Slant Six Forum
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I'm back with engine problems
https://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20629		 Page 2 of 2
Author:  dakight [ Tue Nov 07, 2006 8:33 am ]
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Well, it's your car, and your life so you have to make your own decisions. If it were me I would find a good used motor and drop in it. A weekend of work and a couple hundred bucks and you'd have something really unique and something that can give you great pride and pleasure for years to come. Store it carefully and think about it; you'll get the bug again soon.
Author:  nate the skate [ Tue Nov 07, 2006 8:34 am ]
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Hey man I hear ya. I've had several old Dodge van projects in the past that I've had to bail on. No only for monetary reasons, but there's the headache factor as well. Seems like you take one step forward only to take two steps back. Then there's the "everything I touch turns to sh*t" curse as well.
Author:  Brian [ Tue Nov 07, 2006 9:34 am ]
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Jeb, I'm sure someone out your way could hook you up with a good slant dirt cheap. You can have your car back on the road in a weekend or two. Then you would have the old motor to play around with and rebuild as time and money permits :D Yeah, it is frustrating when you repair something and a few days later something else breaks, but thats just the way it goes. Working on our cars is half the fun. :twisted: Get that Duster back on the road :twisted:
Author:  LUCKY13 [ Tue Nov 07, 2006 12:22 pm ]
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I will have to say when I was younger I went threw the same thing your talking about right now. But I cant tell you how many times I have kicked my own butt over the years for not holding on to cars until the time was right to get back to the grind.

It takes alot to get a car to where you have your Duster. You say you have $20,000 in restoring it. If you deside you want to do another one you will have to go threw it all again. Its easy to get burt out sometimes. But park the car and give it some time. Do you know how good it is going to fell when you get older and in your driveway sets your first car you ever owned in perfect shape doing nothing but getting worth more & more money. My first ever car is owned by a friend of mine and I will have to say it bothers me every time I see him driving it. Not to meantion he is a idiot and dont even do the car any justice.

A sweat engine would also totaly change the way you fell about the car. And as far as holding on to the car. Life goes by fast, I know it doesnt seem that way now but it want be long before your ways & thoughts will change alot. And when it does you will wish you still had this car.

Also having a nother driver will help you to have the time to do major projects to your Duster. To build a sweat /6 is not that hard, the old engine are pretty easy. I know if you have never did one it this seems a bit of a reach. But with the help of this forum and some research & a good machinist you can trust you can have a engine to please anyone and kick that Miata plum off the road ( not to meantions your friends Hondas and such).

It is easier to go with buy it now drive it now, and todays cars have there appeal. But they will never have the appeal of your Duster as time goes by.

With all the new tech being adapted to the /6 it is proving to be a better engine more and more. Before you know it there will be 500hp /6 with turbos & EFI running around like it was normal. ANd there will be bolt on kits to make these kinda things happen.

Your enjoyment & pride in your car will come back, Just give it some time.


Jess
Author:  Jeb [ Tue Nov 07, 2006 6:11 pm ]
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Hey guys just becauseI fed up with my Duster doesn't mean that I am giving up on slants completely. I still have my D-150 which deserves some much needed attention (why in the hell do I still have leanburn on this thing?). It may be slow but it has never let me down and pulls most things I put behind it.

Thanks for all of the support. I have been looking for a fill-in-the-blank engine for the Duster locally. All I have found is a junk that is in worse shape than my junk. My mopar club buddies only have V-8s, no sixes.

On a different note, I drained the oil out of my Duster today and found LOTS of metal shavings and the filter was full of it also. This has never happened before and I was pretty surpised. What could have caused my cam bearings to suddenly go through such rapid wear?
Author:  Al T [ Tue Nov 07, 2006 6:54 pm ]
Post subject:  We all go thru cycles
We all have our ups and downs with respect to the things you articulated well Jeb. Just recently we've heard about the musings of a prominent slanted racer. I sold my first 60 Dodge in 1980 at age 19 because of the same reasons like reliability, performance, street manners, etc.. I ended up buying an 80 Accord Hatch which had better performance, fuel economy, reliability and versitility and quite frankly, more fun. I got back into slants and the 60 Dodge early in the 90's for the uniqueness and personal challenge.
Put it away for a while. If it grabs you again after 6 to 12 months. . . great - it was just burn out. If it doesn't, sell & move on. Thanks for the time!
Author:  LUCKY13 [ Tue Nov 07, 2006 8:58 pm ]
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It is probably just the milage that has finally cought up with it. It may not be a cam bearing. Listening for it the way you are still could be a main or rod bearing, noise will travel threw the shafts and mislead you sometimes on where it is coming from.

I dont remember what you posted as far as the reason for tear down when you worked on the cam but if there was a plastic timing gear and some of the teeth where gone this will get in the oil pickup and cause restrictions pretty easy.


Either way there is something that has let loose and you will need to tear it down to find the problem. This would be good to do before you buy anything because you never know it may be a cheap fix. Its as good a time as any to learn what is going on in the bottom end of a engine. With pics of your progress we could offer help over the net and guide you threw it without much trouble.


But you said you have pulled the head before, pull it and this will make yaking the engine much easier. Not really nessessary but it help give more room to work with which would help a first timer.

As far as buying a used engine to throw in it unless you can drive or hear it run it could be a waste of money if you arnt carefull. And you also need a 68 ( I believe ) up engine because of the torque convertor register in the crank. I think I am right on that , if not someone will come in and help us out with the right info.


Jess
Author:  440_Magnum [ Wed Nov 08, 2006 1:46 pm ]
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Quote:
Its called getting burned out with something. I spent more time under the hood of this car than I did driving it. I was afraid to drive it because every time I did something else broke on it. I think the slant six race in Valdosta finished it up because after that it would burn a quart of oil every time I drove it.

Now that I have something that is a blast to drive, really easy to take care of, and can actually keep up with traffic, I really don't care for my 3450 pound paperweight anymore.

You have probably been working on cars your whole life. I'm just a 19 year old who has been on a steep learning curve for the past five years.

Hey, I sympathize completely and you're almost exactly on the same schedule I was on (started wrenching around age 13-14.) And on top of that, my trusty old 318 decided to shuck a cam gear and punch a valve through a piston when I was 19 and one month out from heading off to college :-/ I suffered the indignity of starting college driving a straight-six powered Mercury Comet. But I lived, fixed the 318, and still own it to this day, over 250,000 absolutely BULLETPROOF miles after that fateful overhaul.

If you're burned out, set it aside for a while. The itch will come back and with all the work you've already got into it you'll be WAY ahead of where you'd be starting with some hulk of unknown history.
Author:  Rob Simmons [ Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:34 am ]
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JEB!!!

Keep the car! You've put so much into it, you'll never get back what you put in. All it needs is a little TLC. If you aren't up to rebuilding it yourself you can get a rebuilt one or a good used one here on the Forum. There is even a place in Atlanta that has Slant 6 rebuilds. I think it's Jasper Engines or something like that. I know, at least 3 people will post saying, "Oh my God! Don't put a (enter name here) rebuilt engine in your car!" But they come with a warranty and it will keep your car together. Do some looking around before you decide to sell your Duster.

It's your first car and you've loved it. Did it dump you when you dropped that GM intake on your foot!? :wink:
Quote:
Since I got my Miata I really don't care about the Duster anymore.
Say it isn't so! I take back my support in an earlier post about your purchase of the Miata. Don't Dump the Duster!
Author:  Rob Simmons [ Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:35 am ]
Post subject: 
JEB!!!

Keep the car! You've put so much into it, you'll never get back what you put in. All it needs is a little TLC. If you aren't up to rebuilding it yourself you can get a rebuilt one or a good used one here on the Forum. There is even a place in Atlanta that has Slant 6 rebuilds. I think it's Jasper Engines or something like that. I know, at least 3 people will post saying, "Oh my God! Don't put a (enter name here) rebuilt engine in your car!" But they come with a warranty and it will keep your car together. Do some looking around before you decide to sell your Duster.

It's your first car and you've loved it. Did it dump you when you dropped that GM intake on your foot!? :wink:
Quote:
Since I got my Miata I really don't care about the Duster anymore.
Say it isn't so! I take back my support in an earlier post about your purchase of the Miata. Don't Dump the Duster!
Author:  Rob Simmons [ Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:58 am ]
Post subject: 
Not sure why that posted twice. :roll: Maybe it's because I really think you should keep the Duster! I still have my first car ('67 Dart GT) that I bought for $325 when I was 15. Sold it for $200 when I joined the Army. Bought it back for $100 when I came home on leave.

If you sell your Duster now I think you may regret it. Think about the comraderie you've experienced here on the Forum and at Valdosta.... Now, even though the Miata is a sweet ride... think about the type of comraderie you've experienced because of that car...

When I got back from Iraq my wife said I should buy an SRT-4 (Isn't she great!?) It's a great car and I really enjoy it, but when I think about my passion for cars I always log in here! You've been really active here on the Forum and those of us that know you probably think of you as "That lucky kid with the sweet red Duster".

Roll the Duster behind a shed and throw a tarp over it for now. Keep checking in here from time to time, and keep involved with your Mopar Club. I'm confident that you will want the Duster again soon.
Author:  Jeb [ Mon Nov 13, 2006 6:27 pm ]
Post subject: 
Hey Rob I'm keeping my car, in fact, I am trying to find a fill-in-the-blank engine to go in its place so I can keep on driving it. I do miss driving it, even though it handled horribly and was slow as hell.

I hope one day to do a buildup on the engine that is in the car now. I would love to have a 15-16 second slant six car. I would be happy with 17 second times.
Author:  Rob Simmons [ Tue Nov 14, 2006 5:21 am ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
Hey Rob I'm keeping my car, in fact, I am trying to find a fill-in-the-blank engine to go in its place so I can keep on driving it. I do miss driving it, even though it handled horribly and was slow as hell.

I hope one day to do a buildup on the engine that is in the car now. I would love to have a 15-16 second slant six car. I would be happy with 17 second times.
Schweeeet! :D I'm glad you're keeping it. The two things you mention (handled horribly and was slow as hell) are both fairly easy to remedy.

You're at the right place to take care of the slow as hell part right now! Dennis Weaver's Duster is/was a full-on street car with A/C, power steering, etc and he ran mid 15s at Silver Dollar in Reynolds. With the right build up it really shouldn't be that difficult. All the information on how to do it is right at your fingertips.

The handled horribly part should be fixable as well. You mentioned in another thread going 100 and it shaking the glove box open, etc. If you have your tires/wheels, suspension and driveshaft set up and balanced right that should not be a problem. The unibody/torsion bar set up is actually a pretty good platform to build up. That high speed vibration issue you mentioned could easily be an out of balance driveshaft, rear wheel bearing, etc. It may take some diagnostic foot work to get it figured out, but taking it one step at a time you'll be able to fix it. My '72 Dart would smoothly cruise at 120+ (downhill from Flagstaff to Phoenix) without shaking or rattling. My '64 Barracuda would rattle you fillings out at 50 until I replaced the wheel bearing in the rear end. Then it smoothed right out (except for the drone of the Cherry Bombs! :shock: :wink: )
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