Small Block V8 vs. Turbocharged Slant Six

[dano]

Mind you, I'm a college student, and this is my one and only car.

Honestly, do nothing. Drive what you have, get through collage with a degree that is worth the money your going to pay for it (i.e. nothing with the word Art, Liberal, English, Literature, etc) and get a good job. Then play with your car.

 

[tohnloke]

Fellow college student here. I really love the turbo stuff. If I didn't already have a big block getting (slowly) ready to go in mine, I would probably be going that route as well. The big difference here is that I don't daily mine. The small block swap is going to be a lot less troubleshooting, and you can drive your car up until the weekend you decide to do the swap (and then hopefully right after, if your luck is better than mine). On the other hand a turbo setup could almost be a bolt-on, but I feel like for it to really run well you need at least a new cam. Also every time you want to mach something up you'd have to pull your exhaust manifold/intake/etc, which can be a hassle. Small block swap is common enough to know it's going to fit without a whole lot of trouble.

Also worth considering is that you have a higher ceiling with the v8. If you want to add more power later, that's easier to do. If you dream of 700+hp you can do that on a boosted small block.

Just some thoughts. You may be better off just setting aside the money and waiting to see if any great deals come to you. If they don't, then keep waiting until you have enough to do everything. That way you don't end up with half of a setup and wanting to go a different direction.

Keep us posted!

 

[Dodge72]

If you do consider turboing your slant six daily driver, I would suggest reading this thread

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=284845

That gentleman was in a similar situation to you (as in installing a turbo on his daily driver on a budget) and got it done with I believe under $1500.

I have been reading his thread and it's an awesome, informative thread. Thanks!

Honestly, do nothing. Drive what you have, get through collage with a degree that is worth the money your going to pay for it (i.e. nothing with the word Art, Liberal, English, Literature, etc) and get a good job. Then play with your car.

I'm not going to be doing anything anytime soon. If anything, I'd be gathering up parts and pieces when I come to a plan. And no, I also don't plan to have any of those words on my fancy piece of paper either. :iconbigg:


I do have a feeling I'll have to do a short block of the slant (or, just get another slant) just to make it solid enough with some upgrades to get it prepped for a turbo. With something like that, the question opens up to: if I'm spending that money on a slant, why not invest my money into something that I can make more power if I wanted to? You can only add so much boost before you get in trouble. But what I do know is that I don't need 450 HP either. I'll have to take a ride in some different rides. Thanks a lot guys!

 

[moparmat2000]

I have been reading his thread and it's an awesome, informative thread. Thanks!



I'm not going to be doing anything anytime soon. If anything, I'd be gathering up parts and pieces when I come to a plan. And no, I also don't plan to have any of those words on my fancy piece of paper either. :iconbigg:


I do have a feeling I'll have to do a short block of the slant (or, just get another slant) just to make it solid enough with some upgrades to get it prepped for a turbo. With something like that, the question opens up to: if I'm spending that money on a slant, why not invest my money into something that I can make more power if I wanted to? You can only add so much boost before you get in trouble. But what I do know is that I don't need 450 HP either. I'll have to take a ride in some different rides. Thanks a lot guys!

Build a small block, then twin turbo it when you decide you want a boosted engine.

 

[Mexican Spec]

Thanks for the input guys! Yes, this is my daily driver. I wasn't really considering a Magnum, just a normal LA 360, a mild build. Always could look into the Magnum too, just haven't found anything on craigslist. If I were to go V8, maybe try to find an engine/tranny combo just to make it easier.

Either way, it would be pieces together. Turbo slant would be gathering the entire setup, and the small block, rebuild parts and conversion parts. Then both would have the downtimes for installing and tuning. True, the turbo would be more complicated, not as straightforward as a V8 after the mods. But, there's many forums documenting turbo builds too!

The poll was tied for awhile, but now there's a 3 person lead on the V8.

You can't beat the low growl of the V8 with glasspacks and dual exhaust.

The slant 6 doesn't even come close.

 

[challengergary]

Finish school driving it "as is." Get a big dollar job and swap in a 392 Hemi (or maybe even a Hellcat engine) with A/C and all of the toys...

 

[MuuMuu101]

Finish school driving it "as is." Get a big dollar job and swap in a 392 Hemi (or maybe even a Hellcat engine) with A/C and all of the toys...

I just graduated last April with my Mechanical Engineering degree and got a job right out of college working for a very large Aerospace company. I am doing that but no A/C and 392 Hemi. I wish I could have gone that direction, but I had to go with a 408 stroker and no A/C because the Hemi would have been more work and a little more expensive.

 

[Ddaddy]

My suggestion is to keep the "leaning tower of power" running well until you can afford to do a nice V8 swap. The 360 Magnum motor is a great choice for a daily driver, easy to do and a very reliable gain of 50% HP over what you have now...plus it can be modded much further in the future as you desire.

If you turbo a slant six, you are pushing the limit of what it can produce and there's little room for future gain. Then you are pushed into a V8 swap if you want more anyway.

A build with a long term plan is better than a quick grab for an intrinsically limited gain on power.

See past the near term desire and embrace the future reward. ;)