Jeep 4.0 in 69 Barracuda
John...Keep doing the great job you have done so far!
First Comment
I am not one to follow the crowd. While my buddies were building v8’s (350’s, 360’s & 351’s), I built my race slant six which was good for an easy 13.9 second quarter mile. At some point I will build a stroker slant six. When I do that build, I don’t see the point of going .100 over, but going .060 is worth it and should only be a 3 or 4 cid loss at roughly a 207CID (using the 170 block).
Second Comment
That’s kind of the point. There are no surprises with the Slant Six. Though I will build another one at some point, and it was considered for this project, I had better ideas of something many have talked about but never done. Use the 4.0L in an A-Body. Many have talked about it, but none have tried.
Third Comment
Unlike the Slant Six, there are several aftermarket performance options including stroking to over a 5.0L. Let’s not forget the fact that factory fuel injection with 1 of the easiest and budget minded fuel management designs out there. And with the 4.0L, I can turbo or supercharge it with aftermarket support.
Personal Thoughts
In all, I am very fond of the Slant Six. It’s one of my favorite engines out there second to the 4.0L. But it was not in the works for this project. In the end, this 4.0L will be pulled out and installed in one of my future Jeeps as a 265 inline 6 hemi will be installed. The largest benefit to going the 4.0 route is that I can focus on wire lay out and fuel injection setup which will be used on the 265 in the years to come. And I don’t have to fabricate the fuel injection setup to the engine. With the 4.0L, I know the fuel management is meant for the engine and should work correctly. If it’s not, I can treat it like a jeep and focus on correcting the problems. With a slant six, I cannot be so sure. I have to question engine design such as cam profile and intake/exhaust configuration. What about the fact that it’s a slanted engine and fuel being injected in that combustion chamber not combusting in an expected way? With everything worked out while running a 4.0L, I can drop the 265 in and I should have minor tweaks to make so that the fuel management will work well with the larger displacement engine. Keep in mind that the 265 is a inline engine and not slanted. I am not able to jump right into a 265cid engine as much as I want to as prior to the 265 engine I have 2 boys to put thru college now, and 2 girls shortly afterwards.
At this point, I have done little work. Mostly just research, planning, and purchasing of parts. And lots and lots of talking. But with this recent purchase of the suspension and K-Member that’s all about to change. I need to hit the wrecking yard for a couple of front stock rotors, I am hoping by the end of the summer to have the enter front suspension on with the car on all 4 wheels and the engine/tranny secured in. I would like to be dealing with fuel management this winter. Lets hope all goes as I expect.
