i have a 72 dodge dart with a slant six and auto trans i plan on putting a 360 in it soon but right now hte slant is whats moving it around my yard. when i took hte header off theres a bolt that goes into the block and part of the cooling system that if u take it out itll drain the fluid down below that hole which it did so its a about 2/3rds but since im putting a new motor in soon i was wondering if i can just put water in the radiatior for now and it will be fine since its mostly gonna be coolant in there
If you need help with this little item, then you might want to reconsider if you can swap for a 360.
im not the one doing the swap and im just kinda gettin in to this whole sceen and im only 16 so if you could just give me a straight foward answer instead of being smart thatd be nice
As long as you keep the cooling system full, or as close to full as possible, you can safely move the car around with the slant 6 engine, but I would not try actually DRIVING it.
I’ve owned several slant 6 Darts, and I have to ask; “Why not just restore the existing engine?” A 360 will make this car nose-heavy, and it will handle like a pig, which is to say, not at all.
If all you care about is drag racing, or driving in a straight line, then, by all means, go ahead and install a 360. But, remember, gas prices are above $3.00 per gallon, and they are NOT going to come down. A 360 will drink gasoline as if it’s free.
A slant 6, on the other hand, will be reliable as the day is long, will give you decent gas mileage, and will not make the car ridiculously nose-heavy.
Think about it.
No, you will get corrosion in a hurry. You must have old-fashioned green coolant in there. Buy Zerex green, not some universal junk.
Does the car have any exhaust on it?
Filling it up with water will not hurt anything unless it gets below freezing before you do the swap.
Now a few questions about the swap:
- Do you have the 360?
- Do you have a V-8 Trans?
- Do you have the proper driveline?
- Do you have a V-8 radiator?
- What are you going to use for a sub frame?
- Do you have V-8 Torsion bars?
- What about a rear-end?
~Michael