Slant 6 Aluminum Performance Head

-
Maybe if someone could possibly make a 4 valve head work without making it a DOHC, maybe similar to the cummins 24 valve?

images.jpeg
 
I considered that approach, but the 2 main drawbacks are; (1)the added mass at the valves, &(2)if one of the valves should sieze, the bridge would turn into a 2:1 ratio 2nd-stage lever at the other end. Burying the retainer/keepers on the seal/guide. Not high RPM friendly, & not tolerant of an unexpected lean condition causing an exh valve or two to tighten in the guide(s). Not to mention variations in spring loads/surge that would result in unreliable lifts valve to valve. I like the idea & suggestion, & in the RPM realm the Cummins lives in, it's an effective approach....but an 8500 rpm 170? I do have ideas however, still workin them out. There are compromises to be sure, but it has to be capable & reliable, Slant Six reliable!

:thumbsup:
 
I remember that....kind of a gut punch eh? Kudos for the effort. A long stroke small bore aint the best starting point.
That bunch over there kinda reminds me of the last group of cavemen that refused to accept the wheel and fire because they were afraid of it, while all the other cavemen in the world had evolved to new heights with those new found inventions. Their lose, not mine! They may never know or realize what was being offered to them at the time....
 
That bunch over there kinda reminds me of the last group of cavemen that refused to accept the wheel and fire because they were afraid of it, while all the other cavemen in the world had evolved to new heights with those new found inventions. Their lose, not mine! They may never know or realize what was being offered to them at the time....
It certainly seems like They'd rather keep control of Their "secret club", & discourage "outsiders" from contributing advances &/or exposure, then spend countless posts whining about the scarcity of aftermarket support. There are many there interested, but have been let down in the past, & have a negative mindset towards a new head.
 
Don't get me wrong, I met several of them on a couple of occasions at their yearly Banquets in the past, and all of them are a nice group of people. But, they are set in their ways and difficult to make see the advantages of new ideas and products.

They do whine and complain a lot about companies discontinuing Slant based products, but when someone steps in and creates what they ask for, they complain about that too, or complain because they had to ship a part from Oz when its right in front of them. I've had numerous of them accept products I made in exchange for an endorsement, and after I produced and kept up my end of the bargain, they never have yet followed through on their commitment and kept the products. So I don't know what it will take to please or satisfy them. They are just very unappreciative of what they are offered and the efforts of those that provide it.
 
Last edited:
I would be interested in an aluminum bell housing for a 130 tooth flywheel so I could used a standard 10 1/2" clutch package in my '65 Dart.
 
Is there an existing cross flow 8 cylinder engine that has the same spacing as the slant. I thought I have seen a guy weld two aluminum head with one cylinder lopped off for a 292 chevy engine. Sorry if this has already been discussed I didnt read the entire thread.......yet.
 
Well, I for one do not believe there is room for a cross flow head. No how, no way. An intake on the passenger's side would totally cover the distributor making access all but impossible. Screw that noise.
 
Agreed, but moving the alt to the drivers side could free up some access to the dizzy.

I'm sure wantin to do that with mine. Course I won't have a cross flow head. lol
 
So is there a known aluminum V8 head with the same cylinder spacing? I guess it seems all for naught when you then have to figure out weather the pushrod geometry is correct. Fun to think about.
 
So is there a known aluminum V8 head with the same cylinder spacing? I guess it seems all for naught when you then have to figure out weather the pushrod geometry is correct. Fun to think about.
The cylinder and bolt hole spacing for a Ford 4.6 Modular engine is really close to that of a Slant. Over lay a 4.6 Head gasket over a Slant and you will see what I mean, not exact, but probably as close as one will get. This is a cross flow 4 valve OHC engine. So you won’t be messing with push rods, you will need to figure out a belt to turn the two front cam pulleys. Anyone going to this much effort would also go with a crank trigger and an external oil pump. The existing distributor and oil pump could be eliminated. Seems doable. Sectioning, adding spacers and re welding the v8 heads to make an I6 should not be a problem for anyone with a boat load of money.
So anyway, for a modern head that is really close to the slant six spacing, look at a Ford 4.6
 
Well, I for one do not believe there is room for a cross flow head. No how, no way. An intake on the passenger's side would totally cover the distributor making access all but impossible. Screw that noise.
Still planning on adjusting points with Your new crossflow head? Lol! :poke:
 
The cylinder and bolt hole spacing for a Ford 4.6 Modular engine is really close to that of a Slant. Over lay a 4.6 Head gasket over a Slant and you will see what I mean, not exact, but probably as close as one will get. This is a cross flow 4 valve OHC engine. So you won’t be messing with push rods, you will need to figure out a belt to turn the two front cam pulleys. Anyone going to this much effort would also go with a crank trigger and an external oil pump. The existing distributor and oil pump could be eliminated. Seems doable. Sectioning, adding spacers and re welding the v8 heads to make an I6 should not be a problem for anyone with a boat load of money.
So anyway, for a modern head that is really close to the slant six spacing, look at a Ford 4.6
Sure, & a custom inline 6 cam made from scratch etc.,etc., I'm sure there will be people falling over each other to build that knowing how they're constructed, probably have 30% of the cost of a billet head getting that made. Working out coolant flow, oil feed/drainback, & are We piggy-backing the OE cam&sprocket to drive this OHC? Boatload of $ indeed!
 
Yes, the Small Block Chevy cylinder head has the same bore spacing as the 250/292 six cylinder engines, and hybrid heads made from them have been popular for many years. The problem with the Slant is that with only 4 mains, it creates an unequal bore spacing between the cylinders. But it makes finding a similar unequal bore spaced cylinder head very difficult, and would require slicing and dicing a head into more pieces. Can be done, just requires more work and patience to do it.

The same has been done very successfully for the Ford 300 six cylinder in the early 1970's, where racers cut the 351C four barrel cylinder heads into (6)separate pieces and welded them together. The bore spacing on the 2 Ford engines wasn't the same as for the 2 Chevy engines, that was why it required 6 individual sections. But it provided several racers with National Chamoionship awards in NHRA as well as numerous records for their efforts.
 
Last edited:
trying to follow this: to get 300+hp out of /6 w/aluminum head seems like making the wheel rounder. lots of folks would love it. problem,design n cost. what would be a fair price to pay?
nevermind design n cost to build. i have 3 /6's i drive. once asked my engine builder how much to rebuild he said, he never did 1. never had too. these /6's are almost indestructible. So would a aluminum head change all that?
 
A street engine and a performance engine take different paths through the machine shop. You don't prep or perform the same machining operations to both because their purposes are completely different. So, by adding an aluminum head to it, the owners intentions with his own build would likely have to follow the same path through the machine shop as the performance or race engine would. But 300 HP is not an incredibly high expectation for the Slant, especially if adding a turbo or nitrous. That increased power level doesn't automatically mean shorter lifespan as long as the engine is prepped according to it's intended use.

Just as a point of reference, there are several guys running my aluminum cylinder head and a similar aluminum head made by Sissell Automotive on their Chevy 6 cylinders that are making in excess of 900 HP with a turbo as big as a basketball and have to drive a 50 mile trek on city streets and interstates as part of their racing requirements for these Outlaw type shootouts they compete in. Many people do what they do simply because they can and for no other reason.
 
Last edited:
i love innovation, n folks who refuse to give up. would the ends justify the means? i my case i would want a alum. head for better flow n weight saving. at what cost? alum block has head gasket issues so no on that. FI has its pro's n cons.
 
For exotic niche market products like this, cost will always unfortunately be the downside. So naturally, with better designed port configurations may also come better and different intake port shapes and sizes that may no longer allow the existing intake manifolds or current headers to bolt on. So possibly new intakes and headers may be required because the ports are larger, or taller or spaced farther apart. Then comes the valvetrain, I would design it to use roller rockers and shafts already available for the SB or BB Chrysler engines as well as the valves, so those parts wont be custom or hard to find if someone wanted to build their head themselves.
 
Why not ports on top or at a 45% angle? Intake goes down into the port and exhaust stays close to bottom of head or flip flop. They would be more cross section
image.jpg
 
So is there a known aluminum V8 head with the same cylinder spacing? I guess it seems all for naught when you then have to figure out weather the pushrod geometry is correct. Fun to think about.

No.
 
wasn't there a /6 aluminum head out there floating around for some ridiculous price not long ago?
 
wasn't there a /6 aluminum head out there floating around for some ridiculous price not long ago?
Yes, an original factory(one of several that are still floating 'round) one. Steve Magnante had Doug build His one&only all Al-U-minimum for a retro-race Toad. They are rare, basically iron head copies, and would actually reduce output unless the compression were raised one whole point(9:1+).
 
i love innovation, n folks who refuse to give up. would the ends justify the means? i my case i would want a alum. head for better flow n weight saving. at what cost? alum block has head gasket issues so no on that. FI has its pro's n cons.
Yes,the right head would be worth the cost, & there is only 1 real con with FI...initial cost...
 
-
Back
Top