robreynolds
Junior Member
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2017
- Posts
- 16
- Reaction score
- 0
- 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?
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?