Slant 6 Interest

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gunbunny

gunbunny

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This past weekend I took the Duster to a fairly big car show. Decent Mopar presence along with a lot of other cars. But what really surprised me was the amount of attention the slant six got. I was surrounded by big block cars, and the slant was just as popular. One guy was just amazed over the fact that the engine was sitting at an angle and that was proper.
Maybe these things will start seeing resurgence in popularity. Maybe if frogs had wings!
Anyway, I just thought it was neat that so many people were interested in a slant 6.
 
gunbunny said:
This past weekend I took the Duster to a fairly big car show. Decent Mopar presence along with a lot of other cars. But what really surprised me was the amount of attention the slant six got. I was surrounded by big block cars, and the slant was just as popular. One guy was just amazed over the fact that the engine was sitting at an angle and that was proper.
Maybe these things will start seeing resurgence in popularity. Maybe if frogs had wings!
Anyway, I just thought it was neat that so many people were interested in a slant 6.
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Sometimes it's being the rare factory daily drivers that attract people. Considering that slant 6 a bodies out sold all other options and body styles, a lot of people grew up with them too.
 
Nothing better than stomping the competition and then they find out it was a Slant 6. Also you can only look at so many Camaros and Mustangs before being bored........
 
Or when you have something like this on your slant, it draws a crowd all day long.
IMG_6353.JPG

I saw this Aussie Valiant Charger with the 265 Hemi with the triple Webers at Carlisle. There was a crowd around it all day long!
IMG_3602.JPG
 
A lot of people have never seen a slant 6.
They are unique looking engines, even back in the day.
They were definitely the bread and butter engines for the A-Bodies of all years.
Without them, there wouldn't have been any performance A-Bodies built...........
 
I have a 64 Valiant with a 225 that I just got running last week. I also have a complete 340/4 speed drive train but....... I WANTED a Valiant with a /6.
Unfortunately it's the end of show season so I dont have any personal experience. I've seen the same thing at shows where people walk by "ordinary" small block and big block cars just to relate their /6 stories. The counter dude at O'reiley's wants me to bring it by and says there's a local straight 6 club around here.
 
I deal in general Mopar parts, and have BB and Hemi engines of my own, BUT I am slowly gearing up to go after the Slant market in a very hard core way.
I've got two Slant race cars (one being sorted, one under construction) and I have some unique ideas on how to make these things work...we'll see if theory translates to actual numbers next year.
These things have never been more popular than they are right now, and I only see interest spreading.
There's a lot to be said for these little buggers!
 
For the short time I have had the car from the restorer and on the road this has exactly been my experience. Folks are asking 'what you got in there?' when I tell them it is the original slant six they ask if they can see it. One neighbor came up and asked and I told him. He said what's with the dual exhaust! He is my age and knew it was incorrect. A prior owner screwed with the exhaust. The shop said it was in great shape so we left it.

Dennis
 
I love um.Lost without one now, but have the car that will be next. 63 Belvedere done up old school gasser and the Leaning Tower of Power !!It's gonna be awhile as there are 3 cars ahead of it.I see it in my head every time I walk past it in the shop.
 
This past weekend we had the bi-annual slant six race at Mason Dixon speedway in western MD. Good times and good dudes. Everything from stock to turbo'ed slants. I love 'em.
 
Let's not also for get the millions upon millions of "fleet" vehicles that were /6 as well as the van & truck division during the /6 life span.
 
I must say Mason Dixon treats the Slant 6 racers like they were top fuelers. One of my favorite tracks when I was racing.
 
I have had my 72 Barracuda with a tweaked small block for 6 years or so.....we take it to many shows and cruises......over the years I have found myself passing by the "usual suspects" and being drawn towards oddities....and frankly the slant 6 fits that. We just got my son his first car back in late May....an 80 Volare with a slant 6 1 bbl..... Ran great! Not a rocket, but ran solid! Unfortunately in july or so the slant lost all oil pressure due to a fragged cam bearing.....and a complete rebuild ensued. And we are doing a super six conversion at the same time....(I still need parts for that).... We have the engine back in the car and are now starting to get it all hooked up again....all I can say is I have immensely enjoyed working on this engine as has my son...its a little tough to wrestle into position when the trans is still in the car....that "lean" works against ya......but we cant wait to get her fired up! The leaning tower of power has gained two new fans in us!
 
shadango said:
I have had my 72 Barracuda with a tweaked small block for 6 years or so.....we take it to many shows and cruises......over the years I have found myself passing by the "usual suspects" and being drawn towards oddities....and frankly the slant 6 fits that. We just got my son his first car back in late May....an 80 Volare with a slant 6 1 bbl..... Ran great! Not a rocket, but ran solid! Unfortunately in july or so the slant lost all oil pressure due to a fragged cam bearing.....and a complete rebuild ensued. And we are doing a super six conversion at the same time....(I still need parts for that).... We have the engine back in the car and are now starting to get it all hooked up again....all I can say is I have immensely enjoyed working on this engine as has my son...its a little tough to wrestle into position when the trans is still in the car....that "lean" works against ya......but we cant wait to get her fired up! The leaning tower of power has gained two new fans in us!
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Just for future reference, there are two bolt bosses in the very top of the head..alongside the valve cover, that are the balance point for lifting a Slant straight up.
 
Hi and thanks. Yeah, we did use those bolts. At the factory they actually used a special lift plate with two holes...one for the engine without the trans on it and one with, and got the right balance front to rear I am told. We didn't have the plate so just used chains attached to a tilt device and the trans was still in the car..... The wrestling was more getting the engine and trans lined up rotationaly speaking. We eventually got it......but my songot into the engine bay and wrestled it into submission....LOL
 
shadango said:
I have had my 72 Barracuda with a tweaked small block for 6 years or so.....we take it to many shows and cruises......over the years I have found myself passing by the "usual suspects" and being drawn towards oddities....and frankly the slant 6 fits that. We just got my son his first car back in late May....an 80 Volare with a slant 6 1 bbl..... Ran great! Not a rocket, but ran solid! Unfortunately in july or so the slant lost all oil pressure due to a fragged cam bearing.....and a complete rebuild ensued. And we are doing a super six conversion at the same time....(I still need parts for that).... We have the engine back in the car and are now starting to get it all hooked up again....all I can say is I have immensely enjoyed working on this engine as has my son...its a little tough to wrestle into position when the trans is still in the car....that "lean" works against ya......but we cant wait to get her fired up! The leaning tower of power has gained two new fans in us!
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear about the loss. I had to do the same last fall. Learned that there was a run of bad cams!
Bought a "drop in" engine that I ended up completely rebuilding. I was apprehensive at 1st, but that engine came apart easy and went back together just as easy.
But I'm just happy people are looking at them. I have a survivor Dart with a 318 also, the slant got way more attention.
 
I understand the guy with his "first old Mopar" or the guy with "just" one old mopar, maybe wanting more power than the slant provides, but, tooling down the road in a slant puts a big smile on my face. that's what counts for me with the slant. I love the uniqueness of it, and yes it can have eye candy added if wanted. many reasons for people to love the slant.
 
Pretty boring to look at the same SBC engines w/ same Edlebrock stuff all morning, or the 60's Mustang's w/ same catalog parts. But, those are a cheap and easy route, so hard to fault those owners. When you see an uncommon engine, we know the owner went to great lengths to find parts and make it work. Mopar guys suffer a bit more, but nothing like AMC or British owners. I have a Mopar slant, SB, & BB, but the slant is coolest to look at.

The new Hawaii Five-O had an episode where McGarrett was searching for a "rare" master cylinder for his 70's Ford, and an old mechanic rewarded him in the end. Must have never heard of Autozone. Laughable the writers were that clueless. Maybe an uncorroded exterior C-pillar badge would have been tough.
 
but, tooling down the road in a slant puts a big smile on my face. that's what counts for me with the slant. I love the uniqueness of it, and yes it can have eye candy added if wanted. many reasons for people to love the slant.[/QUOTE]

I got mine running about 2 weeks ago and have put about 160 miles on the rebuilt 225. Once I got the top folded properly it hasn't been up since. I drove it to work one 50 degree morning and then drove another 40 miles after work. I have not rebuilt the heater box yet but it wasn't too bad because of the hot engine air coming through the hole in the firewall. I put the puny exhaust back on the car just to get it running but it backfired and blew the bottom of the little muffler completely out because it doesn't like having the vacuum advance hooked up. There is NO exhaust coming out the tail pipe at all and it sounds like an old hot rod. I'm not show-off-guy so driving without a top makes me feel exposed to the world and you can see me shift the three on the tree which has to look weird these days. Currently not running because the bushings in the shifter linkage disintegrated and I once drove home using only 2nd and 3rd.
But it drives real nice and is a lot of fun.
 
FREE: come get. moving to Tx in a few weeks. I have a '65 225 slant I pulled apart, good 67 slant 904 with convertor. also a 273 that I pulled mostly apart, it still have 2 stuck lifters. all this free come get. also a great running 67 225 slant with rebuilt 1 bbl $100 OBO. located in sw mo. thought I would list the free stuff here. if this needs to be relocated,, administrators please feel free to move where ever.
I admit I love my slant A bodies!!! just fun and cool to me!
 
2 years ago I had a 66 Sport Fury 440 that was my pride and joy. My wife and I have been looking for a Victorian Farm house for a long time. We found one and was a little short on funds. I told her that I would sell the car to fund the house. That was 2 years ago. My wife about 3 months ago said,.."you should get another car because I'm sure you miss the Fury". I started looking and really didn't want to spend a lot of money, but it was hard as every Mopar I looked at was pretty expensive. so, I kept looking and looking. About 3 weeks ago I stumbled on a 66 Valiant Signet /6 on Craigslist about 2 hours from my house. I called the guy and set it up to go see it. We drove up with the car trailer and I bought the car. IMO,.I stole the car for the money I didn't spend on it. He was in his late 60's and had his wife with him. He had it since the 70's and had it in his garage since then, but drove it and put a lot of time, love and money into it over the years. They were both very nice people. Long story short. I've always had a thing for /6 Mopars and owned a lot of them. They to me are very cool engines and very different. I have it at the shop and every day I have people walk up and say,.."that is a cool car" and rave about the /6. I love the car and it's /6.
 
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For something really different for cruises and shows. When I lift the power bulge hood on my Go-mango 70 challenger and display a super six w/ headers. The questions never end, why,how come. They scratch their heads and can't place the engine with the car. Black bucket interior, rallye wheels. I'ts amusing at the least entertaining. from the back dual exhaust tips and T/A style spoiler just adds to the mystery. The hood call outs read "225 magnum".
 
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