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Towing with a Slant Six D150 truck
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Author:  tlrol [ Fri Feb 22, 2008 8:02 am ]
Post subject:  Towing with a Slant Six D150 truck
Hey Slant Fans,

Any idea what a practical limit is on towing with a 1982 Slant Six Dodge D150 truck. For what its worth the owners manual says 2000 pounds--that is specifically the limit for a Slant Six with an A 833 OD transmission (what I have). Given that the rear end is a 3.2 that seems reasonable enough, also the stock 1 bbl carburetor wouldn't help either.

But...what fun is there in following the manufacturers recommendation. So, given that this truck has power disc brakes and a shiny new Weber 2 bbl (It got Super Six'd) in it do you folks think I could perhaps tow up to 5000 pounds IF I swapped out the rear end for a 4.1 ratio? I believe that the A833 transmission is up to towing under the 5K mark but the 3.2 ratio is really hopeless for that. I did some digging on modern rigs and it seems that 6 cylinders come in at 4000 or so pounds of towing. It looks like torque multiplication is the key on the rear, I just want to make certain the A833 4 speed won't die doing it. Also, any other tips? Does shaving the head make that big of a difference on a Slant engine? I know the Weber woke it up, jetting was a pain (much Voodoo involved in getting it dialed in) so I imagine shaving the head would do wonders as well.

Anyway, this is a full sized D150, the Miser model with a Slant in it. I know the frame and brakes are good for 5000 with a V-8 under the hood (so says Dodge)--this is with an NP tranny though. I know the right answer for towing is to buy a monster diesel with a 16,000 tow capacity, but hey, this was Grandfathers one and only new truck so I thought I would give it some love and use it and the same time.

FYI, Slants are way tough--this thing sat under a pine tree on a farm for 15 years, never moved at all. I dug it out, cleaned out the pine trees that were growing in the back, put a new battery in it, poured gas down the carburetor and it cranked right up. I drove the thing 400 miles to my home afterwards--crazy but it did fine. Manual disc brakes--that was interesting...

Thanks all and happy Slanting
Author:  Rob Simmons [ Fri Feb 22, 2008 8:21 am ]
Post subject: 
Welcome to the Forum!

It sounds like a nice truck you have. We'd love to see some photos in the Slixer's Gallery section.

You'll surely get some responses on towing soon. Opinions will likely vary widely :lol:

I won't offer an opinion as I tend to go over the manufacturers recommendations on things... :D

Shaving/milling the head on a slant 6 really does do wonders as these engines came with very low compression originally. Sometimes in the very low 8._ :1 ratio. Milling is one of the most recommended upgrades for increase performance (after the super six and better exhaust :wink: )

Do some poking around in the various sections and you'll find TONS of good information! You may very likely even find a thread or two regarding towing capacities etc using the Search function.

Welcome aboard!
Author:  volaredon [ Fri Feb 22, 2008 8:31 am ]
Post subject: 
sounds like the truck I'd like to find! In answer to your question I had a 79 D 100 shortbed 3 on the tree manual steering and brakes an I remember towing 4500# with it no problem. Another buddy had an 87 D 150 slant 6, 904 that he bought new and towed his 66 Coronet big block car to Union Grove Wis (Great Lakes Raceway) several times a summer; when he first started out it was slow getting up to speed but the truck handled it fine. Ask CharrlieS; he's got a couple of 80s, /6 Dodge trucks and its been a while but I seem to remember a couple of towing stories with his trucks.
Author:  Joshie225 [ Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:57 am ]
Post subject: 
With 4.10s out back and attention to the brakes you should be able to tow 3000 lbs easily. I would use Redline MT-90 in the transmission. I know it's about $9 a quart and you need 4 quarts, but it really helps with the shifting and will last nearly forever provided the transmission doesn't leak.

In 1998 I loaded my '74 D100 Club Cab slightly over it's GVWR and then put a '71 Dart on a tow dolly behind it and drove from Mountain View, California to Portland, Oregon. My slant powered truck was equipped with a 727 and 3.55 gears. It was slow, but it did the job. If I had to do it over again I'd swap in power brakes and Raybestos Super Stop pads.
Author:  mopar_nocar [ Fri Feb 22, 2008 10:04 am ]
Post subject: 
You have my exact truck. (well mines a regular super six.) I tow my boat all the time. A 3.91 ratio rear will be going in this summer. Once I do that; this will be my only towing rig. Its got upteen jillion miles on it; once it starts to get weak I'll do some stuff to it and it'll tow like the V8 (sorta) that is in your owners manual. I had a set of 4.10s to put in; but they went into a race car instead. Oh well.

sb
Author:  sandy in BC [ Fri Feb 22, 2008 10:16 am ]
Post subject: 
I would tow no more than 5000lbs with a 1/2 ton. Its about brakes and suspension.

Its always fun to put a S10 brake shoe next to the 13x3.25 shoes from my Suburban......
Author:  tlrol [ Fri Feb 22, 2008 1:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Thanks...
Wow--talk about service, tons of answers in no time. Sounds like if I drop an Auburn rear end in it in the 3.9 to 4.1 range I should be good to go as far as towing goes. I was checking out Gear Vendors overdrive units, they look really nice (expensive though). I am not a fan of the howling noise you get from high numerical ratios at 65 mph. My Land Rover has 4.51 gears in it, it will climb a tree but at 65 mph I wear ear plugs! I will have to see if I need a Gearvendors O/D with a 4.1 in the rear end.

Thanks! FYI, this D150 has 37,000 original miles on it, a new truck almost. Aside from the paint, weather stripping, and anything that the mice ate it is like new... Runs great though. I will have to snap some pictures with some new paint on it. Amazing how 15 years sitting in a field didn't bother some things on it. Other things didn't fair so well--like brake lines being rusted tight with the wheel cylinders, etc.

Another FYI--all new stainless pre-bent brake lines cost $210 dollars (with shipping)... a good deal compared to fighting with rusted tinned steel lines...

Thanks for all the posts--this is a great place for info on the Slants. I did the Super Six and Lean Burn delete based on info from here. If anyone every does a Weber 32/36 swap I have good jetting info on those (always check the float first, factories DON'T follow their own specifications!).
Author:  Slant Cecil [ Fri Feb 22, 2008 2:22 pm ]
Post subject: 
I tow with my '84 D100, 225, 833OD, mileage is 140,000.
I made several changes to improve towing, 2.25" exh, 2bbl BBD, deleted the ESC with regular electronic set at 30* total. Each change only made very slight improvements.
Getting it rolling was a challenge, especially on an incline. Once I had it moving, was OK.
My last change was a 8.75" 3.91SG rear for the original 8.25" 3.21open. This made a HUGE difference. I sold and delivered a 4000lb Charger a few years back, I thought I'd lose the clutch before I got it moving with the 3.21 gear. Now with the 3.91s, it gets moving with no effort when towing an A body. My 5400lb JD tractor only needs a bit of persuading.
Here's the truck, my old Charger and the day I sold it.
Image
Image
Image
Author:  Rob Simmons [ Fri Feb 22, 2008 3:54 pm ]
Post subject: 
Hey Cecil,

I like the new tire/wheel combo. They really make a difference in the truck's looks.

I sure do miss having a pick 'em up truck! That will be one of my first purchases when I get back to the states.
Author:  Joshie225 [ Fri Feb 22, 2008 4:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Thanks...
Why the GV overdrive? Your truck already has overdrive. Do you want to split gears?

I ran Richmond 4.10 gears in an 8 3/4 and they were pretty darn quiet. Factory gears are usually quieter. With the A833OD freeway cruising was effortless. 4.10s with the .73 OD equates to a 2.99 overall high gear.
Quote:
I was checking out Gear Vendors overdrive units, they look really nice (expensive though). I am not a fan of the howling noise you get from high numerical ratios at 65 mph.
Author:  tlrol [ Fri Feb 22, 2008 7:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Gear vendor O/D
You hit it right on the head Joshie--I wouldn't mind gear splitting on that A833. First gear is short, second is a sloooowwww run, and third is the working gear...it is really a 3 speed with overdrive. If I could buy a Gearvendor rig for $100 bucks I would jump on it. Sadly, they cost around $2500; ouch I say. It would be nice to have a few more gears in it. In any case, I will try the 4.1 ratio for a long time before I consider the GearVendor O/D. It would be fun to have though, clutchless shifts and all that... If I knew I was going down the path of a tricked out overdrive from GearVendors I would use a 4.56 in the back end, talk about having your cake and eating it too. I would have the same final drive ratio I have now and stump pulling low. Plus having an "8 speed" would be cool. Anyway, you are correct, it shouldn't be a problem with the 4.1--mostly trying to figure a way to sneak in that O/D unit by spinning a tale for my wife!
Author:  volaredon [ Fri Feb 22, 2008 8:52 pm ]
Post subject: 
Like Cecil (sorry I thought it was Charlie... had my Florida guys mixed up there) my truck had 3.91s in it with the 833OD.
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