Lately even slant six dusters aren't quite so cheap anymore!Anyhow,getting to having power AND economy from a SL6 duster(or dart,valiant-or aspen/volare) First make sure the engine,trans & rearend aren't wore out as worn out powertrains kill econ & power.A 225 will make most streetable power while getting good economy.If you luck out & find a 198 SL6 ('70-'74)hold on to it for the long rods, the 198 & 225 have the same block and the 225 crank(forged), 198 rods & 2.2 Turbo(4cyl Chrysler) pistons are getting VERY popular. The Clifford or Offenhouser 4-bbl intakes with the 390 Holley carb(#8007) will give good power,and get good economy too( if you stay out of the secondaries!) If you take the cyl head off for service,have it milled .030(minimum)to .060 for better compression,check out engnbldr.com for GREAT deal on bigger stainless 1-piece valves(1.70/1.44 vs stock 1.63/1.36) make sure the bowls are blended to the seats if bigger valves are installed.Even stock valved ports respond well to bowl-blending as the factory cast & seat cuts leave flow-robbing ridges right below the seats(unless a previous owner already fixed that) For exhaust,the "Dutra Dual" makes for the best combo of power,economy,hassle-free installation&trouble-free and quieter operation.If you just gotta have headers check out the Clifford "Street-Rod" headers.The Hooker Super Comp headers(full length,$400bucks !) might make maximum power AND gasmileage,but at the cost of them,the noise ,poor ground clearance,and hassle of installation(and heat-soaking the starter,thereby having to remove and re-install 'em 'cause the starter won't come out otherwise) not worth it for a college-guy's daily driver.Camshaft-don't go over 260/220 @ .050 duration(up to .500 lift ok,any more is a waste and exponentially increases cost/reduces long-term durability) Distributor( lotta gains to be found w/ proper tuning)electronic mandatory-points SUCK!Check out the Engine threads for info on timing curves and optimum parts (part #s)
If you luck out & find a 4-spd car,or even a 3-spd stick,consider swapping in the OD/4spd inplace of the original trans.Although the 1 to 2 shift is kinda steep the SL6 has such a wide torque curve the RPM drop is no big prob- but the 4th/OD is the deal,you can run a 3.55 or 3.91 rear gear for good accelleration and still get good gas econ.If all youcan find is auto-trans cars, a slightly higher stall convertor(200 higher RPM) rv/tow shift kit,large auxillary trans cooler and (trust me,it works great)quality type-F trans fluid will launch,accelerate,shift & cruise WAY better than a bone-stock automatic and still get 2 to 4 more mpg than stock. Warren@PDX.com p.s. don't stop at my advice,keep reading -lotta good tech & parts source info to be learned @ SL6.org!
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lol than i would in a street machine ive seen slant dusters go cheap and its got me thinkin so mainly lookin to learn as much about slants as i can get in my head so i can make sure i get a good car that will last thru college without any problems mainly i wory about a lack of power and how much i can build it till i cant afford to drive it i would appreciate anything yall got to say