Some rookie questions

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lgarbz

lgarbz

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I haven't had a lot of experience in engine modifications and these questions will probably sound kind of stupid but I was wondering if you guys could help me out. I have a 3.7l /6 and I've been trying to think of some modification I can do to it to improve the performance. It is an automatic so I don't really know what I can do (if anything) to it. Starting out simple will be key to my education, so if you have any ideas i'd love to hear them. Thanks.

-Logan
 
Well,if the engine is in fairly good running shape,headers,a 4 barrel carb could be a start,but it depends on your budget.A turbo is a great mod also.The mighty /6 has lots of potential.=)
 
I don't have that much experience yet either, but my first thought is what do you want to do with it? Figure out what you want it to do and then go from there. Like I said, though, I don't have much experience either. Maybe if we're really lucky, slantsixdan will stroll through and offer up his vast knowledge on the subject...
 
It is already in pretty good running condition. I was thinking about a new carb and a turbo but im not exactly sure how to do all of that. What would I have to do to convert it to a 4 barrel or six-pack carb? Thanks for the responses.

-Logan
 
Its probably just me... I have NO luck with slant sixes, but I say pitch it in a ditch and get a 318... I have one just put in my 66 Barracuda, turned over just fine 2 weeks ago, even fired and ran for a few minutes, now can't get the starter to even turn it over ad need a 3 foot cheater pipe on a ratchet to turn by hand. Thats it, I done rantin, some people love them, me, naw you can keep it if you want, I won't have one.
 
I'll have to agree with 1BadDoge71 and 65LoveAffair. Decide what you want out of it and compare with your budget to see what you can do. So far I've installed the 2bbl carb/intake, added a bigger exhaust, advanced the timing, added an electric cooling fan ( to reduce drag on the motor, but in each instance, the power found wasn't enough...
With all of that stuff done to it, it is about as fast as any standard sedan in traffic.
About average overall and that wont cut it

Now I've built a turbo setup that I'm almost ready to have a go at again...and I'm afraid that I'll be upgrading the turbo and etc because it wont be enough...

A slant can be built to be really fast ( check out the forced induction section ) but you are talking about a huge amount of money, time and planning.
 
I'd start with the items that will need to be changed if you DO increase the power. Disc brakes, better rear axle with a performance gear ratio, electronic ignition, and maybe a suspension upgrade if this is going to be a street car. Do some research on slant 6 upgrades for cost vs improved performance to see which one fits your budget. Keep in mind that some "upgrades" will effect driveability, mileage, and reliability.
 
kgip2k said:
Its probably just me... I have NO luck with slant sixes, but I say pitch it in a ditch and get a 318... I have one just put in my 66 Barracuda, turned over just fine 2 weeks ago, even fired and ran for a few minutes, now can't get the starter to even turn it over ad need a 3 foot cheater pipe on a ratchet to turn by hand. Thats it, I done rantin, some people love them, me, naw you can keep it if you want, I won't have one.
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Sounds to me like somone forgot oil. I have ran the imortal dog crap out of mine after it started smoking and cant get it to stop running. If a slant locks up or blows up its normally a owner issue not an engine issue.
/endrand



For a cheap performance upgrade get a super six setup and a split manifold or headers or set of dutra's and you will notice a big performance increase.
 
64drtGt said:
Sounds to me like somone forgot oil. I have ran the imortal dog crap out of mine after it started smoking and cant get it to stop running. If a slant locks up or blows up its normally a owner issue not an engine issue.
/endrand



For a cheap performance upgrade get a super six setup and a split manifold or headers or set of dutra's and you will notice a big performance increase.
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All you have to do to get it to blow up is start hoping it won't... It will die the next day. LOL. Both had oil, the one lost some when it developed the large hole in the side of the block, but still within the add and full line. Just my experience with them.
 
Concur that first things are to determine how much money you have to put into this thing & what are the measures of performance? Recommend you find a copy of the Mopar Six Cylinder Performance book. This book will walk you through what it takes to get to particular E.T. benchmarks.

Besides the SuperSix conversion, a shift improvement kit, and a lower rear axle ratio will produce results you can feel. Changing the rear gear will be the most effective but will also be the most detrimental to fuel economy.
 
well if ur going to be using it as a d.driver the i would go with a header and a super six set up if its going to be a weekender then 4 bbl set up if a street strip car ask some one but me lol
 
kgip2k said:
Its probably just me... I have NO luck with slant sixes, but I say pitch it in a ditch and get a 318... I have one just put in my 66 Barracuda, turned over just fine 2 weeks ago, even fired and ran for a few minutes, now can't get the starter to even turn it over ad need a 3 foot cheater pipe on a ratchet to turn by hand. Thats it, I done rantin, some people love them, me, naw you can keep it if you want, I won't have one.
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Bring on your 318 dude !!!!!!!:twisted:
 

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Johnny Dart said:
Bring on your 318 dude !!!!!!!:twisted:
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make that two johnny!

well if you want a cruzer but good milage i would have the head milled .090 or so to up the comression, add the sup six and some dutra duals and you would be good to go...

if you want a hot street/mild race its gonna take time and money to do it right, cuz you got some reading and learning to do!

it fun tho to have a really hot 6 you open the hood and :toothy1: there is your slant lol...

here is mine... now mine you it got 20mpg on the way to vegas and back but around town it gets like 14mpg... not bad for mid 14's....

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ABKFcGty38"]YouTube - ‪Walk Around Day.MOV‬‏[/ame]
 

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I ain't knockin the sixes... My uncle has on with 500,000+ miles... they do good with some people, me they don't... If you like them go for it, I will stick with mine. LOL you guys are puttin 4 barrel carbs on sixes, I just pulled a 4 off to put a 2 Barrel on a v-8... Now if I could just find a good gear to cruise and not be spinning the rpm's to the moon, I would be happy. 805kid I like that car, if you were closer and I could get 1st gear to work in my car I would love to see what a stock 318 could do against your car...
 
so there are a lot of good suggestions here but id like to give you somewhere to start.
If your car isnt already electronic ignition I would highly recommend it. the second thing I would do is a low restriction muffler. the pipes on most stock \6's are tiny so a good flowing muffler can help a lot. If you can afford it then go with the super six setup or a 4bbl and headers. from there it is time to do internal engine mods.
 
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