1983 Dodge Ram 150 question

Hello all! I just aquired a '83 Ram 150 custom, slant 6, 4 spd manual
trans. After driving this truck I've decided the 1 bbl carb has to go. I
think if I put a 2 bbl carb/intake on it should make it a little more
"driveable." My questions are:

What intake/carb applications fit this engine? Can I use just about any
225c.i. slant six carb and intake? What else do I have to do after the
installation of the carb and intake?

The truck doesn't have A/C. The "Lean Burn" system has been bypassed, so
it has just standard electronic ignition. The truck and its drivetain
has around 120K miles.

Any and all help is greatly appreciated!


Thanks!

 

It will definitely do that. A deeper (numerically higher) rear axle ratio
will also be a very large help. But before you make any engine mods --
does this truck have to pass an exhaust emission test? Where are you
located?

All slant-6 manifolds fit all slant-6 engines. The manifold you want is
the *IRON* 2bbl intake found in North America on '76-'80 cars and trucks
with the "Super Six" engine. Take a magnet with you to make certain the
intake you get is iron and not aluminum; the aluminum ones were hideously
prone to leakage not only due to warping but also *through* the castings
and sloppy EB welds, which were porous.

Your conversion is simplified by the manual transmission; you won't need
to futz with kickdown linkage. Here is your shopping list:

Intake manifold (may as well get the exhaust, too, as a spare, if it's not
cracked)

Carburetor (Carter BBD 2bbl)

Choke thermostat (bolted to number-5 exhaust manifold runner -- different
for 2bbl)

Air cleaner

Throttle cable (shorter than 1bbl -- a V8 truck cable may work)

Throttle cable bracket (bolted to exhaust manifold)

Throttle return spring bracket (bolted to intake manifold)

You'll want to go through the carburetor and rebuild it -- they're not
hard to rework with a quality kit.

Guess this answers the smog check question with a "No"! Check and see
which distributor is installed -- if they just yanked the lean burn and
left the LB distributor in place, you'll pick up a great deal of
driveability and performance with a thoughtfully-selected distributor such
as the 3755042 units regularly sold on Ebay.

There are all kinds of other ways to spend money wisely (camshaft, clutch
fan, Dutra Duals, for example) and foolishly (4bbl, headers, for instance)
in your quest for better performance out of your 225. Suggest you go sign
up for www.slantsix.org and start posting questions and reading past
answers.

DS

 

Thanks for the quick reply Daniel! I live about 50 miles north of
Indianapolis; there are no smog checks where I live.

There isn't too much more I need to do; this truck drives pretty good.
However with the 1 bbl, if I get a hill to climb or a stiff headwind, I
am lucky to get more than 60 mph out of it. I will look at the
distributer and see if it was replaced. Do you know how much this
Carb/intake conversion will change the gas mileage? I am currently
getting around 18 mpg.

Thanks again for the very valuable info, and now I begin my shopping!

 

Well, then, by all means!

MPGs will not change much if at all -- the 1bbl carbs, especially the
post-'81 units, are really poorly designed. The 2bbls are much better. Of
course, MPG and driveability are highly dependent on carb condition!

DOnno if you'll see much of this stuff in yards near Indy; it goes by on
Ebay fairly often.

DS

 

or dropping in a nice running 318ci V8 for more power and smoothness. I
have an '87 Ram D150, last year for the /6. I should have gotten one with
a 318ci but the /6 is OK for me. I just use it for hauling stuff, not for
hauling ass. I think I wouldn't spend over $200 on hopping up a slant 6,
I'd just put the money into a 318ci fund. Probably wouldn't be too hard to
find a good running 318 for $500 or so.

 

My '89 has the 318. I'd much rather have a properly-set-up \6.

 

My \6 isn't properly set-up, 1 barrel Holley, stock everything but runs
perfect. Let's trade engines!

 

Works for me. I am overstocked with Slant-6 buildup equipment. I have
*three* triple-SU sidedraft carb setups, two sets of Dutra Duals, numerous
distributors, etc etc. etc.

 

Don't expect a big difference in power from replacing the one barrel
carb with a two barrel. There will be an increase, but it will be
small, and not that noticable.

 

Daniel, you live in Michigan, right? I remember you from some slant 6
sites a few years back. You're famous in the /6 community. Have a pic of
your 1989 Ram? I have one of my '87 Ram D150 shortie I can email you.
Maybe we can swap rigs. Here's some info. on my rig:

87 Ram D150, shortbed fleetside, 225 ci slant 6 (last year for the \6) runs
good, AT -- 904 TorqueFlite (linkage is a bit stiff sometimes), white with
small red pinstriping, blue interior (no carpeting), factory hubcaps, snow
tires on back, new exhaust, rebuilt Holley 1 barrel, rebuilt title (has a
new front end due to a hit -- new fenders, hood, grille ('81-'85 grille),
new PS pump, new Ram's head, radiator, etc.), ex utility truck, shows 8,000
miles (probably 108,000), nice looking truck, way less rust than most NE
trucks, located in NE OH, near PA.

 

Michigan and Ontario.

I'm still around on slantsix.org

It's all a vicious rumor! ;-)

I can take one...

I'd be interested if your '87 had A/C. I spent a ton of time, effort and
$$ tracking down an original new factory A/C package and installing it in
my '89 for the hot, sticky summer. It's cool, man...

Specs on mine, which I'll sell if a good offer comes my way:

'89 Ram D100, longbed fleetside, 318 ("5.2") V8/TBI, A998 auto w/TransGo
"phase 1" shift kit (positive shifts but not harsh ones), rear ABS, hard
bedliner, new stainless exhaust including catcon and muffler, brand new
factory A/C (NOT the add-on type! If I didn't tell you, you wouldn't know
the truck didn't come from the factory with A/C), red w/maroon interior
and carpet, factory hubcaps, 1-year-old BFG all seasons and 1-winter-old
Nokian Hakkapellittas, hard bedliner, rear step bumper, sliding rear
cabglass, H4 headlights, new HD radiator, new (not rebuilt) alternator and
starter, aluminum Edelbrock Performer intake w/custom spacer for factory
TBI, engine removed, disassembled, cleaned, inspected, approved, resealed
and reinstalled. New factory underhood pad. Regularly oiled against rust,
of which there is none. Manual windows, manual locks. Halogen reversing
lamps. Meets both US and Canadian safety standards and has manufacturer's
labelling to prove it, so freely able to be registered in either the US or
Canada.

-Stern (mail 318 at torque dot net )

 

AC?!?! Who needs it? I just open both windows on the '87 D150 and let
the wind flow through, cools me off. But I understand your desire for
AC. Your rig sounds nice, nicer than mine. It's hard to find a nice,
original, ungoobered up old truck these days. Most have been tweaked
and juryrigged and/or abused. My father (lives in AZ) is in the process
of fixing up a '62 Ford Unibody short bed truck. He's using the front
suspension and slant 6 out of a donor '78 Aspen. Ever see a Ford
Unibody with a slant 6? He's a big /6 nut. He has about five /6's in
his shop for parts. He has a /6 in his '64 A100 van, in his Dart, and
soon one in his Unibody Ford. I've been telling him that we need to
start a slant 6 wrecking yard/used parts warehouse and ship /6 parts
worldwide (I'll create an internet database). As soon as his Unibody is
done. I'll make a website about it and let y'all check it out.

 

I'm a hedonist, even my '62 Lancer has Chrysler Airtemp A/C that'll freeze
my nuts off if I'm not careful.

Station wagons are mostly all used-up, too.

Seems a fairly popular swap, at least as far as the front suspension swap
goes.

Ask him if he's ever seen a die-cast aluminum \6 block. I have one in my
'62, and used to have four others.

-Stern