The Eco-Brick! aka my 80 Dodge van

[fud2468]

Definitely, keep this kind of info on the thread! I'm a slant 6 fan, plus--
I've been lurking here to see if anyone will try ecomods on a Ford Aerostar van. What works with other vans may apply to Aeros too.
Ray Mac

[don-vee]

Yep, that's what this thread is all about I suppose. If people didn't want to read about a Slant 6, they'd switch to another thread.
Anyway, one big reason I was thinking of going with the 2bbl is that I do a lot of hauling and some occasional towing. I was thinking if I found a 2bbl with small primaries, and I don't stomp on it a lot, I may get even better mileage than the 1bbl currently on there while I wasn't hauling stuff. I plan on the tuneup thing. I am a huge fan of Conrad caps and rotors. Excellent QC, nice heavy brass terminals, never went wrong with 'em. And I'll totally check on hem plugs you recommend.
The engine was replaced at some point, so I'm not quite sure of the internals. It sure sounds like solid lifters to me. The roller rockers were just a pie-in-the-sky idea. If I stumbled upon them at a swap meet, fine, but I'm not gonna go chasing them down.
The timing set is already on the list of things to do. The other stuff I'll have to check on.
The transmission is, indeed, a 727. If it's not a lockup, I intend on replacing it at some point with one. There's a boneyard near me with scores of trucks and vans, and their trannies go for $35 a pop. Not bad. So, when I find one, I'll freshen it up with a shift kit to reduce the wasted energy between shifts. also would be nice for hauling.

[ceej]

Sounds like a good plan!

A shift kit is a good idea. The tranny becomes much more positive, and lasts longer to boot. My accumulator spring is a steel dowl.

Sounds like you have excellent tune up parts in line, so you'll be good to go.

If you do have a mechanical top end, set the valves! It's important maintenance that doesn't get done properly, or with enough frequency on most vehicles.

Popular 2 bbl carbs besides the BBD are the Weber 38 DGES, Weber 32/36 DGEV and Holley 2300 350cfm. The most commonly used is the Holley due to price.

See if you can find the stamping on the block that I.D.'s the engine. It's on the top of the deck, just below spark plug #1. Probably a challenge to see in a van.

The good thing about the 727 is it's tough as nails so you aren't going to break it behind a slant. It can be done, but requires severe abuse and neglect.

CJ

[ceej]

On the spark plugs: If you have the "Peanut plug" head, the plugs that I suggested are a Platinum type to get the extended electrode. The standard NGK is not extended.

When you install them, you can run the gap wider than spec due to the small electrode, as long as your ignition is in good shape. The reason for this is that it takes less voltage for the spark kernel to propogate with the smaller electrode. Where a weak ignition is in use, platinum plugs will improve driveablility at the OEM recommended gap. This is generally not as much of an issue with newer ignition systems, but can play a roll with older electronic types.
There is no reported benifit to running the gap wider than .045" in our case with the slant six. Retime the engine to make sure your base is at the recommended starting point whenever you experiment with changes in gap. Introducing changes in timing can create apparent changes in mixture calbration. These changes are normally quite small, but it's a good thing to keep in mind.

If you choose to index the plugs, there are two trains of thought on this. One is to allign the ground strap so that the open part of the plug is away from the quench area, facing the center of the combustion chamber.

The other is to have the open part of the gap facing the exhaust valve. This causes the flame front to burn the charge in the vicinity of the exhaust valve first. As the exhaust valve is the hottest area in the combustion chamber, this will minimize detonation in the chamber.

The chamber of a slant six is pretty open, and the plug is inserted into the chamber at an angle to the bowl, so the first consideration doesn't really apply. Most of the racers only index plugs to improve piston clearance in highly modified engines. I've not heard any report of performance improvements from indexing.
Where lean calibration is used, minimizing detonation is a consideration though.

In other combustion chamber configurations, some benefit to indexing away from quench zones and toward the exhaust valve could be useful. One of the first orders of business when doing head work is to round any sharp edges. Those sharp edges can become hot spots in the engine, leading to detonation. Accumulation of carbon in the combustion chamber can lead to hot spots and detonation as well.


Another 2¢
CJ

[don-vee]

Been a while, time to revisit this thread...
So, the van is no more. I did a bunch of work to the engine, and it never ran right, only to find out two of the cylinder walls were scored. I was not about to pull the engine out for a rebuild. Did that before, not wanting to do it again. Plus, the thing leaked every time it rained, it was starting to rust under the rockers and such, the heater didn't work, the wipers only worked when they wanted to, etc. I guess that's what I get for 200 bucks!
On a lighter note, the boneyard gave me $488 for it, and I got to pull some parts off it!
So, now the gears switch to a new van. I've been looking around, and found two that are in contention for my new ride:

Van #1 - 1986 Dodge, short WB, Slant 6, 117k miles, runs good, a little ugly but nothing paint won't fix, $750
Van #2 - 1985 Dodge, short WB, 318, 121k miles, runs good, better looking than the other one, but I still wanna paint it because it's tan, $950

So, mileage-wise, common thought would assume the Slant 6 would be better on gas. However, I have heard many comments to the contrary. A lot of folks say, all else being equal, the 318 may do better on the mileage than the ol' leaning tower of power, especially when loaded or while towing.
Given that I will be doing essentially the same mods on the V8 as I would do on the Slant 6, do any of you have any firsthand knowledge of the MPG differences between the two? Which would you lean towards?

[drainoil]

Bringing this back. I'm looking at a late 70s 318 van. I'd be interested to see if you settled on that 318 and what you did to it.