One of the great things about having a bunch of rental houses is that people leave all kinds of stuff when they leave. Mostly trash and junk, sometimes cars.
When some tenants left a '71 Valiant in one of our yards, I perked right up, envisioning yet another slant in my backyard. It has a slant and automatic; a 4 door that was originally yellow, but had been sprayed primer gray.
I impressioned a key to the switch this morning, and the engine turned right over, but didn't fire, so I opened the breather and shot in some starting fluid. It fired up, smoking and shaking bad! I revved it up a few times, then it started "idling" on it's own, albeit shakily.
I got out to put the breather lid back on, and noticed something moving where nothing should be moving.. I was looking at the crankshaft through a big hole in the side of the block!


I've always heard the slant 6 was nearly indestructable. Now that I've seen one run with a fist-sized hole in the side of it, I believe it!

_________________
1975 Duster 225, same thing in a van.
Also a bunch of Neons.

This ran before I tore it down.

_________________
Joshua

You really gotta try some epoxy putty, and see how long it will keep going.

I think y'all are on the wrong forum. You want www.slantfive.org .

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

They are amazing engines that seem to be stronger than most but when they decide to come apart it's usually a spectacular event. I've had two with similar fist sized holes in them but I've yet to make it happen myself. (knock wood)

_________________

I have seen a few Slants toss a con rod and keep running...
Years ago, I had that happen to me in a 66 Dart and we drove the car another 400 miles to get it home!
DD

Maybe Doc remembers this......... I seem to recall a story of a guy getting hold of a slant at low/no cost, because it didn't run right. At teardown, he found one of the holes was completely empty.....no rod, no piston, no pushrods. The lifters were still in the holes to maintain oil pressure, and that journal on the crank was junk.
Maybe just one of those i-net rumors?

Roger

The story sounds fine except slant lifters are not pressure fed.

_________________
Joshua

I remember blowing a few slants.

20 years ago, my first Mopar, 69 Dart with a 170, 3 speed stick. I was street racing a 2.8 camaro, missed the shift to 3rd and wound up in first. Needless to say it started knocking right away from a spun bearing. I drove the car for 10 more days before the rod escaped, and still drove it home about 12 miles. When it first started knocking I thought it was a throw out bearing for about 2 days. I put a 225 super six in it after that and that car flew, of course I removed everything that didn't hold it togeather or make it run. (well maybe a few things that helped hold it together)

A few years after that I had a 72 Valiant 4 dr. 225, 904. First time I blew it up I overheated it to the point it quit running. I had been idling through some neighborhoods for about a half hour before hitting the highway. As soon as I hit the on ramp and got in the gas I heard the dreaded coffee can full of marbles. I had 3 miles to the next exit and no way to turn around, so I decided to go for it. I made it about a mile and a half before it just shut down. Upon tearing the head down, I found every exhaust valve burnt. I did a valve lap with an electric drill, put it back togeather and kept driving it. 9 months later, foot on the floor on the highway at like 85mph or so, number 6 rod let go but it kept running. I backed it down to 55 and made it about 8 more miles and got off the highway heading home, when number 5 rod let go. I did make it about 10 more miles home. When 5 let go I saw the parts flying in the rear view mirror. I got it to run one last time so my best friend could film it for a commercial he was producing for a local car lot, I wish I still had that tape.

The brown truck I had / have for sale has a slant of unknown year. I was brake torquing it up at a red light getting ready to run a chevy in line 6 truck when the flex plate broke. It still moved so I tried to make it home, I made it about 15 miles or so before it lost oil pressure. I made it 2 or 3 more miles before it quit. Nothing escaped the block on that one, but I did have to tow it home. I think the front pump in the 727 let go, because the slant started again (but really rough) once it was home but the trans would not pull.

Slants are the toughest engines I have ever blown

TopHat