dodge Lancer 1962 and put 500,000 miles on it and it still ran when I sold it.

The truck runs great now with that 1 barrel holly carb and the brand new 1962 ign system, yes with points. I bought a new distributor new cap and rotor points and condenser, new coil with big single balast resistor, than plugs and wires, total spent a little above $100, I junk yarded the old holly carb and put a kit in it total cost of it was $45.00
Grand total, $146.74 I spent.

Wiring this up was simple, I came off the starter and ran the wire to the ballast resistor than to + pos side of coil, then off - neg side of coil to distributor.
set points to .018. adjusted timing so it didn't rattle going up hill, a little advanced.

I set carb to 750 rpm's with 20 pounds of vaccum.
she was amazed when she just turned the key and she did not even hear the starter and it was running.
zoom, zoom, zoom
 
Yes one of the great long running engines ever built the Slant 6. Between it and Fords straight six you could not stop them.
 
The old Chevy straight six was tough as nails too. I think one of the reasons that they got away from the old straight sixes was that they lasted too long.

I did a similar setup on the Ford 2.8l V-6 in my old Bronco II. I used an early electronic ignition instead with a non computer carb in place of the completely computer controlled originals. Ran like a champ. I'd have went with a points ignition, but the 2.8 V-6 only ever came with electronic.
 
Sounds good Ickie! You also could've done it with the 70s-era factory style electronic ignition (non LeanBurn but still electronic) to eliminate the hassle of doing points on a /6. (Why did they put the distributor on the downhill side of the engine anyway? :D)
Or...I just did electronic ignition on both my '67 van and my '65 Valiant using a GM HEI module to control the spark. $15 and simple as heck to wire up.

That'll keep that truck on the road for a long time. Those slants are tough engines!
I was gonna 318 my '65 Valiant but the more I drive it with that little 170 I'm falling in love with the /6 again.
 
Thats awesome Ickie. Quick thinking and you got someone back on the road again in quick order.

:ernae:


I remember once throwing a blade on my old Range Rover's cooling fan, big 6 bladed plastic thing on one of the pulleys. So, I sawed off the opposite side and Voila, it was balanced again! lol... Lasted me a while till I could afford a new plastic fan.

Darn things were Jaguar parts. Danged expensive. I ended up finding one nearly new on Ebay for $48.00. wooo hooooo...!
 
One of the things that made those old straight sixes long lived and reliable was that they were mostly made of cast iron and steel. They weren't high revving engines, but produced a lot of bottom end torque. The old Chevy 250 is about my favorite all time auto/truck engine.
 
Willy said:
One of the things that made those old straight sixes long lived and reliable was that they were mostly made of cast iron and steel. They weren't high revving engines, but produced a lot of bottom end torque. The old Chevy 250 is about my favorite all time auto/truck engine.
Click to expand...


When I was young, somehow I got qualified to buy a used, totally restored BMW Bavaria 3.0s fourdoor. This things engine, fullly rebuilt, was a straight slant six. This thing could rev up HIGH! It was the most amazing engine. It was so well balanced, it almost sounded like a Mazda rotary engine at high RPM.

I treated it like a sportscar unfortunately and before long, it showed some wear. I smack myself now. If I had babied that thing, I would have it today.

But the most amazing part of that car I remember, was that engine. Man, it was a fun car to drive...


Looked like this, but was metallic green instead of solid green. Casted Compagnollo wheels and black grilles instead of chrome.

http://www.progressive-engineering.com/e3/jackie_o/


Bill
 
Ickie, I envy your automotive knowledge that you can do that electrical stuff right off the top of your head. I replaced the water pump and radiator on my Dodge Dakota last year and it was slow going but I was proud of my work when I finished. All I can say is thank God for online tutorials and the Dodge Dakota Forum website. :d
 
Oh man, with that knowledge on a automobile stuff, I know where to go incase my Honda quit on me! :icon_lol: :icon_lol: :icon_lol:

Ickie,

Don't work too hard! Try going to the beach.... relax!
 
Ickie, you are starting to sound like a jack of all trades! Last vehicle I could work on was my 84 CJ7. I could do anything to that jeep, as long as I had my manual. Now I own a 07 Toyota Tacoma X Runner. I swear, I have never lifted the hood, and I do not even Know where the hood release is. I just take it to the dealer and let them keep it up, hope they know what they are doing. I only have about 23,000 kilometers on it. Very fast 6 speed. It's a chick magnet, can't get wife off the driver's seat!
 
Cool!

I owned several slant sixes and put many trouble-free miles on all of them.

I had no idea it was possible to backdate the later versions to the way they were origibally designed! Wish I'd known it back then!
 
In 1975 or so, I had a 1973 CJ-5 Jeep that had a 256 chevy inline 6 coupled to a 5 speed muncie manual tranny.

With the front hubs locked in ... I could burn rubber on all 4 tires ... :) What a fun ride ... man that was many moons ago.

Then in 1986 or there abouts I ended up with a Cherokee with a small chevy v-6 coupled to who knows what for a 5 speed tranny ... that thing was so under powered that it couldn't even get out of its own way.

Today, I still take pride in my 1995 GMC Sierria with a 5.0 liter v8 and 5 speed tranny. I can cruise along at 60 mph at 1400 rpm and not worry about a thing, and still have pedal and power to pick up and move from a runnin start. I get about 15 highway, depending on my habits in city, I can average about 13.5.

:ernae:
 
today I extended the life of the tranny, 3 speed manual with overdrive. I added 1.3 gts gear oil.
She said it runs like a sports car now, lol.
 
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