Small Block V8 vs. Turbocharged Slant Six

V8, Turbo Slant, or Neither?

  • Small block swap

    Votes: 51 56.0%

  • Turbocharge the slant

    Votes: 40 44.0%
  • Total voters
    91
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Dodge72

Dodge72

Odd one out
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Uh oh, did I open a can of worms here?

I've been thinking where I want to go with my Dart, and I just cannot decide on a project to seriously decide on. Right now I've got a 226 Super Six setup with front power discs, 8 1/4 rear with 3.23 gears. I love the setup I have right now, it gets me to work, to class, and to the occasional car meet or show. But the car is far from done in terms of power and I just cannot figure out which way to go with it.

Mind you, I'm a college student, and this is my one and only car. Anything I do will be on a budget (or over a longer period of time) and it has to be reliable. No drag racer for me, just a fun streetable car that I don't embarrass myself in front of my friends' tuner cars.

If I were to do the turbo, I'd run under 10 pounds of boost. People seem to get considerable amounts of HP after the conversion and when done right, sound reliable, maybe even improvement in the MPGs a touch, and again, good power out of a slant. Not to mention is an awesome and unique setup. But, I have never done a forced induction setup, or let alone even get to play or try one out. Don't know anyone who has a turbo setup (on any car) either. so it would be all me and the Internet.

If I were to do the V8, it would be small block only just for the ease and cost of parts. I was thinking a 360 would be great. Already upgraded brakes and rear end, so some of the big stuff is taken care of. I keep saying that my next car will be a V8, so why not make the car I have now one..? Lots more power from the start, and I can take my time to rebuild if need be since the slant will stay until the V8 is ready. But will it be all affordable? And, reliable? Reliability is a pretty big thing; I wouldn't be building a monster of an engine, but would it be as reliable as a daily driver (turbo) slant six?

Would just love to hear any opinions from anyone if placed into my perspective. Again, not deciding on anything right now or even next month, I just need some wisdom from different minds. I do hear often that once you put a V8 in you'll never regret it, but that turbocharged slant sounds like a great time too. Thanks for making it through my ramblings. :cheers:
 
Dodge72 said:
.............. right now, it gets me to work, to class, and to the occasional car meet or show..............I'm a college student, and this is my one and only car. ........... turbo,................if I were to do the V8, it would be small block only.... cost of parts..................Would just love to hear any opinions............
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I thought I "heard" the "b" word in there. "low budget"

Lock the hood shut and drive it.

Now that might sound terse and short, but that IS the short answer
 
67Dart273 said:
I thought I "heard" the "b" word in there. "low budget"

Lock the hood shut and drive it.

Now that might sound terse and short, but that IS the short answer
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That dreadful "b" word stops me from having fun!

But when I say the "b" word, I mean it'll be gathering up parts when the money is there and making sure it doesn't totally get out of hand. I'm not hunting for parts tomorrow, but I get what you're saying; no money no build. Thanks for the input!
 
Absolutely building a budget 360 on the side would be the way to go instead of turbocharging and already likely semi tired slant 6? Basically having to rebuild the slant 6 to handle a turbocharger in all. I think you hit it right on the mark when you can drive that slant 6 for a year or two and put the 360 in when you get it done. I recently picked up a 360 complete for $50 on Craigslist. If you could do that and disassemble it and take pictures of the of the disassembly so you know how to put it back together and have it hot tanked prepared put new pistons in it and clean it up you have a great motor but also you'll have to get a transmission as your slant six transmission will not fit the V8 . But also that $50 motor came with the transmission. if that works for you go for the v8 you want it you know you do.
you can buy a cheap engine stand to put your motor on and bring your tuner friends over to drink beer and scare them with stories of how this mopar beast is going to crush there hopes ...
 
Low mileage 5.9 magnum.
Still cost 2 grand by time your finished installing but a great platform for future upgrades.
 
j par said:
...I recently picked up a 360 complete for $50 on Craigslist...
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Dang, I need to go where that kind of stuff is getting sold, lol! My slant has had a new (stock) cam, lifters, timing chain, and a re-gasket job done. Bearings were good. Better than nothing, but I would at least go through it for a re-ring and new valve seals and springs just to go through it all so it would be ready for such an upgrade. Then again, yes, it is a good thing that I would have lots of time to rebuild it on the side rather than have all the parts and have a hell of a weekend installing and testing and hope nothing goes wrong.



273 said:
Low mileage 5.9 magnum.
Still cost 2 grand by time your finished, but a great platform for future upgrades.
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Funny you mention a Magnum, before I got this Dart I looked at another 72 with a rebuilt 5.9 in it. The engine was awesome, but the car itself was just a bare metal shell with a drivetrain and old tires on it. Not too fun driving with no brakes and sitting on a lawn chair...
 
"Low mileage" Magnums are getting more and more difficult to find. I recently called Spaldings in Spokane out of curiosity, and while they have "a lot of hemis" (for a price) they had no good Magnums

Here's a little story about a wasted 1/2 a day so then, there's that.....

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=332164

But mag or la, a V8 swap has LOTS of hidden charges. Engine brackets, K frame or "swap" mounts, exhaust, radiator, the list goes on. Of course a transmission, too. My first 360/trans was cheap and sounded good but it turned out to have bearing problems, probably was never right after a "backyard overhaul." So that 360 needs a crank. Moneywise it was "OK" because I got a good working 727 out of the deal, but it cost me a LOT of extra time and work.

The point is there's a lot of hidden trap doors, and that can even happen if you buy "new" (crate, etc)
 
Contact Bill Dedman about turbocharging the slant and he'll preach the gospel!
 
1.- I would consider a good running 5.9/5.2 magnum with under 140k low mileage, as these are everywhere with 250k-300k on them. 350 bucks seems to be the going price.
2.- If done right, it is very hard to compete with boost, especially on the street. I've mildly played with the 2.2 Chrysler turbo's. Honestly, I dropped over 1/2 second for 3.00 dollars, that's right, 3 bucks at a pet store. What I've seen people do with V6's is amazing. Well mannered 3600 lbs of steel in very quiet smooth running cars go mid 10's. But IF it is not done right, wow the destruction that can be done, and the cost.
 
Is this your daily driver? If so, I'd almost be tempted to go with the turbo set-up as there would probably be less down-time. Just mock up your components over many weekends or after class. The engine wouldn't have to move as it will always stay in the car. Plus, it's a turbo, what's not cool about that? And I'm pretty sure all of the JDM people in college would get a kick of a Dart going around the campus going, "Vrrroooooommmm... Pssssshhhhhh..."

It would be a lot less time consuming than getting a small block and a new transmission, pulling the slant 6, throwing the small block and transmission back in with the correct conversion parts, installing a new exhaust, etc.

However, IMO, the turbo way is going to be a more complicated build. You'll be chasing little gremlins here and there for awhile.
 
Thanks for the input guys! Yes, this is my daily driver. I wasn't really considering a Magnum, just a normal LA 360, a mild build. Always could look into the Magnum too, just haven't found anything on craigslist. If I were to go V8, maybe try to find an engine/tranny combo just to make it easier.

Either way, it would be pieces together. Turbo slant would be gathering the entire setup, and the small block, rebuild parts and conversion parts. Then both would have the downtimes for installing and tuning. True, the turbo would be more complicated, not as straightforward as a V8 after the mods. But, there's many forums documenting turbo builds too!

The poll was tied for awhile, but now there's a 3 person lead on the V8.
 
Dodge72 said:
Thanks for the input guys! Yes, this is my daily driver. I wasn't really considering a Magnum, just a normal LA 360, a mild build. Always could look into the Magnum too, just haven't found anything on craigslist. If I were to go V8, maybe try to find an engine/tranny combo just to make it easier.

Either way, it would be pieces together. Turbo slant would be gathering the entire setup, and the small block, rebuild parts and conversion parts. Then both would have the downtimes for installing and tuning. True, the turbo would be more complicated, not as straightforward as a V8 after the mods. But, there's many forums documenting turbo builds too!

The poll was tied for awhile, but now there's a 3 person lead on the V8.
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Doesn't have to be magnum, the only reason there a good idea cause they can be found in good running condition more often and a bit more compression stock and a few mods like cam, headers and 4bbl can get you pretty far, if rebuilding theres little advantage. In the end if you can find a good running 318/360 or magnum is a good place to start. Even cam, headers and 4bbl cam get you 300hp out of a 318. If you got the skills turbo could be a good way to go.
 
273 said:
Doesn't have to be magnum, the only reason there a good idea cause they can be found in good running condition more often and a bit more compression stock and a few mods like cam, headers and 4bbl can get you pretty far, if rebuilding theres little advantage. In the end if you can find a good running 318/360 or magnum is a good place to start. Even cam, headers and 4bbl cam get you 300hp out of a 318. If you got the skills turbo could be a good way to go.
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I still say it depends on his fabrication skills as well. You're looking into a custom exhaust manifold when it comes to a turbo slant. I like the idea of a turbo slant as there is more opportunity to learn from it.
 
Did I hear the 'b' word, or the "B" word? :)
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its all good, I did them all!
CAR2.jpg

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Fabrication skills....little to none. :???: There is a women's welding class for free though coming up at the college, definitely going to try and make that. (Maybe some of the ladies are into cars too? One could only hope..) But my dad can weld and fabricate, so he's a big help in that department. But yes, fabrication is a big thing in the turbo project, and I'd have to have a bit of practice on other parts before even attempting to tackle the project.


Pishta, awesome awesome pics!:blob: They all look like they'd be a good time. I'm curious, what turbo do you have on the slant?
 
I like the simplicity/low cost , of a LA/Magnum 318/360 swap. The turbo setup is awesome,takes big $$$$ for fabrication & hardware, much less the down time situation.
 
I thought about doing that with the 273 it would make a good 500 hp and gas mileage combo if done right
 
Turbo'd Slants still sound like a 6-cylinder engine only with a whistle attached to it.

If you're really set on a performance upgrade (then again who doesn't?) I would build a nice smallblock V8 and transmission combo on the side, mainly because imo the sound of a V8 is much nicer.
 
A mild V8 would be MUCH more reliable than a turbo slant. Go read the threads on any turbo slant build, its page after page of tuning and tweeking......That bill guy took like 5 years to get his done, and its no faster than a decent smallblock car. I bet its got 2000 man hours in it! I could have installed a 360 in one weekend and been done!
 
Sometimes the build is as fun as the ride. Pop your turbo 6 hood and watch the gawkers flock. Pop your V8 and watch the parade go by. Thats a Holset HX35 off a Cummins Dodge, too big. bought it rebuilt in the Cummins box for $50 at Fall fling...score! That prompted me to start that project. I actually got a turbo 273 build on the back burner. Turbo grind cam, T67 turbo off backwards magnum logs blowing through a marine AFB, no wastegate! Keeping it simple.

PS>> Bill was on a mission! I like his dedication.
 
Simply bolt in the motor and tranny the factory would have ? LA V8 everything will bolt right in.
unbolt /6 stuff and bolt in la v8 stuff. All someone had to do was check the correct box back in 72 and it would have a la v8. Witch part of Washington ?
 
Turbo slant = different, more power, cheaper as you already have the engine, transmission and K frame but still sounds like a wet fart IMHO

Small block V8 = power and cool gutteral roar of a V8, however more expense as you have to source an engine, transmission, and K frame or adaptors, and other parts IMHO

I pitched a 61,000 mile slant six out of my barracuda to go for a V8. Could not even get any takers for it, or even parts off it. After trying to even get rid of it for free with no takers. Mr slanty went straight to the scrap pile.

your choice

Matt
 
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