Slant Six Rebuild

SlantSix

New member
Hey guys, Ive have been contemplating rebuilding my leaning tower of power in my '81 Dodge Ram D150, and I am wanting to make her Turbo charged. I already removed the Chrysler Lean Burn system and the 1bbl carb and put the Super Six set up on (2bbl and MSD ignition system) Any tips on what internals I should use? What lift on the cam I should use, how oversized should the pistons be (looking at Weisco Forged pistons), should I have any head work done? oversized valves? Any help would be awesome!
Thanks Guys!
 
You should be OK with a stock forged crank and rods, and depending on the amount of boost you plan to run you might even get away with stock-replacement pistons, though I wouldn't advise that unless you really know what you're doing. My thought on oversize pistons is always "the smaller the better" to leave as many rebuilds in it as possible. Find a cam with as little overlap as possible, negative is actually better). Every Slant Six needs head work and oversized valves but I can't remember the standard sizes to which most guys take it at the moment. I would suggest going back to a solid-lifter camshaft on a Slant, but others may disagree with me on that one. The stock hydraulic system is wacky in it's function, but fine for stock applications. Use the best head, intake, and exhaust gaskets money can buy, and again, depending on boost level, you may want to consider ARP head studs or bolts.

Your Super Six carb probably will not work very well with turbocharging unless you have a source for tuning parts for it, because boosted engines prefer to run pretty rich in comparison to naturally-aspirated engines under full power. Most guys that I've seen are using Holley 4-barrels with boost-referenced power valves (BRPV) to enrich the mixture while not over-jetting the hell out of the engine in non-load situations. If you don't plan on intercooling it, water/meth injection is a must-have if you're going to try for serious power (you can actually use windshield wash for this and most guys do because it's cheap). Prepare to take a whole bunch of timing out of it, too.

There is much to learn when you're thinking about turbocharging; it's a different world from what you've learned about naturally-aspirated engines. My suggestion would be to join over at www.theturboforums.com and spend a couple of days reading before you ask any questions. They have a Mopar section, and there were several Slant projects around last I looked, but don't limit yourself to that area. Look around, see what others are doing, and learn the basics before you post a question. It's a bunch of good guys, but just joining and posting "How do I turbocharge my Slant Six?" will not get you any answers for the most part.

I'm a member over there, but under a different username. I've learned a lot from those boys, and though my currently-stalled project is MPFI, there are tons of guys using blow-through carb setups making a ton of power. There's a poster over there named blown385 whose Chevy truck is simply astounding with a carb... 15+MPG, daily-driven, and tapping on the 9s last I read.
 
My advice would be to get an intake setup that will allow you to run a holley 4 bbl. Call CSU (carburetor solutions unlimited) who specializes in blow through holley carbs and see what they can do. You'll end up with a carb you can actually drive on the street with some manners, not just something that will keep the engine in one piece under boost.
 
I would use the BRPV that blown385 uses. That truck is just silly, so obviously it works. I think he started with a CSU but I could be wrong.
 
I don't like plugging other sites on here, but slantsix.org has more information on the slant six, than anyone could ever possibly remember.
 
I would imagine there are a lot of guys that are posting at both the site I mentioned and the one you did, Jester. I think it's pretty cool to hang with the Six, really, but it's just never been my cup of tea personally. I've seen some pretty nasty ones over the years, though, so if you're down with the expense of it versus a V8, in no way will I knock you. I've had few tiltbangers in my day, and I found them to be excellent engines in terms of daily-driver performance as well as economy.
 
I would imagine there are a lot of guys that are posting at both the site I mentioned and the one you did, Jester. I think it's pretty cool to hang with the Six, really, but it's just never been my cup of tea personally. I've seen some pretty nasty ones over the years, though, so if you're down with the expense of it versus a V8, in no way will I knock you. I've had few tiltbangers in my day, and I found them to be excellent engines in terms of daily-driver performance as well as economy.

I quite enjoy my little slant :) It reminds me of an old children's book, "Putt-Putt Joins the Parade".
 
Make no mistake, I loved my Slant Six/4-speed '80 Aspen. Fast? No. Fun? Absolutely, and that wasn't even a Super Six car. I sure had a lot of good times in it, though, and it looked pretty cool, too, with the mods I'd done. Sadly, I never took a picture of it.
 
the slanty just gets frustrating when your throwing money at it and getting little in return......but they do look badass dresseed in aluminum
 

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