225 /6 or V8

[68 Dart]

I just purchased a 68 Dart. It has a bad motor. It has a /6 in it now with lots of new parts. I think the engine has blown a rod! What do you think about replacing the /6. Or should I put in a V-8.

I am not power hungry. But I want enough to be able to get on the H-way.

Does any one know where I can find a good reliable engine?

[goldduster]

A good reliable V8 engine ( a.k.a. 318 ) can be found at your local junkyard in most 79-91 pickups that are recent additions to the yard (not ones with a wrecked front end) If the good 318 you find has a serpintine belt, you might want to find one with a v-belt to use on your car so that you can use your stock alt/power steering pump. the best 318's are the 88-91s with the "302" heads and a roller cam. You also have to get the transmission from the car/truck you take the motor out of because the bolt pattern from the /6 is not the same on the automatics, but on the manuals, you can switch bellhousings and use your old tranny (not recommended unless you have an A833 4speed or the H/D 3speed. an A999 tranny will give you a deeper 1st gear.

[Blaine Peterson]

To each their own 68 Dart, but if it were me and I didn't feel the need to smoke the guy in the next lane, I'd go with the slant six in a heartbeat!

My experience with a slant six was in the mid-sixties when my dad bought a brand new '64 Dodge Dart with the 225 six, Chrysler's new four-speed transmission with the Hurst shifter on it right from the factory. It was a great little car and was not lacking in power for normal driving situations. Freeway on ramps, big hills, etc. with a family of four in it and loaded for vacation.
It seemed most people back then were going with the V-8's and some snickered at the slant six leaning on its side but more than one of those people that laughed got showed up by that little '64 Dart on the highway! And it was pretty good on gas too.

I'm not saying it was a hotrod but it did just fine. Dad had it for years. Put over 200,000 miles on it then sold it to a construction worker who had it painted, then drove it for several more years.

There's performance parts out there for the slant six too if you want to warm it up a little. Personally for your application I think I'd go stock but would make sure the compression is atleast up around 9:1.

Theres alot to be said about a car thats easy to work on, has adequate power for normal driving, gets pretty good mileage, and is very reliable!

[Tim_K]

Build yourself a nice six. Forget about a V-8! There are way too many /6 A-bodies that have been converted to V-8's. It's no big deal to beat someone in a street race with a V-8, but imagine what they'd be thinking if they knew you beat them with a /6! There are more and more people taking /6's seriously these days. I've been running them for years. Go and visit www.slantsix.com, and www.omnipages.com/sl6 for more information. Also, go to www.tailfins.com and read the Slant Six Racing News articles in the tech topic section.

[PRO]

6s are ok but.....a 318 will have more power and better mpg,it is a fair amount of work but then.....EVERYTHING WORTH HAVING IS WORTH WORKING HARD FOR.........PRO...