I have just reacently been called closed minded on a different thread, but I think you'd probably be pretty surprised at the depth and bredth of my auto motive dealings, holdings and knowledge. I don't hate low riders, I live in a town with tons of them. Several friends have them, and even my '48 Chev could have been rightfully described as one. But I do hate that awfull rapping noise, and the feeling of those set up that way to constantly make those noises. My car ended up with a pair of Fenton cast headers, two into a three inch single and by comparison sounded great. My car also ended up with a five speed so it was a practical car to drive places in today's world, including the freeway. And yes, it was considerably faster with dual carbs and all too. Sorry, but I will never apologize for not understanding changes for the sake of changes, but if I hurt your feelings sorry.
Nobody is faulting you. A lot of families are in the same position these days. Some guys have had to downsize to a $2000 second hand Toyota. Others chose a $2000 six cylinder Plymouth or Chevy from the forties or fifties. We all have to look at our budgets when we make these decisions. It does seem kind of hard of you, in your position, to sneer at the guys who decided to make do with what they can afford because they aren't driving a $20,000 big block car.
Rusty Bad argument, if he couldn't afford to build or keep a built Chevy V-8 he certainly couldn't afford to build or keep a built inline 6 either. It has already been established that it costs more to build the 6 than it does to build the V8 as a general rule. I personally don't get the 6 cylinder affection but most of the time I couldn't give you a decent excuse or explanation for the reason I do things the way I do either. Hell I own a parts hauler now that straines to run 55 on the highway. Its got plenty of grunt but it is not geared to run 90 to nuthin'. I love the little hauler but I cannot give anyone a real reason why. I see a lot of everyone passes by small blocks to see my six. I have done a lot of car shows over the years and I am not seeing it. I don't show my cars or trucks as a rule because I dont build anything for myself that anyone would want to look at. Never the less the last time I parked the Pusher at the Ramada someone opened the hood. It kept a crowd around it the whole time the hood was up. There was a six cylinder truck right next to it that I personally think has way more in the cool factor, no one was gathering around it at all. The V8 in question really doesn't have much in the way of oh wow to look at it, I guess that none of the people that go to the car shows that everyone is talking about were there. The thread has become a pissing match, hell I just pissed all over it myself. The bottom line is that you like what you like.
All you guys that run basic V8's, that's fine with me! If we all ran sixes, I wouldn't be the different one, now would I?
I think I'll take a clarification break here. Everyone is posting their opinions on why they like them, I posted why I didn't like them. Nothing more......its all just opinions folks, everyone is entitled and I have appreciated everyones views. If people are seriously getting stressed we can just drop it. I thought we were just having fun and now its a pissing contest. Scot
I know I can afford to put gas in a 6 cylinder car easier than a built big block. Can also rebuild a six cheaper than a big block. I'm not saying I can build a FAST 6 that cheap, the discussion seems to have taken a turn towards economy. Reminds me of another guy I knew years ago. He suffered some financial reverses due to a divorce and losing his business. So he went from driving a Corvette to a 20 year old six cylinder sedan. Next weekend he brought the sedan over to my place where we shaved the door handles and sprayed it with black primer. A week later I saw it lowered, with spray bomb scallops and moon discs. Total cost of makeover, around $200 bucks. I thought at the time, "It's nice to know you don't have to take poverty seriously". ........................................... By the way since you sold the car in your avatar what are you driving these days?
Yea inline 6's just sound like crap!!, Ah nevermind. This one isn't mine, just one I really like. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLJboVy4lcc <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FLJboVy4lcc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
i got a little 195 CID inline six that makes over 600hp and 670 ft/tq to the ground and people think you need a V8 to go fast. feh! i love beating people up with "just a little ole' 6 cylinder man, nothin' special"
Those are HUGE numbers for under 200 Cubes, thats like 3 HP per C.I. You got my attention, I'm guessing big turbo or something on nitrous? Gotta be pretty exotic stuff. So tell us whatcha got and show some pics Scot
i mean its considered to be "euro-trash" by most people on boards like this, but yes. big turbo and E85 if others are interested ill spill some beans, but dont want to take away from the "hotrod" part of this.... i.e. american straight 6's not very exotic at all, relatively speaking. its just car parts, no rocket surgery
Being closer to 70 than 60 there is no right or wrong answer to this question for me. Big V-8, small V-8, flat head v-8, straight 6, four banger, OHV, flatty, they all do something different when you are behind the wheel on open road. To me that's rodding; something different. There is nothing like the sound and smell of a 327 or 350 beating down the road particularly in an open car. It's a thrill. A V-8 flatty is just as thrilling. I have driven my stock '17 Model T over 15,000 miles and she's still a thrill for what she does. Nothing can compare to the feel of any of these rides that I have had over the years. They are all unique. And the inline 6 is not without it's uniqueness. Cruising on a Sunday afternoon, behind a six that is ticking like a Swiss watch is priceless. And nothing ticks like a 6. Everyone should try it one time.
My first 48 Plymouth coupe I put a very stout 383/727 combo in and it ran like a scalded cat. That was about 30 years ago when going fast was all that mattered. With my latest 48 Plymouth coupe, I decided to go a completely different direction and stick with a flathead. It now has a 59 model 230, bored 30 with aluminum head, cast iron headers and dual intake with carter/webber carbs in front of a 53 model R10 overdrive transmission. Gets me where I want to go and draws attention that a small block never would. I think it sounds pretty good too. This is my old 218 before the new head but you get the idea. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxfKQ4KMM9s
Why not! Well, my 1954 Ford with a stock original 223 I-block six cruises at 55 on the back roads just fine. Besides, it's all about reliability. Plus the "buzzin' half dozen" is just plain Kool! Bottom line your car, do your way. Jim
Scot, I think that your initial post is a valid question. Is it because you had a discussion with someone and it may have, just kind of, peaked your interest in an inliner?? Just being silly here. Anyway, I bought my Plymouth and it had the original flat-6 in it and it ran so damn smooth and great that I had no interest in changing it. It pulled that car pretty damn good. So, my story is like this. During the hot months, I would drive it and when I would pop the hood I always noticed that the clear glass fuel filter bowl would always look as if the fuel was boiling which scared the hell out of me. Then I had the head gasket blow. So now I decided to remedy the fuel boil problem while I had the engine apart. I chose to build an intake that would locate the carbs over the head, that in my peanut brain, thought that if there is coolant running through the head it's got to be cooler than over the exhaust manifold. So I started with this; ..and came up with this; This not only cured my so called boiling problem but the performance gains were enough to make me realize that I needed a new clutch which, no matter how hard I drove the stock set up, could never slip the clutch under accelleration. Even if that was a 5hp gain it was a good feeling to think that I increased the performance on this old flat-6 enough for me to notice. Oh, it, coupled with an overdrive from a '54 Plymouth this thing gets anywhere from 26-28 mpgs and does it well. I think that this is what my dad was doing as a 16 year old. To me it's the right thing for this style of car; Would a small block be appropriate in here? I not so sure? Now with all of that said, I have 3 flat-6s on the road, Cadillac 500 in my daily, 401 Nailhead in a 60's style gasser thingy and I have a 283 going into a '58 Bel Air. So I'm not a 6 snob or an anti-sbc kind of guy, I'm just a guy that can appreciate things for what they are and the purpose they serve. Wether that means racing from light to light, hauling cars or just looking and sounding good I love them all and give them their just due. BTW...I have put over 37,000 on this sucker and have enjoyed every stinkin' mile. ....and I'm spent... BloodyKnuckles
"We didn't choose a Rambler engine for sentimental reasons" says Barney Navarro. "We chose it because we knew it was a rugged engine that would run hard for a long time." Barney Navarro built a 600+ HP straight six for an Indy car back in 1966 or 67. He started with... wait for it... a 199 cu in RAMBLER engine! There was a method to his madness. When he saw the then new Rambler engine he knew he was looking at an immensely strong engine. It seems when AMC started machining the blocks, they ran into a problem of chatter or vibration spoiling the machined surfaces. This was due to a resonance problem not a lack of strength. But it was quicker and cheaper to beef up the blocks than to tear up all their machine tools. The result was an engine that was way overbuilt with 7 mains and Armasteel crankshaft. For more info on the Navarro engine see here http://www.wps.com/AMC/Navarro-turbo-motor/ Notice that this particular engine was retired from racing after the oiling system ran dry. The only damage was mild scoring of the crankshaft. So far as I know none of the engines blew up. With today's technology it should be possible to duplicate this motor for the street.
Best answer I can give you: It's not only about power and speed on the HAMB. A whole lot about style, and tradition too. But if you just gotta have balls-out, pavement-pounding grunt... Check out this little truck. It's got it all.
who cares what makes it go as long as its fun,who cares about " dollars per horse power" what agout dollars per cool or dollars per diffrent.
To the OP, Lotek's got it exactly right. In case you didn't notice, everyone here likes old shit. I've got nothing against belly button SBC's - I've got one myself! But a tricked out straight six (or eight!) speaks cool volumes about you.
..and came up with this; I love the fabricated intake, looks a lot better. Good job I love straights sixes, they are simply, cheap, and easy as hell to work on My next inline is a buick eight sitting at my dads house. I don't even have a car to put it in I just want to hear it run
I suppose you could take the question to its logical conclusion and say that you should dump all inlines, flatties, SBs, BBs and stick a honking great 500 c.i. fuel burning engine out of John Force's funny car in your car. End of your problem. All you need to do now is find the 60-80 biggies to build the engine.
I see it something like this. It dosen't really matter what you do. But if my car originally had 40 or 50 horsepower, then shoe horning 100 or 120 is quite an improvement.
Didn't you answer your own question with yer first 4 words of this thread????? Nothing wrong with a 6.....especially ones made prior to the release of the SBC.... It's not how fast you go....it's how you go fast.........
For the record, the Trailblazer engine wasn't a five, it was an inline six, and a pretty sophisticated one too. 4.2 litre, four valves per cylinder, double overhead cam with variable exhaust cam timing. At its most powerful, it made 291 hp and 277 lb/ft. Gotta ask the op, have you ever driven or ridden in a vehicle powered by a stout six banger? What makes you believe they're all slugs? 300 Fords, 302 Jimmys and the later 292 GMC are all very torquey motors in stock form. Even mildly built, they drive like a healthy small block. As others have said, torque is what moves the car, what pushes you back in the seat. Horsepower is just a number, torque applied over time, lb/ft per revolution. Higher rpm= more torque applied in one minute. Regarding what looks/ sounds good, each to his/ her own. Haven't heard many motors I didn't like the sound of, some sound more unique than others.
I love the sound and they're tough. I have a 235 all dolled up with goodies I'm gonna put in a 32 Chevy roadster. I just have to find the roadster. And yes I know about the wood so don't tell me.
you missed the point,I was saying that not everyone is into going "fast" and some people like there cars to sound a certain way.I dont see what is pointless about that.Not everyone likes the same thing,if we all did we would all be screwing your wife.Sorry if I hurt your feelings........
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