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Could be a nice engine, although I have found downsizing and adding a turbo to mostly be of little real world practical benefit. Makes for nicer EPA ratings though.
I bought it new in 77 hoping for some fuel economy and was disappointed in that regard.
It was about smooth as cobblestones. Couldn't idle worth a damn when it was cold. Three different dealers never could get it to run right.
Got rid of it in 82 for a Honda Accord. Now, that was a good, reliable, smooth automobile with very decent fuel economy.
My cousin had one in his Dodge truck, late 70s to early 80s model. It was smooth and reliable. Had enough torque for his light towing needs (short livestock trailer).
Their claim to fame wasn’t speed and power. It was very smooth and reliable in its time.
And it was incredibly quiet, too. The running joke was about how many people (including myself) almost restarted the ignition, thinking that the engine was off.
The other running joke in New England was that the slant 6 Valiants and Darts (“Dartres” according to Click and Clack) kept going and going, long after the body was eaten by rust—I mean missing sheet metal—clear up to the window bottoms.
Their claim to fame wasn’t speed and power. It was very smooth and reliable in its time.
Only car I have ever owned that the oil pump failed, 1971 Dodge Dart slant six. Not to mention the axle differential housing that Dodge forgot to weld to the center housing.
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