Just curious as to how many other folks out there have a slantsix equipped with a Lean Burn system or Spark Control Computer as a daily driver.

I have an 86 Dodge shorty conversion van with the Spark Control Computer and the California Emissions package. All seems to be working well so I will leave it alone and see what kind of MPG I can squeeze out of it. I think the 3.54 rear gears won't help gas mileage much, but should make it easier to accelerate.

Mine's running fine with it's mechanical analog computer.........



It'll be changed to a electronic/mechanical analog computer pretty soon.

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

Mechanical analog computer? Do you mean points? Is thisd something you built yourself?

We have a winner.........



Didn't build them, but I did recurve the distributor.


Did I mention the part about pneumatics????????

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

Ha! vacuum advance!

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Juan Ignacio Caino

Please use e-mail button istead of PM'ing. I do log in sometimes but I'll be answering quicker thru e-mail.

I'm going to be swapping out the standard distributor in my Dart for a Lean Burn distributor pretty soon. Of course, I'm not going to be using any of the other Lean Burn hardware.

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"Mad Scientist" Matt Cramer
'66 Dart - turbocharged 225
My blog - Mad Scientist Matt's Lair

Hmmm. So far I has driven 92 miles mixed highway and city and used 5/8 bof a tank of gas. I think I have a 20 or 22 gallon tank, so that works out to 8.25 gallons for 92 miles, roughly 11-12 miles per gallon. I don't think the spark computer on my van will be in use much longer, but I will see if I can't make it get better mileage.

Reed,

11 or 12 mpg isn't really all that bad for the mixed driving with those gears in such a large van. I don't do much better with my truck with the standard mopar ignition conversion.

If anything, you might want to do a test conversion before tossing the lean burn because you might find the mileage get even worse. Hard to believe that it would get much worse than 11 mpg no matter what you do, but 92 miles isn't really a long enough test in my opinion.

Maybe something still isn't working right?

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1980 Aspen 225 super six

Its odd, the more I drive the van, the better it seems to run. Mileage got noticeably better after the first 1/2 tank of gas (thats 11 gallons), but I still am only averaging 11-12 MPG. Idle is smoother and I have more power on the highway and better acceleration, but the motor still diesels when I shut it of more often than not and it idles rough.

I picked up a feedback Holley 2280 from a mid 80s 318, but I didn't notice that it was missing the fuel pump and fast idle cam linkage, and the choke pulloff diaphragm is blown. Today I went to Carbs Unlimited in Fife, Washington (a local carbs only shop they do rebuilds and have tons of parts) but they didn't have the linkage pieces Ineeded. I was talking to the owner though and learned that the feedback solenoid put in all Mopar feedback carbs is now an obsolete and discontinued part. A dealer will charge you $400 for one but you still can't get them. He sends his out to be remanufactured. Yet another strike against keeping the computer.

At this point I have several plans of attack:
(1) I got my voltmeter working again today and I have order the factory shop manual for my van ($15 on ebay, yay) and I will try and troubleshoot the existing system.

(2) If I can get the park computer working good I will try and find the parts I need to use my feedback two barrel carb

(3) If I can't get the computer working good I will swap on a non-feedback Holley 1945 and ditch the Spark Control Computer. The 1945 has the bowl vent solenoid and the idle stop solenoid so I should be able to use it and just wire in HEI ignition

(4) If nothing else works out I have a slant six specific non-computerized Carter BBD and a complete Super Six setup from a car that I will swap on with the HEI conversion and just yank all the emissions and computer stuff.

It seems to be running okay right now, it just lacks any top end power. It will get up to 60 MPH now on a flat straightaway, but tops out at about 45MPH on any sort of a grade. any angle above about 25 degrees and I'm lucky to see the high side of 40. I even got up to 55 MPH yesterday with five adults in the car! Wheee!

This van will be the perfect test bed for a low RPM grunt build using a A-500 transmission. THe 3.54 rear gears combined with the wide ratio gears in the A-500 will enable the little slant to get the van moving pretty good and the overdrive will drop the RPMs back down into a range where the motor can make some power on the highway. The van just feels like if it had a fourth gear it would actually do pretty good on the highway.

For now I am calling the stock worn engine in my van "the little engine that could." The engine screams like a banshee whenever I accelerate (but this could just be a bad diverter valve on the AIR pump) and sounds like an old moving van that has a governor on the engine trying to go up a hill. Every time I try to accelerate or go up I hill I quietly chant, "I think I can, I think I can!"

Have you checked the timing chain?

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....

Not yet, but it is on my list. I have a new timing set I will throw on there if the old one is worn, I just haven't had the time to check it. Maybe in a month or so I will be able to clear an afternoon....

Plugged up Catalytic Converter?????

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

A new cat is also on my to do list. Summit and Jegs sell replacement high flow cats for $50-75, which is within my budget.

That's all sorts of wrong! With those gears, I would expect you should to be able to rev out the rpm in any gear on just about any grade rather quickly.

My truck, with a fully load, (2 complete slant sixes with transmissions) will take a grade at 70 (can't really go faster in PA) with the stock highway gears 2.94 and taller than factory tires. Now, if I have to slow down to 45 in the middle of the grade, It will take a little while to get back up to 60 due to the gearing, but then it's back to part throttle cruise.

I'd say you arn't getting good advance out of that lean burn and it's crazy talk to spend hundreds of dollars fixing a feedback carb when you can convert to standard ignition for under a hundred. (with parts you already own)

Now is about the time I start voting in favor of a conversion. You know the drill, Rip it out!. Even with a badly worn engine, you should have no problem pulling a grade in an empty van.

I'm sure you know the procedure, but here are some tips for other interested readers on ditching lean burn.
http://www.slantsix.org/articles/leanbu ... rticle.htm

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1980 Aspen 225 super six

All grades are not created equally. I can assure you there are grades around here that you wont do at 70 with a slant truck. Reed lives in the Puget sound area where a grade is a GRADE.
We have grades on highways here of 12%.....I go to first gear in my Sub when pulling the trailer. The logging road near my house has a 4 km 22% section. Steepest I have been on is at the Columbia Ice Fields....33%

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Yeah....Im the one who destroyed this rare, vintage automobile.....