"POWER NATION" slant six build

Brandon Weaver wrote:
"Why don't we be happy that they are even featuring a Mopar, much less a slant, and hope prices don't rise on everything because the motor is gaining popularity!"

and, Bill sez...

Why? Because they are not showing how to make GOOD power out of a slant six by utilizing forced induction. You contend that "A poor n/a motor won't make a good f/i motor."

In relation to that statement, as referenced to turbos, Ryan Peterson's 225 turbo slant six makes 500+ horsepower, as does Tom Wolfe's similar powerplant. That's about 2.2 horsepower per cubic inch. The vaunted Hellcat makes (707hp divided by 378 cubic inches) makes just 1.87 horsepower per cubic inch, and everyone seems to think that is just outstanding. So, what do you think about that? In fact, with an engine just 57-percent as large, his slant six has turned in times that are faster than any of the reported times of Hellcats on their stock tires. His '66 Valiant is lighter, of course, but still carries more weight per cubic inch than the Hellcat ( 12.44 pounds per cubic inch vs. the Hellcat's 11.4, significantly heavier per cubic inch.)

So I take issue with the statement that "a poor n/a engine won't make a good f/i (forced induction) motor" For obvious reasons... I think, mostly, because of its robust infrastructure... and, the resulting horsepower gains from elevated boost levels that would probably blow a Hellcat's crank right out, onto the ground.


Brandon also said, "More people know about it than you think, and its not some "secret" just forced induction. People have been using it to go fast since the before slant was even designed."

I am not referring to turbo or supercharging, per se; I am talking about the application of that technology specifically, as it applies to the slant six... that was the subject here.

Slant sixes possess design features (a short, forged crank, with main bearings the same size as a 426 Hemi's, thick-wall construction parameters, throughout... you can bore one safely, .100"-inch, and the decks, both on the block and head, are about half-an-inch thick, with very thick main bearing webs (because they were designed to be built of aluminum, and that didn't change when they ceased the aluminum construction,) that make them uniquely-suited to boost... lots of it!


And NO, there is NOT much at all, in the realm of printed material about that subject, anywhere, that I can find. I invite you to prove me wrong; just tell me wherein a high circulation magazine such as Hot Rod, Car Craft, Popular Hot Rodding, Car and Driver, Road and Track, Circle Track, or any other popular newstand titles, available to the general public, has EVER featured an article that dealt with the subject, specifically, of turbocharging a slant six. It doesn't exist... as best as I can tell.

THAT makes it a well-kept secret. These same magazines write a story about a naturally-aspirated slant six buildup. with all the bells and whistles, and end up with a paltry 300 horsepower, and decide that the slant six is a loser... because of the mediocre output. They never go the extra mile required by forced induction and discover.... WHOA!!! an extra 200 horsepower lurking in that little leaning tower of power...

That is the "secret" to which I allude.

You haven't seen it in any of the major publications, so the reading public is left with the decided impression that slants "just don't work."

POWER NATION can fix at least some of that, by building a blown motor.