So I am going to check out an aluminum slant six block that a guy has for sale. Was pulled because of a blown head gasket and left for dead. Not looking for a rebuild able core engine just more for display and cool factor. I have never ran across one for sale so assuming it looks like it is from the titanic what would be a realistic value? Just have nothing to compare it too.
Aluminum slant block
- Thread starter killerslant
- Start date
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MidnightSwinger
Well-Known Member
I wouldn’t personally pay more than $500. It’s rare, but it’s also a pain in the *** to build, and this one is most likely trashed from sitting with a blown head gasket and corroding.
But, how many do you ever see? I’d say pay as much as you are comfortable with if you really want it. Great conversation piece or make one of those cool engine tables out of it.
Hoping to be able to clean it up and make display piece out of it. The number he threw out was realistic and has a stash of aftermarket intakes and parts that he is looking to unload. Just have never saw one for sale anywhere. No intention of rebuilding it at this time. So worth the two hour drive either way I guess.
Hyper_pak
Old School Chrysler Fan
Go for it!
Robert Maw on FB has come up with maybe a fix for the head gasket surface, might be common soon.
See if he has the Special head casting when you look at the block.
Head bolts, Main Bolts, oil seal retainer parts are different than stock cast iron slants.
What intakes does he have?
I am looking for a Clifford 3 Weber sidedraft intake.
Robert Maw on FB has come up with maybe a fix for the head gasket surface, might be common soon.
See if he has the Special head casting when you look at the block.
Head bolts, Main Bolts, oil seal retainer parts are different than stock cast iron slants.
What intakes does he have?
I am looking for a Clifford 3 Weber sidedraft intake.
Said he has dual 1 bbl a four barrel and still looking for the aluminum 2 bbl intake.
MidnightSwinger
Well-Known Member
Id buy the dual 1bbl if you want to grab it and pass it along.
Yeah and he's got an aluminum head project that's been stalled for a few years too. Although he's done WAY more than I'll ever do, I'll be impressed when he actually does finish something.
I'm not usually a fan of the slant six but I'd love to build a display of a nicely "restored" aluminum block slanty. It was an interesting thing that Chrysler spent the money to develop these. I'd imagine they weigh a LOT less than the iron block engines. The finish of the block probably looks a lot different.
Scored heavily! They do exist still.
33IMP
Well-Known Member
IF I remember right.... Steve Magnante had a alum block/alum head slanty project a few years back
The aluminum blocks were an assembly line option, so they were somewhat common in the early sixties. Not so much 60years later
I don't remember how he got a alum head.
The guy you bought this stuff from isn't named STEVE, is he?
The aluminum blocks were an assembly line option, so they were somewhat common in the early sixties. Not so much 60years later
I don't remember how he got a alum head.
The guy you bought this stuff from isn't named STEVE, is he?
MidnightSwinger
Well-Known Member
Holy wow! Are those early a long tubes?!?!
JDMopar
Well-Known Member
The only aluminum slant 6 I've ever laid eyes on was in the wild, at a jobsite I had to go to 30 something years ago. It was in a Toad body roundy round car that had big racing slicks, full cage, 4 speed and the fancy front hubs for race cars that looked like rear hubs on a 3/4 ton truck. It had been sitting many years, but 100% sure the slant was Al you minium! 
Two different styles of long tube headers. Haven't gotten to researching them or the nos melling high performance cam. Cam measure out at .428 with 1.5 so just ails street cam. Haven't looked at the complete engine yet but was told it's a 74 . Good running engine he was going to drop in his car before he got a nice 273 for his 64 valiant convertible that he has had since 73. Real cool guy.
Dave999
Well-Known Member
once restored it'd be a shame not to use it
given advances in gaskets, do cometic do one? some nice ARP studs the proper coolant could be a very nice motor
Dave
given advances in gaskets, do cometic do one? some nice ARP studs the proper coolant could be a very nice motor
Dave
I thought the sealing issues were more related to the porosity of the gasket seat at the tops of the cylinders.
Cool stuff, man!
It's the block itself. I believe it can be stopped. I think it the block were to be decked to clean it up good. Have it decked so it has a little "tooth" to it. Not a mirror finish. Then degrease it with denatured alcohol, let it dry completely and come back over it with a high temp oil based DTM paint. Just spitballin, but that would certainly stop the corrosion problem. Now, what it would do in terms of affecting the gasket sealing, I don't know, but I'd be game to find out.
Dave999
Well-Known Member
i guess you hot tank it like they do with motorcycle engine cases
TIG up anything that needs it
machine deck and heads
water and a bottle of K-seal for break in
and then use a modern coolant...
Rover in the UK ended up with the buick 215 because GM got so sick of issues with it in the US. they licenced the design and Rover had great success
it is generally understood that those issues were mainly due to the use of the wrong coolant...
blue stuff for iron motors was not what was needed
did the same happen with aluminium slant?
basically if the motors had been maintained by the team that designed them, rather than "Bill and Teds horseless-carriage crash repair and servicing". would the issues have happened
Dave
TIG up anything that needs it
machine deck and heads
water and a bottle of K-seal for break in
and then use a modern coolant...
Rover in the UK ended up with the buick 215 because GM got so sick of issues with it in the US. they licenced the design and Rover had great success
it is generally understood that those issues were mainly due to the use of the wrong coolant...
blue stuff for iron motors was not what was needed
did the same happen with aluminium slant?
basically if the motors had been maintained by the team that designed them, rather than "Bill and Teds horseless-carriage crash repair and servicing". would the issues have happened
Dave
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Their biggest downfall....besides the corrosion was the lack of top cylinder support. There was no deck surface.
Hyper_pak
Old School Chrysler Fan
What is the number on the cam?
I am looking for the RPD-3, I think that is the number, I know it's -3.
And post up the serial number on the aluminum block if you can.
Here are my numbers:
Hyper_pak
Old School Chrysler Fan
He got the head from Doctor Dodge, Doug Dutra.
Doug had at least 2, maybe 3 aluminum heads at one time.
Pretty sure one melted when the Californian wild fires hit his home garage.
BTW, the Valiant with the mostly aluminum engine ended up in Australia and was recently for sale.
Steve moved the engine from this "Top Eliminator Fuel" give away car to a 2 door to sell.
$50K AU.
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BillGrissom
Well-Known Member
Before I bought my 1965 Dart 273 around 2008, I saw several 1963-4 Dart (or Valiant) with aluminum slants on the local craigslist. Don't see those anymore. The block in bare aluminum looks slick, with the smooth cylindrical bulges on the outside. Would draw a crowd at a car show.
Besides cool, a big advantage of the aluminum block is less front-end weight for better handling. A magazine ran a drag-race test and found the aluminum block no better, which they attributed to cylinder deflection and thus blowby at max pressure. A group on slantsix.org bought a lot of custom copper head gaskets over a decade ago. If the top is corroded too far, I doubt the block could be saved. If sound to where the piston rings reach, decking the block to that level with an extra thick gasket might work.
If I had the dual 4 bbl intake, I would consider using two EFI throttle bodies with tiny injectors installed. But, MPFI is even better. One guy here did that by drilling ports for injectors in a cast-iron head. I may try that someday by modifying an aluminum intake (have parts).
Besides cool, a big advantage of the aluminum block is less front-end weight for better handling. A magazine ran a drag-race test and found the aluminum block no better, which they attributed to cylinder deflection and thus blowby at max pressure. A group on slantsix.org bought a lot of custom copper head gaskets over a decade ago. If the top is corroded too far, I doubt the block could be saved. If sound to where the piston rings reach, decking the block to that level with an extra thick gasket might work.
If I had the dual 4 bbl intake, I would consider using two EFI throttle bodies with tiny injectors installed. But, MPFI is even better. One guy here did that by drilling ports for injectors in a cast-iron head. I may try that someday by modifying an aluminum intake (have parts).
Hyper_pak
Old School Chrysler Fan
Not many good running aluminum slants anymore.
But this was a cool one, turn up the sound!
But this was a cool one, turn up the sound!
Dave_J
Well-Known Member
Back in 1999 or so, I sold a 1962 225 aluminum engine to a guy from California for $500. He took it down to Doug Dutra's shop. It came out of a 62 Valiant with a 7 1/4 Suregrip 3.51:1 and a 3 on the tree.
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