An Ode to the Slant Six
As Mopar heads, we are all aware of the virtues of the fabled slant six engine. The one that ran away with the first and only NASCAR race for American compacts, the one that your uncle Sal ran on salad oil for six weeks, the one which was available with an aluminum block, the one that supposedly runs forever, you know the one. Even today, I’d guess that a large percentage of people over the age of thirty have heard some kind of story about a slant six.
What amazes me is the amount of slant six power still running around, at least here in the San Francisco Bay Area. More often than not I find that engine still in service under the hoods of narrow A-Bodies. This is a real testament to not only the motor but also the perfect utilitarian body and chassis it was placed in. These cars were well-balanced reliable machines whose only real fault lies in the 9 inch brake drums they were equipped with. Even mid-size Pontiacs carried 9 inch drums so the little A-Body Mopar was a bit ahead of the game back then considering its under 3000 pound curb weight.
Among the many myths and legends surrounding the slant six is its reputation for being easy to work on. Well, I have to disagree just a little bit. Changing the starter or the spark plugs out is by far the easiest task on the six and maybe easier than on any other motor but this is where it stops. The unique canted design of the block places the distributor low and within inches of the passenger side shock tower. Setting points down here is an unenviable task. Thank God for electronic ignition, hopefully you can set it up once and then kiss that bugger good-bye for a few years.
The combination intake and exhaust manifold is a very nice design. The long runners on the intake are beautiful as well as functional. Where the intake and exhaust meet is a just a bitch, especially since the cast iron branches on the earlier exhaust manifolds love to crack requiring the separation of the two. Another fun item in this department is the later year threaded cast iron exhaust flange. The bolts run up into the flange and after thirty years they ain’t going anywhere without a big fight. Add to all this the woe of the mounting studs that run into water passages in the cylinder head and are frequently broken off. After swearing up a storm they get replaced and then commence to leak even with sealer, requiring the use of the heaviest duty Bar’s Leak available.
Oh yeah, it’s friggin’ heavy too. Maybe not as bad as a big block Ford cast iron intake (and few things are) but leaning over the fender with this outstretched in your arms is a lower back spasm waiting to happen.
Changing a water pump by-pass hose on most V-8’s is a walk in the park you can teach a ten year old to do. Not so with the slant six. What a little pill it is, all sandwiched between the cylinder head and the water pump, kind of behind the fan belt. It’s a good thing you can usually get away with running this little devil until it completely goes away. Putting a new one in there without removing the water pump gets done with some slippery stuff, careful measurement of the perfect hose length and dexterity with a flathead screwdriver. This operation might require beer as well.
It’s a damn good thing these engines are so reliable. They rarely blow head gaskets and the valves usually become football shaped before the head gasket blows. Lifting that big old head onto the block is no fun, gimme a V-8 any time. More bolts but easier on the back.
Hey, this is the price we pay to have a slant six in the stable and every Mope head should have one. We have two and I have to say that on a long trip they are just unbeatable. 70 plus cruising is no sweat and there is enough power in reserve to get up a long grade or even pass another car. The gas mileage makes a big block look like the snorting, guzzling pig it is and that is ever more important these days.
Well, you’d be right to say that I am nit-picking the old slant six. Every motor has its peculiar faults and the slant six is neither alone in that respect nor is it the worst offender. Once these mills are dialed in they give the least amount of trouble and the most amount of driving pleasure. They may not be major shredders but they get the job done. That’s the one fact I can take to the bank when I’m out in the middle of nowhere on dirt in my slant six equipped ’64 Dart wagon.
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