Half-ton pickup redux

[SpaceBus]

Each of my vehicles has an inline 6, naturally aspirated with a timing chain, a solid configuration. I agree it's too bad these are not more common in modern vehicles.

1994 Land Cruiser (4.5L)
2000 M Roadster (3.2L)
2004 325Xi Wagon (2.5L)
2006 Jeep Wrangler (4.0L)

The land cruiser has 320k miles and we just returned from a 2500 mile road trip without any issues. At idle I can sit a cup of coffee on the valve cover and it won't spill. Very smooth....

You have some of the best of the best lined up there. I miss my six speed LJ all the time. Whilst in Afghanistan we had a ratty 90's land cruiser with the straight six. I'm not sure the oil had ever been changed or if any maintenance had been performed for that matter, but it didn't seem to make a difference to the LC. It's a shame BMW won't put their hottest engines in the wagons.

 

[Zack R]

Wish I had some taller gears in my truck. Budget doesnt allow me to order a new truck. The gears are really needed in the mountains. I almost never get to use 4th gear (OD).

I'd use the term "shorter" gears to describe lower gearing to avoid confusion

 

[Stelcom66]

Each of my vehicles has an inline 6, naturally aspirated with a timing chain, a solid configuration. I agree it's too bad these are not more common in modern vehicles.

1994 Land Cruiser (4.5L)
2000 M Roadster (3.2L)
2004 325Xi Wagon (2.5L)
2006 Jeep Wrangler (4.0L)

The land cruiser has 320k miles and we just returned from a 2500 mile road trip without any issues. At idle I can sit a cup of coffee on the valve cover and it won't spill. Very smooth....

Nice fleet of inline 6 engines! Amazing mileage on the Toyota, and still a very smooth engine.

 

[Ashful]

Nice fleet of inline 6 engines! Amazing mileage on the Toyota, and still a very smooth engine.

Meh... smooth. Sounds as exciting as a rainy afternoon. Why on earth would you want “smooth”?

(Must be watched with sound ON)

 

[Zack R]

Meh... smooth. Sounds as exciting as a rainy afternoon. Why on earth would you want “smooth”?

(Must be watched with sound ON)

V8's are great - I'll never contest that..... sixes aren't so bad either. Same engine block in this one as my old landcruiser

 

[SpaceBus]

Meh... smooth. Sounds as exciting as a rainy afternoon. Why on earth would you want “smooth”?

(Must be watched with sound ON)

Have you heard a good naturally aspirated inline six? I like a good cross plane V8 as much as any American. That being said, a flat plane V8 sounds best every time. A V12 even better, but it would since it's made of two perfect engines.

 

[Stelcom66]

Have you heard a good naturally aspirated inline six? I like a good cross plane V8 as much as any American. That being said, a flat plane V8 sounds best every time. A V12 even better, but it would since it's made of two perfect engines.

Ever hear a V10? At least the Dodge Viper V10, doesn't sound like a better V8, more like a V6 for some reason. Not sure about the Ford V10s that were available a few years back. I do like the sound of the 5.3 V8 in my Silverado, and I like that it's smooth.

 

[Ashful]

Have you heard a good naturally aspirated inline six? I like a good cross plane V8 as much as any American. That being said, a flat plane V8 sounds best every time. A V12 even better, but it would since it's made of two perfect engines.

Only inline 6 I ever had my hands on was a slant 6 in a buddy’s old Plymouth Duster. We tore that little thing outta there, and stuffed a proper 383 in its place. [emoji41]

I love all things horsepower, and have driven 6-figure v12’s, but I’m thankful that a cheap big-displacement v8 can still put a smile on my face. And as much as I love big-torque performance EVs, I can’t help but be a little sad that we are nearing the end of this noisy ICE era.

 

[SpaceBus]

Have you heard a good naturally aspirated inline six? I like a good cross plane V8 as much as any American. That being said, a flat plane V8 sounds best every time. A V12 even better, but it would since it's made of two perfect engines.

Only inline 6 I ever had my hands on was a slant 6 in a buddy’s old Plymouth Duster. We tore that little thing outta there, and stuffed a proper 383 in its place. [emoji41]

I love all things horsepower, and have driven 6-figure v12’s, but I’m thankful that a cheap big-displacement v8 can still put a smile on my face. And as much as I love big-torque performance EVs, I can’t help but be a little sad that we are nearing the end of this noisy ICE era.

I'll miss the fire breathing big bore V8's. Look up some M Roadster (or coupe) and E46 M3 videos for good six cylinders. 8,000+ RPM! V12's tend to be found in exotics due to the sound and perfect balance. With perfect balance, and a short stroke, comes stratospheric peak RPM and beautiful music. Not to say you need RPM for good noise, at 4,000 RPM an American big block like a 454 sounds like a death metal choir.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Only inline 6 I ever had my hands on was a slant 6 in a buddy’s old Plymouth Duster. We tore that little thing outta there, and stuffed a proper 383 in its place. [emoji41]
.

There is one sweet sounding (and running) engine. My brother bought a brand spanking new 383 Plymouth Road Runner. Aside from the "meep meep" Road Runner horn that car had a great engine sound right out of the factory. I think it was $ 2995 new. A nice one now goes for $35k-70k
.

 

[SpaceBus]

The slant six was a cool engine. Australians actually hop those up and a hemi-style head exists for them as well.

 

[Ashful]

The slant six was a cool engine. Australians actually hop those up and a hemi-style head exists for them as well.

Too small. Next!

The slant-6 (also known as the “Economy 6”) is about as reliable as concrete. It would probably make an ideal off-road engine, for its era:

1. Reliable
2. Unusually wide torque curve
3. Low HP, but you don’t need that for 10 mph rock crawling

But it’s really hard for me to get too excited about any pushrod engine under 7 liters displacement. My rock crawling days were short lived, and in the distant past. Now I want something that can make 500 hp on the road, and reliable enough to commute or take road trips with the family.

Thankfully we are living in what I consider the second grand era of big-HP cars, there are literally dozens of options for 500+HP out there, some even under $50k. I just can’t understand why they stopped putting these engines in pickup trucks, where they could actually be legitimately justifiable.

 

[SpaceBus]

Too small. Next!

The slant-6 (also known as the “Economy 6”) is about as reliable as concrete. It would probably make an ideal off-road engine, for its era:

1. Reliable
2. Unusually wide torque curve
3. Low HP, but you don’t need that for 10 mph rock crawling

But it’s really hard for me to get too excited about any pushrod engine under 7 liters displacement. My rock crawling days were short lived, and in the distant past. Now I want something that can make 500 hp on the road, and reliable enough to commute or take road trips with the family.

Thankfully we are living in what I consider the second grand era of big-HP cars, there are literally dozens of options for 500+HP out there, some even under $50k. I just can’t understand why they stopped putting these engines in pickup trucks, where they could actually be legitimately justifiable.

Exactly! Trucks should have inline sixes, period. I used to have a 500+ HP daily driver, with a six speed manual, but I rarely miss it. My step dad had a 440 AWHP four door sedan, but his favorite car, and mine, is a Miata. All that power on surface streets just gets me into trouble, and it's not that fast anyway. If you want to know what fast is, get a motorcycle. Your wife might not be pleased with you, but outside of F1, you won't go any faster. All summer I've been hearing guys howling off in the hills along the coast, I've been super jealous. My wife is glad I sold my bike though, and it's probably for the best since I could never stay out of trouble on it.

 

[Ashful]

My best friend was killed on a motorcycle, along with several others I’ve known. So, I won’t be going that direction. The likelihood of any one of us being in a major auto accident sometime in our life is pretty high, and the chances of dying from it if you’re on a motorcycle when it happens are damn near 100%.

Miatas are great cars for teenage girls to cruise around town. If you want a small roadster that won’t cause your friends to secretly joke about your car behind your back, get a Shelby Cobra. [emoji48]

(j/k... One of my buddies also had a hot-rodded Miata. It was a hell of a lot of fun, but that didn’t stop us from making fun of it, either.)

 

[OT_Ducati]

 

[SpaceBus]

I don't know if you guys know this, but women hate Miatas. They think Miatas are cute, to look at. Top down ruins hair, there's no storage, seating is cramped, and it isn't plush. Women who like convertibles get Sebrings, or whatever.

Shelby Cobras are just tiny English roadsters with american V8 engines. A modern Cobra is a Miata with a lot of power. Mazda created the Miata as an English roadster clone that wouldn't leave you stranded or wet. It's also one of the, if not THE, most raced car in the world. I don't see any one make American car racing series....

 

[Jazzberry]

I'd use the term "shorter" gears to describe lower gearing to avoid confusion

Our thinking is exactly opposite. Taller to me means higher as in going from a 3.40 to a 3.90

I'd use the term "shorter" gears to describe lower gearing to avoid confusion

Ya as usual it confuses the crap out of me.

 

[Ashful]

Our thinking is exactly opposite. Taller to me means higher as in going from a 3.40 to a 3.90



Ya as usual it confuses the crap out of me.

"Tall" gears and "short" gears are referring to the gear ratios. Tall (high) gears have LOWER numerical numbers such as 2.79, 2.90, 3.00, 3.25. Short (low) gears have HIGHER numerical numbers, such as 4.11, 4.30, 4.56, 4.88, 5.13, 5.36, etc.
Rear-End Gearing Simplified - Bad-Ass Racing Engines

www.badasscars.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id.../prd398.htm

 

[Stelcom66]

Exactly! Trucks should have inline sixes, period. I used to have a 500+ HP daily driver, with a six speed manual, but I rarely miss it....

Thank you for your service to our country (I assume, saw that you were in Afghanistan). When looking at used pickup trucks last year I saw a rarity that I really wanted. It was a 2005 Silverado Work Truck with the 4.3 V6, 4WD and 5 speed manual. The frame was pretty bad though with rust. I posted about it on a Silverado/Sierra forum and someone asked 'How slow would that be?' An irrelevant question, I'm not buying a pickup truck to 'go fast', or race. It's mainly for hauling firewood, and typical homeowner chores.

 

[Medic21]

Whilst in Afghanistan we had a ratty 90's land cruiser with the straight six. I'm not sure the oil had ever been changed or if any maintenance had been performed for that matter, but it didn't seem to make a difference to the LC.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here...

Was it white?

 

[SpaceBus]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here...

Was it white?

Ha, another team in my company had a white one with a manual I put a few miles on. Ours was a burgundy "Prado" automatic. It was paradise for folks that like Toyota's non US offerings.

 

[Ashful]

When looking at used pickup trucks last year I saw a rarity that I really wanted. It was a 2005 Silverado Work Truck with the 4.3 V6, 4WD and 5 speed manual. The frame was pretty bad though with rust. I posted about it on a Silverado/Sierra forum and someone asked 'How slow would that be?'

I owned one of those, 1995 K1500 w/4.3L v6 and manual trans. The thing couldn’t even maintain 65 mph on hills unloaded, and just forget pulling a trailer at highway speed, around here. I had hills where I was having to hunt between second and third gear to keep it moving, at 35 mph on the PA Turnpike with 65 mph speed limit and everyone else whizzing by me at 80 mph.

It was also a complete maintenance nightmare. I had more crap break on that truck in just four years (1999 - 2003), than maybe all of my other vehicles combined. It was literally the biggest POS I have ever owned, and I’ve owned some bad vehicles.

 

[SpaceBus]

I owned one of those, 1995 K1500 w/4.3L v6 and manual trans. The thing couldn’t even maintain 65 mph on hills unloaded, and just forget pulling a trailer at highway speed, around here. I had hills where I was having to hunt between second and third gear to keep it moving, at 35 mph on the PA Turnpike with 65 mph speed limit and everyone else whizzing by me at 80 mph.

It was also a complete maintenance nightmare. I had more crap break on that truck in just four years (1999 - 2003), than maybe all of my other vehicles combined. It was literally the biggest POS I have ever owned, and I’ve owned some bad vehicles.

The 4.3 just isn't that great, and is inherently flawed by being a 90 degree V6. I know everyone thinks by being a 350 minus two cylinders it must be bulletproof, but it's just a dog.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

The 4.3 just isn't that great, and is inherently flawed by being a 90 degree V6. I know everyone thinks by being a 350 minus two cylinders it must be bulletproof, but it's just a dog.

I had a 93 V-6 Silverado and it was trouble free other than it was dog. You need a level hwy to maintain speed. As soon as you hit a hill your crawling. And thats with the truck bed EMPTY. That all changed in the last few years. The new ones (Ecotec)have just under 300HP and you would never guess it was a 6 under the hood. It has almost 100HP more than my K2500 with a 350 CU 8 cyl. eng. I find myself inadvertently squealing the tires pretty often. I think its been completely redesigned. No longer the 350 with 2 cyl lopped off.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

. The frame was pretty bad though with rust. I posted about it on a Silverado/Sierra forum and .

Id stop right there with heavy frame rust. Had that with a toyota and dont want it again. That was pretty much my no. 1 deal killer when recently searching for a new(er) work truck. Along with some decent power and no stick shift.