bought a super cheap slant.

72bluNblu,
The kink on the tranny is that mine is cable-shift, so I would have to rework the linkage with a Lokar kit or such, and re-design like that is very time-consuming. Plus, the 64 tranny has a rear pump that allows push starting, which is a nice feature.

I'll have to research the crank pilot hole issue more. I have read that slants changed, about the time that SB's did. I thought it tied to the change to cast cranks, but maybe not.