Advice with '73 Valiant

If you can smell exhaust in the car cabin the car is not safe to drive.

If it isnt a secondary ignition misfire I would bet that the accelerator pump diaphram in the carb is shot and a thorough overhaul is needed.

That was a common problem back then on that slant 6. either the gaskets blew out or the manifold would crack

Yup

Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech

A neighbor of mine has a 440 in a similar sized car...a Dart.

I recall clearly, l>

Sounds like the accelerator pump is bad; also check the choke pull-off and, hell, the whole choke mechanism for that matter.

Doubt it, although whatever exhaust issue you're having ought to be addressed as well. While you're at it give it a full tuneup with new plugs, wires, cap, rotor, points, condenser, etc. might as well change the fuel and air filters as well. Make sure you set the valve clearances also; the 225 uses solid lifters so part of every tuneup ought to be a valve adjustment. Don't worry, it's easy. All you need are some basic hand tools and a valve cover gasket.

Undoubtedly. I would either rebuild the carb myself, or if you're less than handy, ISTR buying a reman Carter for a '69 Valiant for under $100 when the stock Holley started disintegrating inside. That was a few years ago, but still, fairly cheap.

If it's been sitting a while you may also want to check the brakes; new wheel cylinders, hoses, and master cylinder may be in order even if the shoes are still good. Good news is the parts are dirt cheap. (MC for the '69 was under $20) If you have front discs I actually have some caliper seal kits you can have for shipping + beer money that I was given basically because the guy that had them couldn't bear to throw out perfectly good parts.

Finally, any car that's been sitting a while ought to have ALL the fluids changed, that means oil, tranny, rear end, coolant, the works. Repack the wheel bearings as well just on principle, and replace the wheel seals. Don't be surprised if some rotational accessories crap out on you soon, like the water pump and alternator. Don't get worried, all that stuff is easy to replace and dirt cheap as well. (see a theme here? I really love the old slant six...)

If you wanted to do that you could, but you'd have to swap the K-member and probably would want to get brakes from a V-8 parts car. Also you would want the tranny, driveshaft, and rear end from said V-8 parts car as well.

Shouldn't be too difficult, those darn things run forever.

nate

SNIP

This is not an easy undertaking, even for one with skills. Dropping a v8 into a Valiant originally equipped with a six will require replacement of just about every mechanical part; k-member, suspension, brakes, transmission, differential, etc. There are almost no common parts between a v8 and slant six drivetrain and suspension. Even where you can bolt in the engine without the other parts, the additional power will start breaking parts, and the extra weight will cause handling and stopping problems. You'll end up hurting yourself or, worse, innocent people who happened to be near you when puny parts succumb to beefy engine..

To dream is fine, but change the dream to "drive this one until I can find a good v8 project car".

Happy trails,

. Grab a (free) username and start asking questions.

Choke, choke pull-off, heat riser, OSAC valve, EGR control system, carburetor. Ask (and search old threads) at slantsix.org .

It's fairly easy and inexpensive to wake up the slant-6; it doesn't *have* to be gutless.

Most likely needs a new accellerator pump rubber - was a common problem and some were even subject to a recall, IIRC

Most common problem that would cause this is a broken exhaust manifold. Very common, particularly if they were torqued on too tight.

You would need a different crossmember - and the Venerable Slant Six wasn't called the "leaning tower of power" for nothing. They respond VERY well to tuning, and many performance parts are/were available.

I used to have a 170 incher that pulled 206 RWHP at 6500RPM on the dyno through an automatic. Didn't idle worth squat, liked its gas, and ate spark blugs for lunch, but it was a lot of fun while it lasted.

Here you're exaggerating somewhat. The K-member does have to change. The "suspension" does not (though larger-diameter torsion bars improve the handling regardless of engine). The brakes *should* be upgraded if they're the base 9" drums; but they needn't be if they're the 10" drums or the discs from the factory. The transmission must change simply because of a different bellhousing pattern between 6- and 8-cylinder engines. The differential used behind 6- and 8-cylinder engines in 1973 Valiants are identical: A 7-1/4" unit as the standard-duty item; an 8-1/4" unit as the heavy-duty option (and it was OPTIONAL regardless of how many cylinders one had).

Here you're exaggerating a LOT.

Drivetrain:

-Same rear axle

-Same driveshaft

Suspension:

-Identical except larger-diameter torsion bars were factory-installed with V8 engines

Here you're just makin' shit up. Lots and lots of V8-equipped Valiants, Darts, Dusters, Demons and pre-1970 Barracudas were sold. Some of them with very hairy V8s. They don't fall apart or have the "problems" you mention.

Now you're doing a fine imitation of an ignorant kindergarten teacher.

The first half of this advice is sound and wise. The second half is shitty. Every dollar spent on "remanufactured" parts would much more effectively be set on fire. You're still out however many dollars, but you don't have the hassle and frustration of trying to make this trash work.

There is a *WORLD* of difference between rebuilt/refurbished parts and the "reman" junk you get from the parts stores. It's true of starters and alternators. It's true of brake cylinders and whole engines. Probably nowhere is it more true than of carburetors.

Agreed.

If he has disc brakes on his '73, they're not the same as the '65-'72 system you might've had on your '69.

Yep.

I didn't have a choice; the metering block on the Holley was disintegrating, and I am prejudiced against Holleys to begin with so the thought of being able to get a Carter on there was fairly appealing. Actually it worked out fairly well; I bent a new section of hard line, set the idle, and it was all good from there. I was a bit surprised myself... now this was through a parts store chain that only exists in the northern Virginia area so I can't say that you'd have as good luck anywhere else.

They are for the later style calipers. Weren't for any of my cars, were for a coworker's father's car.

nate

Wow, that sucks, about the rear end I mean. I had no idea that the

8-1/4" was optional. I'd probably want to upgrade anyway; I mean, what's the point of going to a V-8 if you're going to go to a *mild* V-8?

Well... I would ASSume that the car probably has a 225/904. If I wanted to stay with an auto, I'd want to upgrade to a 727 or later overdrive trans, necessitating some driveshaft mods. Or, preferably, a

4-speed... wasn't there an A833 variant that had a fourth gear overdrive? And finally, if the rear end gets swapped out, likely the rear u-joint will be in a slightly different location (although I cannot give you a 100% on this, most of my experience with six-to-eight swaps is with Studebakers - there at least my statement is true, a Dana 27 requires different spring plates, U-bolts, and driveshaft than a Dana 44.) No big deal overall though, just bolt 'er up, measure, have custom driveshaft made. 4x4 guys do this all the time.

In any case... for someone with "no skills" I would definitely second the advice to just get the 225 running well before thinking about engine swaps. But I have ALWAYS wanted to get an old A-body - maybe a '65-66 Dart or Barracuda? - and put a monster LA motor and manual transmission in it, just because I think it would be cool.

nate

/misses the old A-bodies //misses good junkyards even more

It could be ordered behind any engine, and it was part of several option packages (e.g. taxi, towing, 340).

How come? LOTS of V8s came with 904s, even in trucks. A 727 is not necessary until you're in _REALLY_ hairy V8 territory.

Does not fit under an A-body without extensive floorpan and crossmember mods.

Yes, starting in '75.

So you did the right thing (replace the POS Holley with a better Carter). No argument there. I'm picking on your advice regarding the *source* for that Carter, is all.

Except he hasn't called you a "Chrysler shrill" yet.... ;-)

If you switch to a v8, you have to switch transmissions ANYWAY, because the /6 bellhousing is different. So I guess you might as well switch to a 727. Personally, there's no smallblock out there that I wouldn't mind having a properly prepped 904 (or the later 998 and 999 versions) behind any smallblock short of a 360 stroked to >400 CID and running 10:1 compression. The 904 is basically just a very slightly scaled-down 727. With the right number of clutch plates/disks in the clutches, and the right choice of bands, its good for a LOT of power. I'd gladly run a crate 5.7 Hemi in front of one.

Myeah, that cow was a 4th-grade teacher. She and her ilk are why there are so many people running around so ignorant, yet so sure of themselves.

I guess I was just making the ASSumption that were one to swap a 225 for a V-8 that it would be a pretty built engine of at least the 340 or 360 variety, and not completely stock either. Generally if someone is building a grocery getter the 225 is more than sufficient :) Yes, I know what they say about ASSuming...

nate

Thanks to all for your repsonses! It's been both informative and entertaining.

Sounds like the consensus is that:

- the stumbling and stalling problem is likely related to the accelerator pump or perhaps a larger dirty/ready for rebuilt carb issue.

With that in mind, I'll start looking around for a Holley 1920 rebuild kit - although from checking around online they don't always have the required accelerator pump parts. Failing that, I may try to find a quality rebuilt Carter or Holley.

- The (likely) exhaust manifold problem is not rare and could require a new(used) manifold and/or gaskets.

- It's possible but a lot of work to drop even a mild V-8 into the Valiant. Back-burner all the way.

Many thanks to all of you. I wish I could say something to keep the thread going, because I'm learning a great deal from every response.

Cheers, Chris Hafner

Sinse you need both a carb and a manifold, look around for a complete intake and exhaust from a "super six" with the 2bbl carb.