|
This is a fun build. I used to drive slant 6'es, and had a few Valiants and Darts. Most of my cars were purchased for $500 or less. I will admit that I treated them as disposable vehicles, and drove them till the rust ate them up, and didn't really look at them as a restoration project. I remember getting mpg in the low 20's, this was back in the 80's and 90's.
The timing chain replacement really livens up the motor. You can tell if you need a timing chain by looking at the timing mark with a timing light. Hit the accelerator and check how far the timing mark bounces back and forth. After the motor slows down to an idle you can still see it bouncing if it is old and stretched out. Actually you don't even need to do this. If you have an old timing chain, you need a new one. It turned my tired old motor into a, well, not a powerhouse, but a responsive economy motor.
Checking and adjusting valve clearance is an easy job that should take less than an hour or two. If you have some clicking, you should be able to fix the noise and improve how the motor runs with a simple adjustment.
The other big thing on the 225 is to keep your PCV valve clean and/or replaced. They tend to gum up.
I always liked working on the slant 6 and greatly prefer straight (or in this case slant) 6'es to any other motor type. My favorite 6 was a Chevy straight 6 in a 1964 Studebaker with 3 on the tree. Simple, reliable machines with plenty of room to work on them.
|