let me explain my screen name, and introduce myself.
Ive a 66 ford shop truck with a 240 I6 that has about a zillion miles on it, does not smoke, burn oil or make any bad noises.32 PSI oil pressure at idle, It sips gas at nearly 20 MPG and produces mountains of torque over a broad RPM range. Harmonically speaking, a straight 6 is clearly superior: there isnt any oppositional torsion on the rotating assembly, which explains why they run more smoothly for damned near forever.....And with 7 main bearings, (ford) the bottom end will probably never come apart. .....and thats exactly where the beastly, brawny I 6 belongs: In a truck.
Respectfully, I cannot relive the dreams of my youth minus 2 cylinders. There is no finer sound on this planet than a built small block twisting 7000 + RPM at full song through headers and hollowed-out glasspacks. I cant imagine a buzzin' half dozen under the hood of a 68 barracuda.........however, if you gave me something much lighter, like a valiant or earlier barracuda and let few turbos fall out of the sky, i would definitely consider that build.
But as of now.....i think im going with a stroked 360 with ported 340 J or X heads and a 4 speed.
Hey, whatever floats your boat... :)
I am a practical type, and like a "fun" car that will live a long, healthy life, and demonstrate a driver-friendly attitude in the process. Audio vagaries aside, the turbo /6 has it all over a 7,000 rpm V8 with the attendant long-duration cam, and the driveability issues that come with it.
The turbo cams that work well in /6s only have 220 degrees of duration at .050"-lift, so they act at part-throttle, pretty much like a stock cam... with loads of low-end torque, and a smooth idle.
With a redline of 5,500, they will probably outlive the 7,000-rpm small block, in the long run.
Given that they are a cheaper build, for myriad reasons, the turbo /6 cars appeal to my practical side. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
My other car is a Vortech-supercharged, mid-11 second 360 '72 Valiant, so I have both worlds to "play" with... :) They're both fun...
But, I'm not made out of money, so the turbo'd /6 car is my fave, right now... Just MY preference...