Posted by RDavis from 205.188.197.161 (spider-wn031.proxy.aol.com) on Friday, April 12, 2002 at 9:54PM :
In Reply to: Re: Slant6 in a WM300 posted by John Eickhof from 216.190.108.54 (boise-eli54.northrim.net) on Friday, April 12, 2002 at 3:46PM :
His WM300 has a 251, and the M-37 and older PWs had the little 230. I have personally owned and operated 3 diff. Dodges, each having a diff. size flathead and I can assure anyone there is a very noticable diff. between them. My first WM300 had a rebuilt 265 flathead swapped in when the 251 was shot. My second WM300 has the original 251. The old cutdown work buggy M-43, has a 230 flathead. The 265 I will say had the best power and torque. The 251 is fine but tends to need a few more revs at startoff with a load. The poor little 230, in my opinion ,is a dog except in low gear. It does OK with revs and low gears under a load, but is more suited for a car.
To use the term flathead so loosely when comparing your little 230 flathead to the Slant-6, when he has a 251, does the engine an injustice. The 251 is a lot better and stronger engine than your M-37 had in it.
If it would fit, I'm sure the 413 flathead would easily smoke the 225 slant-6. Besides,
the 251 hp rating is net hp rating ,which means that after everything that causes power loss(waterpump/fan,alt., drivetrain friction,etc.) has been subtracted,you have whats left, the net hp.The later 251's had 125 net hp rating and a 265 might be more, what would the slant-6 net hp rating be if it were rated that way? It says 144hp in the books but that isn't net hp rating, most likely the gross.
To make a dicission on repowering without the benefit of having experienced how the original engine performed in order to have a comparision, would be like ordering food you'd never tasted, you might not like it once you tried it.
This is not an insult or argument just thinking of a newbees first impression by the info he gets and what opinions he hears.
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