1986 Ram with slant six

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robreynolds

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Ram Year
1986
Engine
slant 6
engine swap to 86 Ram

I recently bought a 1986 slant six Ram truck with the 4 speed granny gear transmission. The engine starts easily and runs well, but of course it doesn't have a heck of a lot of power. It does well enough empty, but when pulling a trailer or with a load in the back it doesn't like hills. It can go fast, it can pull a load, or it can go up a hill, but not all three at once. One of the biggest issues is the large gap between third and fourth gear. Third is too low and fourth is too high. So when I'm carrying something up a hill I have to downshift, and then I end up at 45 mph or lower. When I bought it I installed new plugs, wires, cap and rotor, and it has an NOS rebuilt carburetor, so it runs well. I like the truck itself, but I'm not thrilled with performance.

I could swap out the engine for a 318, to get more work done in 4th gear.

I could swap out the transmission. Any engine would do better without that big gap between third and fourth.

I could swap the whole combo out for a Magnum engine, preferably with a manual transmission attached.

I could just sell the truck and get something else. I bought it at a good price, so I'm not afraid to sell it.

All options are equally valid. I'm not averse to doing major projects on cars. I have done them before and I understand that sometimes you need specific information, but other than that it isn't any big deal. I just haven't worked on Dodge trucks much because the one I had for ten years (98 Ram 1500 5.2L) was very dependable. All I ever did to it was a radiator replacement and regular tune-ups.

What would be the pros and cons of various options on my current truck?
 

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crazzywolfie

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could also take the head off and shave some weight off and bump the compression ratio. could also put a bit bigger carb on it. i am pretty sure almost all the truck /6's came with 1 cylinder carbs which is likely the biggest restricter. if you put a 2bbl on it it would likely wake it up a bit kind of like sticking a 4bbl on a v8 wakes it up compared to the stock 2bbls.
this is also a good read
Chrysler Slant Six Cylinder Engine - Hot Rod Network

if you do swap to a v8 just go straight for the magnum v8's. they are a bit better base to build on. plus if you are good with wiring you could always keep the fuel injection.

i know you didn't mention this option but if you want you could always stick a bit newer hemi in there with fuel injection. i don't know if it will bolt to that trans but you have lots of options.
 
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robreynolds

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slant 6
Thanks for the input. You're right about the carburetor. It looks like the one on my lawn mower.

My first choice is to find a hot deal on a wrecked truck with a 5.2L fuel injected engine and a 5 speed manual transmission, and swap in the power train, computer, and sensors. How common is it to find a 5 speed? It seems like most of the 90s era Dodge trucks I see for sale have automatics. My 98 was automatic, and the transmission is the reason I sold it.
 

crazzywolfie

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well the smaller the engine the less carb is needed.

the manual trucks are pretty uncommon. i know the newer trucks are not much better but you could always go for a hemi with a new transmission. i have a feeling you would likely end up spending about the same whether you get a wrecked 2nd or 3rd gen.
 
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robreynolds

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I guess the first thing to do is ask the local grease monkeys around here if they have any old trucks. I may get lucky and find a V8 that has a blown head gasket or something, which would mean the transmission is more likely to be in good shape. I'm out in the country, so there aren't many mechanics but there are lots of old vehicles sitting around.
 

crazzywolfie

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well personally i wouldn't look at anything that didn't have overdrive unless it was dirt cheap. the overdrive make a huge difference to fuel mileage especially if you do any amount of highway driving.
 
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robreynolds

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That's a good point. Mostly I use a pickup truck for towing a trailer if I need to take my big mower or my tractor somewhere. Or I'll drive about 50 miles to the city if I have something going on there that needs a truck. We also have a mini van and an old Honda Civic for going places more economically, so the truck is used only when needed. But even with light use it's shocking to see how fast that slant six sucks down a tank of gas.

Thanks for the tip. I'll definitely keep that in mind.
 

crazzywolfie

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it make a pretty big difference. my 81 gets about 10-14mpg without overdrive and my 93 gets about 14-18mpg with overdrive doing approximately the same driving every day. it make a pretty big difference just since it will keep the engine at a lower rpm especially if you are going 55+mph
 
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robreynolds

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Yeah, that's about the same mileage my 98 got. It was around 14 when it needed a tune up, and up to 17 or 18 on the highway with new plugs and cap and rotor. 3 mpg doesn't seem like a big difference until you consider that it's a 20% increase.
 

crazzywolfie

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it adds up quick when you do a lot of highway driving. i think i saved more than $1000/year the first year i had my 93 with my 50mile/day commute which was almost all highway. my 81 got pretty decent mileage doing it but the 93 blew it out of the water without trying. if i tried i got really good mileage. i think most of the better mileage mainly just comes from that extra gear in the transmission.
 
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robreynolds

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I found a local guy with a 2001 truck with a 318. He says the body took a lot of abuse as a farm truck, then the transmission died, but the engine runs great. He wants 600 bucks for the engine and all of the necessary wiring and accessories.

I'm thinking about using his engine and the existing 4 speed granny gear transmission. Is it possible to use the 1986 bell housing, or is that totally different for the slant six? I know I'll have to get a crank position sensor in the bell housing one way or the other. Just wondering if Dodge used a bunch of different bell housings or if they had one that matched multiple engines.
 

crazzywolfie

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slant 6 had its very own bell housing. you will have to get a different bell housing to make it work. you are best to find a complete and working engine/transmission combo. parts to keep the standard and hook it to the v8's are usually not cheap. plus $600 for just and 318 engine out of a wore out farm truck seems pretty steep. for $600 you should be able to get a whole parts truck with a decent transmission
 
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robreynolds

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That's what I was thinking. I can do better on price, but I mentioned it because this is the first time I've inquired about it locally.

At any rate, that's a good tip about the bell housing. Thanks. I'd prefer a stick shift if I can get one. But if I can't find all the parts to get it together on an affordable budget I'd go for an automatic.
 

crazzywolfie

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it is all the things together that will ad up when it comes to keeping the standard. most people you want $1000+ for a complete standard transmission swap for a v8. ya you have a transmission but getting all the parts need to make it work with a v8 may cost you about $400+. for $400 you can probably just find a complete engine and transmission. it might cost a bit more if you get a complete truck but at least that way you have everything needed.
 
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robreynolds

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Yeah, I don't like being nickeled and dimed on projects. I found a guy on Craigslist who has a 2000 truck with all the body parts except the cab skeleton removed. He's asking 200 bucks. It has the engine and transmission, but I haven't asked him yet if they work.
 
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robreynolds

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I just found a guy with a 1997 318 and a 5 speed transmission. I can probably get it for 800 bucks which seems like a lot, but I'm thinking it will be worth it in the long run. Since the manual transmission doesn't have an expiration date like the automatic does, I'll probably end up driving it for the next 15 years.
 

crazzywolfie

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800 doesn't seem too bad for a complete running/driving truck. you could always part out what you don't need and scrap what is left which will still likely get you about $200+
 
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robreynolds

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Did Dodge use weaker front springs in the slant 6 trucks? I was wondering if I need to put stronger springs in for a V-8.

Also, what about the motor mounts? Since they offered that truck with a 318, will the new engine be able to fit without modification?
 

crazzywolfie

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i don't think they used lighter springs for the /6 since they were not really that much lighter than the v8's.

you will likely need 93 or older 360 mounts. 93 or older 318 mounts will work but you will need to use spacers to attached them to the ears on the engine. otherwise they new 318's are the exact same size as the old ones and should fit without modification.
 

jts359

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Around 1961 Dodge made a hi po slant six called the hyper pak , They were able to get a Dodge lancer to go over 145 mph with it , You need one !
 
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