Hey,

I am the happy owner of an 1982 camper van with a slant 6 in. I am quite new to mechanics and in need of advices for that van. It's been a full year living in the van and traveling in Canada, accross the states to Mexico. I am now planning to put more work in the van or change van.

The main idea is to improve gas mileage and keep a durable engine. I am presently wondering if the slant 6 is a good pick for such a heavy van, as I carry around all my sport and work gear in. I wonder if I would not be better with a 318, as the 225 revs a lot in hills. I also wonder if I could put a different tranny and rear end to help the engine.

Also, I found metal shavings in the oil pan last time I change the oil. In 20'000 kilometers done in a year and 4 oil changes, it's the first time it happens and I don't know what to think of it. The spark plugs are clean and there are no new sounds or change in the performance of the engine. It was not that much shavings but I wonder about it.. I can't see it on the dipstick and I might remove the oil pan soon enough to see what's going on.

Should I get a 318 for the kind of van I have or rebuild that 225 and keep being happy about it? I don't mind a slow van. I just want good gas mileage and reliability.

Thanks for your attention.

your cheapest and best bet is probably to drop in a 5.2 or 5.9 magnum, maybe even make use of the TBI version if you want to go that far.

junk yard motor, put bearings and rings in it and go.

the slant that we all know and love here is not really well supported anymore and is becoming an enthusiast motor. the dealerships stopped carrying parts for the most part and they are not getting easier to find.

you could get a 5.2 and a newer OD and lock up 904 with it and run that till the cows come home, probably as good or better milage thanks to the OD, and it wont have so much trouble climbing hills.

if you do want to keep the slant, go to a 2 bbl carb and perhaps look into a newer better cam. some improvement may be found in a better exhaust system, and a modern ignition. if you wanted to dump some cash maybe get a gear vendors OD unit.

I love the slant and I love vans. That being said, if your van is heavy and you haul loads, you likely will get better fuel economy if you go with a 318 or a 360 swap. Depending on your budget, you can go to a 360 magnum engine with an AOD, but for the effort and cost you might as well just get a different van.

If you are thinking of an engine rebuild but want to keep your same van, there are anythings you can do to improve the efficiency (power and economy) of the engine over stock. Getting rid of any computer controlled ignition and carb (aka "lean burn"), getting a custom ground cam designed for torque, milling the head to obtain true DYNAMIC compression ratio of about 8.1:1, re-curving your ignition advance curve, and increasing the size of your exhaust to 2 1/4 inches to a free flowing muffler followed by 2 inches after the muffler.

Others will say to install a two barrel carb, but in a van I actually don't think this is necessarily the best move.

(1) factory van specific two barrel air cleaners are extraordinarily hard to find. I have only ever seen two, one of which is the one I bought and installed on my brother's van. You don't want to run an aftermarket open element air cleaning in a van. Sucking in the hot underhood air is bad for economy and performance.

(2) your motor will be built for low RPM torque. A single barrel carb will be plenty for what you need. The only swap I would recommend would be to possibly switch to a Holley 5200/Weber 32/36 staged two barrel carb.

(3) It will be much cheaper and easier to stick with single barrel parts.


Another big improvement in towing power is to change your rear axle gear ratio. Your van could have a 2.7, 2.9, 3.2, or 3.5 ratio gearset in the rear axle. Check either the undressed sticker that is on the bottom f the hood above the battery or the tag n the axle to determine your gear ratio. If you are using a slant six to haul around a heavy van and other gear, then I would recommend a 3.5 or 3.7 rear axle gear ratio, if not higher. Your top speed will suffer, but you won't be going much above 65 anyway, and you might actually have better fuel economy because you aren't lugging the motor so much.

You don't say how your van is set up now. One barrel? Lean burn? Automatic or manual transmission?

What king of economy numbers are you getting now? Even with a Magnum motor and overdrive transmission you won't see much higher than 15-17 MPG highway.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

True, but that extra 10-15 horsepower sure makes a world of difference.

Rick

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

Super six conversion makes more horse power, but the number to go by is torque. If you are going to rebuild, design for flat torque curve delivered at the rpm you most often operate the van at.

Torque is the force that does the work, horsepower is a rate at which torque is delivered. With an engine designed for torque, your van will have an easer time pulling over hills while maintain speed. It won't be quick to get going, but once up to speed it will more easily maintain that speed.

I second Reed, a rear end gear change to 3.55 or so would also help with a small displacement engine to motivate a heavy brick. It will make for higher rpm cruising on the highway, but you will be able to maintain a more steady speed running the hills. A lower gear ratio multiplies engine's torque output.

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67' Dart GT Convertible; the old Chrysler Corp.
82' LeBaron Convertible; the new Chrysler Corp
07' 300 C AWD; Now by Fiat, the old new Chrysler LLC

Hey, thanks for your replies. It's much appreciated.

A Holley 1945 sits on the engine right now and there is an automatic tranny. I have no clue about the diff but I'll check it out and consider swapping it if I do keep the slant. I cannot tell about gas mileage as I think metric. I do know I get 15 liter per 100km on the flat and probably something like 18-22 liter per 100k. I thougth it isn't too bad as some VW vans are getting the same kind of gas mileage with way less of a load to haul.

I do like and respect the engine too. I never saw another slant in a conversion in Canada and I though it would be a neat project to restore but if it makes no sense to have such engine towing a load on long distances across country, I am ready to find another van. We just got a 318 extended van and are convoying around so that's gonna give me an idea of gas mileage difference between the two.

Again, many thanks to you for the answers. I will try to keep you posted with those projects

Where are you located? I'd be interested in a slanted camper if you want to find a newer v8 camper.

I'm in Vancouver

Hey,

I decided to keep the slant 6. I found out that the engine was swapped as my VIN says there should be a 318 in. The previous owner did mention that but he was so clueless that I ignored it (he though there was a V4 in there...). It's in really good shape and has awesome gas mileage for the weight it's hauling.

I think I will stick to it and put a manual transmission someday. I putted too much money on it and enjoy it too much to be able to sell it. I think I'll sell it cheap to a friend when I'll switch to a diesel engine converted on waste veggie oil. Until then, it's a keeper.

Jester, there is a slanted camper in Kamloops thats for sale at 2900 bucks if I remember. Take a look on Craigslist.

I have a sl6 and 833OD in a van with a 3.90 axle ratio. I don't think any of its previous owners towed with it, but i put a hitch on and have had little trouble towing cars on a dolly with it. I am about to tow a friend's Olds B-Body sedan on a uhaul trailer a fair distance. My van only weighs about 3800 pounds with a moderate load. Heaviest thing i towed on the dolly was a fwd northstar powered cadillac. That included me dragging it off of a grassy lot with low tire pressure and stuck in drive. She lugged a good bit, died once, and only spun the tires a split second. I gassed it a bit, let the clutch out pretty fast, and floored it; it didn't like it too much, and almost died out, but it dragged it right out. It sounded like a diesel. It has pretty decent acceleration and is fun too run around town in, but it tops out at about 75mph downhill, but it wont maintain that speed on the open road. I'd like to get a 300 6 F150 4x4 with lower gearing for towing and swap a 3.55 into the van. It'll do for now though. If this van rusts out i'd like to swap the manual tranny into an older v8 powered maxi-van. I guess a good body with a bad motor could make a for a fun slant powered maxi, but i dunno.

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'85 Ram Royal 150 Wagon 4 Speed
'04 Civic Hybrid 5 Speed IMAC&C