rebuilding a slant 6?

[gibson_es]

this is all talk at the moment, gotta do a compression test before anything is for sure. car in question is a '66 dodge dart, 170 /6, 3 on the tree.

but im pretty sure i have a couple cylinders with pretty low compression, i honestly dont think this engine has been rebuilt anytime recently... if ever.

taking this into consideration, im thinking (depending on what it will run me in the financial department) of rebuilding the engine in a few months when my financial aid comes in for the fall semester.

assuming i do most the work my self (and any poor soul i can convence to help) but take it somewere for most of the machine work (as i dont have a shop, or access to one) what would you guys suggest, and please give what your opinion of how much your thoughts would run (i understand theres variables, so how much it runs me will vary because of this)

the options im really seeing here is this:

option A:
i can rebuild it with a standerd plain jane rebuild kit, cost effective (im pretty sure it will need bored to some degree, ect as well)

option B:
dont go crazy, as i would be using a stock 3 speed manual transmission, ect. but maybe give it a little umph while im at it, sense im getting into it and having to by parts anyway.... a better cam (even if its just a baby cam), bore to say .040 or .060.. headers.... 2 or 4 bbl holly, ect... nothing drag worthy by any means, just a little to make it more street fun.(and maybe shut up that occasional 4-banger that laughs at the old dart. lol) it is a DD after all, and will be for a while, couple years at least i would think....


hard for me to state a budget with this, dont know what things run for, is it feasible to think $800 would cover it? or are we talking $3,000+


is boring something that an intermediate "backyard mechanic" should attempt to do on there own? dont know what kind of equipment would be needed for a one time job.....


and last but not least. out of curiousity, what kinda power can this transmission take do you think?

 

[BillGrissom]

You can get a compression gage w/ adapters at Harbor Freight for ~$15 on sale. They have quick release hoses which are also good for applying air pressure to hold valves up if you change the seals or springs.

Without a compression gage, the classic indication is a lot of blow-by. That is a routine test in my Mercedes diesels, which have noticeable blow-by even when good. Remove your PCV valve and see how much air is coming out of the hole in the valve cover. Use a back-light or hold a tissue paper. If nothing noticeable, your rings are probably OK. If it puffs the tissue paper noticeably, then bad.

If you need to save up some money, I once drove a Slant Six for a year with a bad cylinder by disabling that cylinder (to save fuel). I took the pushrods out and substituted a shorter copper rod with spring to hold the lifters down. Don't remove the lifters or you will affect oil flow to the others. That could give you better mileage, though the extra cylinder will give drag.

 

[gibson_es]

You can get a compression gage w/ adapters at Harbor Freight for ~$15 on sale. They have quick release hoses which are also good for applying air pressure to hold valves up if you change the seals or springs.

Without a compression gage, the classic indication is a lot of blow-by. That is a routine test in my Mercedes diesels, which have noticeable blow-by even when good. Remove your PCV valve and see how much air is coming out of the hole in the valve cover. Use a back-light or hold a tissue paper. If nothing noticeable, your rings are probably OK. If it puffs the tissue paper noticeably, then bad.

If you need to save up some money, I once drove a Slant Six for a year with a bad cylinder by disabling that cylinder (to save fuel). I took the pushrods out and substituted a shorter copper rod with spring to hold the lifters down. Don't remove the lifters or you will affect oil flow to the others. That could give you better mileage, though the extra cylinder will give drag.

will do the napkin test as soon as i can, my nieghor mine have what i need for the compression test, the hard part is catching him home to borrow it. he generally dont mind me borrowing. but he is never home to ask. ima hold out til i can catch him.

as for the cylinder trick, thanks. depending on what the compression is will depend on what i do up front. dont know if its one or two cylinders, but im thinking its two. i can feel it when driving, its bad, but not horrible. dont really even notice once im at 60+ MPH.

after driving it a day or two, i realized one of the spark plug wires were not on the plug right, it appeared so at first glance though, even though i placed it on the plug properly, could driving it like that have caused the compression issues?

 

[cudamark]

Do a compression test first, if bad, readjust valves and test again. If still bad you will need at least a valve job. If the engine doesn't use oil, I would just do that and save my money for a complete overhaul when fully funded. Figure a budget of $1500 if you're going to do a stock rebuild yourself. If you're planning to warm it up a bit, do some research on the parts you want and add that and another 25% to your machine costs. With your drivetrain, drum brakes, 903 3 speed, and a 7 1/4 rear, I would stick with stock unless you plan on upgrading those too.