1966 dodge dart,build up the 225/6 or swaping for a 318

[moparmorepower]

i pulled this 1966 dodge dart out of a field.Its been sitting for years.Brought it home and it started right up. I was planning on rebuilding the engine so i started to tear it down. Lets just say that it needs it.My fist clue was the severly bent push rod. Anyways the tranny has lost reverse also. So my ? is should i just swap the engine or just rebuild with some added features?This car is pretty much original the seats are in great shape no tears.I have yet to see a 1966 dart at the mopar shows in CA.

[George G. Leverette]

Depends on how original you wqant the car to be, the amount of power you wasnt to make, how much money you want to spend to reach your goal. The first step is discover how many slant 6s with the options you have on the car, the value of the car if kept original vs with modifications. Slant 6s are running 10s so they can be made to perform, a daily driver with slight modifications is probably the best choice. No drive line, K-member, under hood wiring, transmission, radiator and probably rear end change. Changing engines from one class to another requires a lot of work and knowledge plus time and money with minimal performance gain in with daily drivers. Rebuild the \6 and enjoy.

[GaryS]

I agree with building the slant instead of swapping motors. For the same price or less, you can make it perform like a 318 and save yourself a lot of work.

[dschumers]

I have a '66 Valiant that has feasted on many V-8's of all brands. My car has run high 14's and these days that isn't too bad. The trick to making a Slant run is get some decent compression in it and a good head on top. For the money I've spent on my Slant, I wouldn't be a whole lot faster if I'd done a 318 either.

[moparmorepower]

thank you all for your replies. I think i will just rebuild the /6. I t will be alot cheaper and like you said a 318 wont give much more power.

[dschumers]

The best part is that a Slant car has incredible OOOH-AHH power when you open the hood. People just love Slants and start telling you about the one Gramma used to have......

[Tim Keith]

The '66 is a standout because of the clean grill. I believe the fenders are different too. These cars are light enough that a \6 can be built to run very well. Handling is another strong point. Improving the brakes and suspension will make the car more fun to drive. These have excellent stock suspensions, it isn't hard to make some improvements using easy to find Mopar parts.

You might have bent the pushrod when you started the motor with a stuck valve from sitting. These motors are economical to rebuild, the local engine manufacturer sells \6 short blocks ($290) with a head ($110) or only $670 assembled carryout. How can you beat those prices? A manual transmission can make the car seem more powerful, a five speed helps to space out the gearing for the torquey six.

Cheap, fun and practical.