Didn't want to swindle the other thread about the dyno run any more ...

Just how much more unreliable are v8's? I've heard that the 318 is a solid runner and may be as reliable as the /6. I know that there are slant sixes into the 200k mile mark and beyond, but to be honest with my limited exposure to them, I don't think I have ever seen a v8 in the jy with less then 100 or 150k.

I once worked for a guy who bought out another contractor's business, including the van. It had a 318 and when he got it the odometer had been rolled twice. We rolled it another time only to find out that the van had been a work van since 1981, through several contractors, so who knows how many times it actually rolled. The previous 2 owners did say they didn't replace the engine, so there was at least 200 -300k miles on this particular engine. I never checked the numbers, but it didn't look like it had been out or replaced. It did smoke when we got rid of it, but hey it still ran. Like any other engine, take care of it and it will go a very long time.

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Slant Six... out of the ordinary - just like me!

In my experiences with my 340 duster - the engine held up just fine. But
something around it gave up whenever I was goofing around.
I lost 2 and 3 in the tranny once (driving home in first is fun).
I sheared the center out of a water pump pulley another time.
The battery cable welded itself to the exhaust heat shield destroying
wiring and battery. And the header gaskets would only last about a
month. But the engine itself was never the problem - it just over heated
and over stressed everything else.

This is off-topic, but I have had experience with the old Dodge 880 Army pickup vs. the Army Chevy CUCV Diesel over the years. The Dodge products never really broke down, they just rusted out. I don't know what Chrysler used for sheet metal in the 1970's, but I am guessing that it was old beer cans. Additionally, the 880's were really hard to start in cold weather, and the electrical system, further modified for blackout drive, was really goofy.

The Chevy CUCVs that replaced them had any number of really bad engine problems, and generally had the engines replaced several times during the lifetime of the vehicle. I have had really bad experiences with the glow plugs failing, and expanding in the heads, so that you had to remove the whole head to replace them. To Chevy's credit, the bodies didn't rust too badly.

Strangely enough, the Dodge 880's handled much better in the snow, and rarely got stuck. The same could not be said of the CUCV.

Well, not a Mopar but I can certainly attest to the durability of the 302 Ford. I purchased a 90 LX 5.0 a few years back from the original owner with 185k on the clock and put another 25k on in just over a year. I know for a fact it was the original engine, and it ran as good as new. As a matter of fact, I ran it at Las Vegas and corrected for altitude it ran nearly the same numbers and exactly the same trap speed as Car and Driver did in '91.

One of the guys at work has a 96 Ram w/ a 360. He has had it since new, only takes it to the dealer (ack!), and is now on his third engine at 105k miles...scary.

Hey Nosser ive got a backup slant engine that has 89 thousand road miles and i put 6000 miles of pure drag racing on the engine. This is my backup engine setting in Gary Bruners Garage read to go in if my racing engine needs to come out. It is still a great engine. Ps the bottem end has never been touched. Trash 6000 miles of drag racing on that 302 and talk to me. Thanks Bagels Southern Friend.








if it aint slanted it aint family

318's have been known to go as long as the /6, but with 2 things different...better MPG (yes it is true) and more torque. 340's generally don't last as long due to their performance nature....nothing against the 340, its a GREAT engine, just that it is subjected to more abuse by nature. The 360 in my experience is a good motor also, but is not as long lived as the 318, however I have seen them go 200k and more. One would thing it would be more durable with the larger main bearing size than the 318, but then again most of them are installed in trucks where severe abuse occurs a lot. If only Ma Mopar kept the big block around for the trucks.....anyway, I have seen 318's go up to 275k without major work done to them. Maybe a timing chain replacement, but thats about it. Great motor, like all the real Mopar engines. (the Mitsu engines in the FWD's are the worst I have ever experienced, and a lot of the new mopar OHC V6 and V8's have reliability issues. The new HEMI though, very reliable....so far.......)

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"That thing gotta HEMI in it??"

So Ron, you have 24,000 runs on that motor? Damn, that's impressive. BTW, I sold the 'Stang to buy my Duster, so am I allowed to talk to you now?

I have an extimated 300,000 plus miles on the 360 in my '72 Dodge 1/2 ton. I just replaced the OEM timing chain a couple of years ago, the engine block has never been apart. Block Seal works great to fix rusted out OEM steal head gaskets. My truck has not been treated nicely during its life time!

OK Nosser you are part of the slanted family. We get to race here in Ga. all year long so there is no down time. Plus we raced in two classes when we went to a mopar event Slant Six Plus nobox or footbrake and did the test and tune thing. The engine is legendary it run the number to the day i pulled it out. I don't know where im going on that engine but something not as radical as the Bruner engine that is in the car now. Thanks Ron Possum Parker