Hi, this is my first time active in this community, and I must say I am so impressed of the incredible amount of useful info one can get from here. I am not a mechanic, don't have any technical training whatsoever and have less than basic knowledge on the subject, but I'm a fast learner and have a project in mind that needs desperate help from real pro's that share the love for the A bodies and the gorgeous Slant Six. I will post my requests for advise in repairing an original 225 and the transformation of another one. Thanks and congratulations for such a great site.

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My other car is... another DUSTER!!! .·.

Welcome to the site! There will be lots of folks to help you if you read up and ask questions carefully and in detail. Sounds like a fun project.

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

Thank you Lou for the welcome. As I explained, I know almost nothing about mechanics and have a project so dear that I want to do it myself, so I think I am in deep trouble. As a summary I would like to overbore, stroke, EFI and supercharge a basic Slant Six. Also, in another car I have, I want to repair the basic engine myself, with no modifications. So I need advise to recognize and correct the problems that came up, it will be great as a practice prior to starting my performance project... please help.

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My other car is... another DUSTER!!! .·.

Welcome aboard amigo post your questions and it can be answered here
Thanks Ron Parker











Hell Hath No Wrath Than A Possum Scorned

Best to start with the unmodified engine first, then go for the tricky stuff when you are more comfortable. If possible, try to make some friends in your area who work on cars (anything), and offer to help them with projects for free. Often, hooking up with people with similar cars helps get things rolling. If there are car shows or race tracks, those are great places to look for compadres.

The best learning you will do is with your hands, although reading some books on engine rebuilding/operation would help a lot too. Try basic books like "How things work" first, then get a repair manual for your car(s) and read those.

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

Read:

www.sdsefi.com (go to technical articles and www.msefi.com (go to megamanual). Between these twe sites you'll know almost everything about EFI, a lot about turbocharging, and some about boring an engine(and it'll take you days to read through all of it. Don't ask me how good the megasquirt is, right now I'm building one but broke one component and fried the CPU in installation, so I'm currently waiting for parts

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My car may be slow to sixty, but at least it's been reliably slow to sixty for more than thirty years.

in the end it all comes down to three things. ability, time and money.

the less ability you have, the more $$ you spend
the less time you have , the more $$ you spend
the less $$ you have the more ability you gain

Thank you guys. I agree with Mike, due to my inexperience it will be an expensive project, but it's been very helpful in my learning stage to visit sites like howstuffworks, etc., and of course this one. Also I bought the Haynes Repair Manual for RWD 71-89 Mopars, it really helps. I will follow Lou's advice for starting off with the unmodified one. I think it is not far from the need of a complete overhaul, but before spending too much $$$ on that I would like to fix it as is to get the most of it and aquire more experience in basic stuff. So, my first question for a strange thing that happens is that every time I stop the engine, there is some kind of graysh smoke coming out of the air filter housing... I checked and it cames from the crankcase inlet filter through the hose; it keeps coming out slowly for over an hour after the engine is turned off. Sometimes when I start the engine and suddenly stops by itself with some sort of explotion just after cranking, the engine bay gets filled (and no kidding, FILLED) with a very dense smoke coming out the same place... could it be a valve problem?

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My other car is... another DUSTER!!! .·.

I guess I should hurry, as you will be stuck in the garage the rest of the year.
Good luck with your project, and ask whatever here, and I am sure everyone will help as much as they can.

One of the main things to consider is to not get in a hurry. It will cost you either in lost time having to re-do something or in dollars by having to replace something done incorrectly. Or as Mike indicated (and I found out this week) getting in a hurry and not making the time to do something yourself will also cost you.

We want to install my son's engine and tranny this weekend, but I didn't have time this week to do some things to get his manifolds ready. Yesterday, I picked them up from the machine shop I took them to and got stuck with a hefty bill. They were things I could have done myself, but didn't have the time.

You're doing the right thing by getting a good repair manual, like the Haynes. We have worked our way through a complete engine rebuild, front suspension rebuild, and disk brake swap by using our Haynes.

Ask lots of questions and you'll most likely get some good info to help you with your project.

Jerry

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There's a difference between ignorance and stupidity.
Ignorance is not knowing any better.
Stupidity is knowing, yet doing it anyway.

Just dont take too much time either, I have been dreaming of "stuff" for years, but I dont have too many of them done in metal form.

I would suggest getting an other slant(cheap) and rebuild it, for the experience.
And some hop-ups on that one before going all-out on such a project.
Some of the upgrades you do to it, can be swapped onto your project later.

Yes, the Haynes Manual is a great help. I have two 74 Valiant Dusters (Mexican version of the US Dart Sport with some differences), I am planning to repair one as is, with no modification... I think that will be great as a practice. The other one is my great performance dream. I will start with the basic engine, but for me it is a great task due to my lack of technical knowledge... although there are some issues that are not covered in the Haynes Manual, like the situation I explained in my last post regarding the smoke coming out of the air filter housing; also, it's been a couple of days in which the car just doesn't start cold... I asked a guy in my workplace who is a good mechanic (though he is never available), and suggested me to start it by connecting a simple cable from the (+) of the battery to the (+) of the ignition coil, and disconnect it after the engine starts. I did, and the engine started instantly... why was this?, what is the problem?... and is it dangerous for any component of the engine to start it that way?. Please anyone help with the smoke situation and the direct "jump start" of the coil. Thanks.

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My other car is... another DUSTER!!! .·.

The smoke coming up from the valve cover is blow-by from worn piston rings inside the engine. You need to check the PCV valve because that is designed to collect the blow by and reburn it.

The use of a "hot wire" to get the car to start quickly tells me that you are not getting a full 12 volts to the coil during engine starting. You will have to test this idea with a voltage meter and check the wiring to see if there are any loose, dirty or corroded connections in the "start" circuit.
DD

Thank you Doctor, I will check on that. Can anyone help with information on ignition timing... I just "learned" how to adjust it, but the Vehicle Emission Control Information label is missing and I have no idea of the number of deegres that correspond to my Slant. My town has an altitude of around 1,765 feet (538 m.) above sea level. The fuel consumption is excessive and the car doesn't respond well, so I also would like to adjust the idle speed and the idle mixture. I made an adjustment that assumed was right, but now the engine hesitates and stalls when idle. I am not sure on the carb model, it is either a Holley 1945 or 6145; it does not have any solenoid at all. Thanks.

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My other car is... another DUSTER!!! .·.

You should also check your spark plug cables, and if new are installed, avoid cross-firing by separating them... good luck, I'm sure you will get the help you need in here