Why the /6
:blob:
Why run anything other than what came in the car? Why run a slant? Why run a 318? Why only 383? Why stuff a 440? Why shoehorn a hemi? Why keep it stock? Why resto-mod? Why pro street?
Be cause we want to.
So, why do we want to?
I'll tell you why ~I~ want to...
I want to run a slant six because I am tired of V8s. I have had a lifetime of hot rodding V8s, and have never done a six... it's a matter of curiosity...
There are other reasons, too, but that's the main one.
I have learned that in order to get the kind of performance out of a slant six I want, it's going to need some help in the breathing department, so forced induction is in order. A friend of mine
gave me and my racing partner, a new Turbonetics 66mm turbo. an intercooler and a waste gate, so I guess it'll be a turbo.
We chose to build a clone of two other engines I learned about on this site, Ryan Peterson's and Tom Wolfe's, because they are just about the optimum engines of this kind; the most HP for the least amount of money.
Neither of their engines have any exotic components. They both utilize flat-tappet cams, stock push-rods and rocker arms and cheap, easy-to obtain valve springs. No fuel injection; just one 4bbl carb on a 4bbl manifold, and a homemade header. Stock-type distributor hooked to an msd box...
They do both have 198-length (long, 7") rods and forged pistons.
That's about as exotic as it gets...
They each make about 500 horsepower.
I am not at all sure that you could build a 360 to make that much power for the same money.
So, when we take the car to a show, It will not be just one more small-block powered A body... in a sea of them. The same at the drag strip. where it just might do well. We really hope we can make power somewhere in the neighborhood of the output of Ryan's and Tom's engines, but that is a lot easier to say than it is to do.... We'll see...:prayer::prayer::prayer:
It is not a street car, so I am not concerned about gas mileage, but it should do well on that score because the cam is mild... and should have a smooth idle and good driveability because of its short duration.
The slant six is an unusually strong engine, so reliability should be good.
In fact, I can't see much of a reason NOT to build a /6... Just don't forget to include the hairdryer, so it will be healthy... and, FUN!
