Hi I'm new here.Not new to slants though, had a bunch for the last 35 years but they all have been 65's & 66's now I bought a 76 Dodge Aspen with 23000 miles on it.The car is like new but it stalls. Pull up to a traffic light it's running smooth all of a sudden there is a roughness and it quits. Starts right back up and goes but this is no good.My wife is going to drive this as her daily ride after having her little 66 Valiant V100 2 door taken out buy an 80 year old last week. She's got to be confident in this car. HELP ! I have vast mechanical experience I build 60's cars but this modern stuff ? Pollution control? I'm lost. I read that this was a common problem with these but can't seem to find anything on the fix. Thanks, Ed

There were a bunch of TSBs and recalls on the '76 (first year) Aspen and Volaré. Many of them involved stalling and driveability issues. It shouldn't be too terribly difficult to track down and squash this bug. First off: Does this car have the 1bbl Holley 1945 or the 2bbl Carter BBD carburetor? If it was factory-eqiupped with the 2bbl, the 5th VIN character will be a "D" and the air cleaner lid will have a "SUPER SIX" decal on it. The 5th VIN character is a "C" on 1bbl cars, and no air cleaner decal is present.

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

It's a single barrel bone stock never messed with motor

OK. There were definitely more problems with the 1bbl carb than with the 2bbl carb in '76. With such low mileage, it's entirely possible some or all of the TSBs never got applied to this car. Next round of questions:

1) Is this a California car, a 49-state (Federal) car, a High Altitude car, or a Canada car? Check the VECI (Vehicle Emission Control Information) label in the engine compartment and see what it says.

2) Where do you live now, and what kind of vehicle inspections do you have to pass?

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

It was bought new in New York, I'm the 2nd owner,I also live in New York, there are no emissions tests on cars over 25 years old here just safety only

I have thought of using a Holly from a 65 or 66 valiant or better yet a Carter.I have plenty of them both for the 170 cu in and the 225 but There are all these vacuum lines and the heat is controled with vacuum not cables so I'm kind of wondering if doing this swap is a good idea.

OK, a 49-state non-high-altitude car. Good info.

Going back that many years on the carburetor would create more hassle than it would solve. Have you already been through the carburetor with a dip bucket of carb cleaner and a rebuild kit, or is it untouched "as found"?

And, what other tune-up and service work have you done on the car?

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

No I only brought it home today at 2 pm. Took it out for a good test ride and discovered this stalling crap.Then I went on the net and heard about all these recalls and this stalling problem but couldn't find any info on a fix

I also have a 2 bbl manifold with a later model carb on it, Is the cam in the 1 bbl motor the same as the 2bbl motor? "cause if it is I might consider using that set up.It's not like I don't have any parts around. I just don't have the info I need on these motors.. From my point of view this is a modern car.

The differences between the 1bbl and 2bbl setup are as follows:

-Intake manifold
-Carburetor
-Choke thermostat
-Air cleaner
-Throttle cable (shorter for 2bbl)
-Auto trans kickdown linkage (totally different for 2bbl)

All other components (exhaust manifold, cam, head, etc.) are the same, though in some years 2bbl cars got a larger-diameter exhaust headpipe than 1bbl cars.

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

I'm gonna sleep on this problem and look at it with fresh eyes tomorrow.Thanks for your help and I'll be back on tomorrow Ed

I would suggest you keep the carb setup you've got for the moment. Tinker around and do some checking to make sure everything moves freely and that none of the vac lines are broken. Check for vac leaks at the manifold and check for proper choke operation. Make sure the bolts that mount the carb are tight, I've seen that a few times already.

Yes, you can convert to the older style carb or go to a 2 bbl carb setup, but I doubt you will invest much less time or effort. If it's a daily driver, you should actually get good mileage if you can get the factory stuff working.

SlantSixDan is a good source of info.

You may eventually discover a problem with the PCV or EGR systems or valve adjustment or ignition system so don't get convinced right away that a carb swap is the end all solution.

Keep in mind that if all else fails, it's a slant six!!! There are lots of guys running them daily and you will surely find a fuel system that makes it go like you want if you take your time about it.

Good luck with the new ride.

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1980 Aspen 225 super six

Definitely agree. A 32-year-old car with 23k miles has done a lot of sitting around, which is not good for fuel systems and gaskets, amongst others. The first priority will be to inspect everything closely and see what's suffered from disuse, then do a full tuneup.

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

Danis right there too, about a car sitting around. When I bought my Dart in 93 it had 41K miles on it. Within a WEEK, the water pump failed by starting to leak, and the laternator went out. And a week later I replaced all the brake lines. And so it went. Of course I was disappointed and my lofty memory of the indistructability of slants had to be adjusted, but after I adjusted my attitude, and accepted the fact that this car was really 24 years old after all, even though it had low miles, I saw it for the gem it was. I have no regrets.

Bring that car back anywhere it needs it, and you will learn to treasure it for the wonderful auto it is.

Those cars were recalled for inadequate fender corrosion protection. Shortly after that they started putting plastic inner fender linings over the front wheels. If yours does not have those, you might try to find that inner fender stuff at a junk yard. I actually put those parts on my Dart. At least look under there and see how they are doing. Maybe clean it up, and rust proof those areas. I don;t mean to scare you, just give you good advice from having been down that road. Good luck.

Sam

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Thank you all for your input on this. I'm going to play with the carb some this morning and order a rebuild kit so when I pull it off tomorrow I can rebuils it right.The thing runs really well otherwise and the sitting it did was in a heated garage.The guy I bought it from ownes an heating oil co and it was his grandfathers car until the old guy died.The grandson kept it in good running condition for the 5 yeard it sat in his shop. He changed the oil once per year,took out 5 gal of gas every year and replaced it with new gas, kept the car running and the battery up,replaced the fuel pump ans starter ,and moved the car around the lot from time to time. The brakes feel good. I'm going to replace the fluid and look at the lines. Even the tires are good so this should be an easy fix up. Here is a photo of the poor little Valiant
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