Hello All-


My name is Jared,and I am new to the slant six world. My current daily driver is a 2005 Dodge SRT-4,that is stock(but very fast anf fun!) I am going into Collage and will no longer be able to afford the SRT-4,so I am selling it and buying a Dart Sport

The car is:

1976 Spirit Of '76 Dodge Dart Sport
225 Slant Six Single Barrel Carb
A-833 4 Speed O.D
Bucket Seat Interior
10" Drum Brakes all around

The car is pretty much orignal,with only minor rust. I plan to fix the rust,and restore the interior(and add a CD player,lots of sound deadner,and window tint:much needed in Southern Utah!) and eventually I will repaint the whole car and re-apply the Spirit of 76 graphics! I know I am going to swap the front brakes for 11.75" Disc Brakes(I think they are called cop car brakes?) Swap out the rear for a 65-67 B-Body 8 3/4(for more wheel clearance)with 11" drums, with the modern aluminum master cylinder. Then I will add .990 torsion bars,kyb gas shocks,poly. front end bushings, and front+rear anti-sway bars.IF I can afford them; some nice lightweight 17 inch wheels with 235/45's in the front and as wide as I can go in the rear.


What I dont know is with the engine.... I am new to slant sixes and would like some advise! The car will be my daily driver,mostly around town, but some trips to Las Vegas (2 hrs away with a speed limit of 75 m.p.h) and MABEY a trip to Orlando FL or two a year! Gas miliage is not too much of a concern,and I dont mind running premium fuel(91 octane is the highest here) I want a nice dependable motor(why I choose the slant six) and I just want to have fun with it. It does not need to be as fast as my SRT-4 (best of 13.6 in the 1/4 and a top speed of 156 m.p.h)

I know there is the 170-198-225,I have read that the 225 is a torque monster,but does not like to rev high. I definatly want a high revving motor! I dont mind running premium fuel,or a lumpy idle! I have also heard of a 225 aluminum slant six,is it a good engine to use for a mild daily driver? Could I put a 198 crank and rods into it to make it rev?

I am also building the car to handle,so I think the weight savings from the aluminum block would be nice! Also what gears do you guys reccomend? 3.55,3.73,3.91------I figure one of those because of the O.D in the transmission!


Of coarse this is not all going to happen in a week,like I said I am going into college.But after paying so much for the SRT-4(loan,gas,inshurance,oil/filters...etc....) I will have quite a bit of cash to play with after paying for school rent and savings! I saved for 2 years to buy the SRT,while paying for rent and personal stuff,so it will be sorely missed But I think the Dart will be fun!

Cant wait to hear your ideas!

Welcome onboard. You will probably want to read and follow the suggestions for buying the three books mentioned in this thread. That's a highly desireable combination you've got there, with the 4-speed trans and 225 engine. Don't be so sure you want a high-revving engine; you'll spend a lot of money working against the inbuilt characteristics of the engine. This is not your SRT4. If you maximise the low-end torque your engine produces and, yes, maybe change to a deeper rear axle ratio, you will wind up with a really fun car that doesn't have to wind high to put a smile on your face. Let me illustrate the point with an old joke that I've cleaned up for public consumption: An old bull and a young bull are standing on a bluff overlooking a grassy valley where a bunch of cows are grazing. The young bull snorts and says "Let's run down this hill and (grab) a couple of those heiffers!" The old bull says "Let's walk down and (grab) all of them." Think about it in terms of traffic lights and drag racing.

That said, if you're really absolutely sure you want a high-revving engine and you're ready to spend a lot of money (let's be realistic—a half-baked or half-funded effort will just result in frustration) to build what you want, then build up a 170 screamer.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Sounds like you have a great start, also sounds like you want to head toward making a good handling car...Being in college I think you would want to try and keep the gas mileage in the 'reasonable' zone (otherwise you'd have looked over another square in the classifieds and taken the 1971 Charger with the 383 that gets about 10 mpg city or highway).


With the A-833OD box there are two 'sweet' ratios to play with:
I use and like the 3.55 rear ratio as it's very nice light to light, and yet I get good mileage when driving highway (things get more fun and you can still keep the mileage if you upgrade to a 2 barrel or baby 4 barrel).

You can also get decent mileage and go drag racing with the 3.91 gearset, but your in town mileage if doing lots of 'light to light' can suffer (or just liking the response when you sidestep the clutch).

I have an 8.25" rear and it has another ratio available 3.73 which possibly one day I'd like to see if it's a bit more 'fun' than the 3.55's but not so bad with city mileage.


Good luck with your acquisition,

-D.Idiot

Dan,thanks for the welcome-


Hahaha....I like your joke....I may be young, but I think like an old bull if you know what I mean I know that this will not be like my SRT-4....on that note, you dont have to wind the SRT at all, it has almost all of its power and torque @ 2500 r.p.m and only winds to 6,000 r.p.m......but I do see your point. definitelyly dont want to spend a bunch of green just to spin to 7,500 R.P.M (Im a mopar boy not a honda girl ) I just want a car that will pull strong all the way up to 6,000 or 6,200 r.p.m instead of falling off at 4,500 r.p.m(which is what I read in a post about a 225)

But like I said I am new to slants, so teach me o wise one



D.Idiot - Cool Name


Gas mileage is a concern,just not at the top of the list.I dont want to do the whole big block 10 m.p.g thing,I just didnt want anyone to think that I want a 13 second slant that gets 30 m.p.g, you know what I mean? I am young, but I understand how things work; you gotta pay to play!

I love raw power and speed,but my true passion and love is corner carving! I like to really DRIVE my cars,send them out control and recover....stuff like that!


What kind of r.p.m do you cruise @ with the 3.55's and 3.91's? Sounds like maybe the 3.73 would make a great inbetween! What kind of gas mileage should I expect with a mild slant(with throttle control of coarse!)?

Thanks for all of the advise,and I think I need to go and order some books

Also any books for info on the a833 o.d? I would like to rebuild the tranny when the car gets here and could use some help?


And while I have you here,any suggestions on the aluminum slant? Yes or No,good idea, or bad???

I just orderd 2 of the 3 books,just looking for the factory service manual now! I remember hearing about a book about how to make your mopar handle....but I can remember the author or the name....any ideas?
Thanks

Found it:

http://www.moparpages.com/suspension_book/



this book come highly reccomended!

Unless the trans has been abused it's likely in fine shape. Stock 225s don't really put an A833 to the test. If it shifts well leave it alone. make sure you have the right lube in the box though. GL-5 is too slippery and the syncros don't work nearly as well as they can. My favorite is Redline MT-90. It's spendy, but it works great. I had a good shifting A833 and it turned into a great shifting one with just a lube change.

On a modified 225 I ran 4.10s with my OD 4 speed. In OD the overall ratio is 2.99 so it's really quite relaxed on the freeway.

KYBs are marginal at best with .990" torsion bars. Edelbrock shocks are better as are Bilsteins. And save the rear sway bar for last. Most are too big and cause oversteer problems.

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Joshua

Thanks! What r.p.m's do you cruise at with 4.10's? and at what speed? Also how do the 4.10's work with the 3.09 first gear? seems like it would obliterate street tires


Also where to get edlebrock or bilsteins,and which ones?

I really recommend the Edelbrock IAS shocks. You can get them through shockwarehouse.com.

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'68 Dodge Dart 4dr Sedan

Thanks for the link! So you really think they are worth the$$$,which did you choose the red or the grey? Have any pics? I was thinking Red since my car is a Spirit of 76,but I am going to paint all of my suspension: chassis black,so the grey might be nice???

I think they are definitely worth the money. I have Bilstein heavy duty shocks on my '90 Volvo 240 with heavier springs (I know, it's like comparing apples to rocks*), and the ride quality in my Dart with .920" torsion bars and 6 leaf rear springs is much smoother and and maybe even better controlled. And the Bilsteins were more money. I haven't tried QA1 shocks or Koni sport shocks yet, but these are even more money. I would stick with the Edelbrocks. At the time I bought mine, back in 2004, I think I could only get the red shocks. Red looks nice, I guess. I mean, you probably won't see them unless you are under the car anyway.

* I think the Mopar suspension is superior in just about every way.

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'68 Dodge Dart 4dr Sedan

That info will be in the factory service manual.
Why, is it broken?
Very rare, not suitable for high-perf buildups, not a cost-effective way to go for the kind of project you're working with.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Tom Condran's book. Be very careful if you buy and read this book. It has some good information, some correct facts, some bad advice and some flatly incorrect factoids, all mixed together so if you don't already know a lot about Mopar suspensions, it's very difficult to separate the good info from the junk.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Try this: http://www.car-videos.net/tools/speedrpm.asp

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Joshua