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  #1  
Old 02-29-2008, 11:51 PM
nbeales nbeales is offline
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Location: Annapolis, MD
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Question Newb

I literally just inherited a 1977 2 dr Volare with the venerable 225 /6. The car is immaculate with just under 55k on the odometer. It's kind of a tan with "butterscotch pudding" color. My grandfather took excellent care of everything he owned and his car was no exception. The front seats have had some form or another of a cover on them since day one. I would like to keep the /6 and have found some sites with ideas for adding some power. I'd like for the car to be able to run 15 second qtrs. Is this feasible? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Old 03-01-2008, 02:09 AM
warren@pdx.com warren@pdx.com is offline
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Location: portland oregon
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Default 15 second SL6 Volare

Congradulations on the inherited Mopar, sad for your familily loss of your grandpa.
'15 seconds' covers a wide range of elapsed times,do you want low,mid or high 15s? I've seen where guys have put a LOT of money, work and parts into cars much lighter than your Volare and still not get out of the 16s.Before any engine work, make sure the rest of the car is dialed in.Starting at the back,what's the rear end size & gear ratio? 2.76 gears in a 7 1/4 rear ?A 81/4 with min 3.23 or 3.55 & sure grip will get power to the pavement.Volare leaf springs are completly rubber encapsulated,at the very least the front spring eyes need to be firmed up or 'boxed' in(1/8 thick sheet metal cut out to fit into the spring eye & drilled for the bolt),find a pair of station wagon or cop car leaf springs,MUCH stiffer than 2dr springs.If replacing an 71/4 rear,you'll need to shorten drive shaft(.30 inch IIRC double check) new QUALITY U-jounts. Good up&down adjustable shocks(or even old school coil-over gas shocks)
What's your trans? I'm guessing 904 AT.If running OK,get a Trans-go or B&M shift kit installed.Run type F fluid,old racers trick I learned years ago & really works.Biggest auxillary trans cooler you can find ideal,cop car/taxi (wrecking yard) OK too.Consider a little higher stall torque converter.
Contact Firm Feel(Vancouver,Wa) for their aluminum sub frame bushings($117.00) eliminate those 30 yr old bushings,you won't believe the differance.While your'e at it Firm Feel also sell boxed lower control arms, check 'em out(at least get new lower ball joints,lower control arm bushings MUCH easier to replace w/polyeurathane(yes they eventually sqeek,lube 'em up good w/ the thickest grease u can find)
Now you can align the car and forget it, OE Volare/Aspens with those odball transverse torsion bar front ends can be exhasperating when it comes to dialing in a good alignment and having it stay that way.Have alignment specs set like this( high speed stability, slighty more steering effort)
Caster-as much positive as possible;5 degrees or what the upper control arm slider will go to without impacting...
Camber-about 1/2 degree negative,much more&insides of tires wear kinda quick.
Toe(make sure tie rod ends OK) 1 3/2nd in per side.wider tires call for slightl
y more toe-in.
Eliminate engine driven fan,install 1 large or 2 small electric fans,frees up
5-10 HP.Find a good Cordoba/V-8 5th ave/Diplomat radiator.(big as u can)
Now you can focus on making more engine power and actually put it to the ground, for that this site and www.slantsix.org have tons of info for SL6 perf.
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  #3  
Old 03-03-2008, 12:02 AM
nbeales nbeales is offline
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I can't thank you enough for all of that valuable info! It sounds a if you've had plenty of experience with Volares/Aspens. Mid 15's would be preferable. I didn't know that there would be that much info specific to this car! I haven't found much on the internet about hi-po Volares/Aspens especially those that have the /6. I have a line on some wagon leaves and a buddy of mine can strengthen the front eye area. I really do appreciate the information.
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Old 03-03-2008, 03:19 AM
warren@pdx.com warren@pdx.com is offline
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No problem, glad to share info helping a fellow F-body Mopar owner build a respectable performer(respect is something F-bodies don't always get) BTW I forgot to mention the National F-body Owner's Association. Although I've heard about them, I actually have not checked them out yet.Good luck on the project! Warren@PDX.com ps recommend picking up a new ignition switch,bad ones can cause lotsa probs;switch interchanges 4 lots Mopars
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