Ok, “mighty Slant Six” might be a bit of hyperbole, but hear me out. If you’re ballin’ on a budget, the name of the game is durability: it has to last until you are able to either build it up right or replace it altogether. And few engines can stand up to the legendary Chrysler inline when it comes to longevity…we’ve heard horror stories of these motors ran without coolant until parts of the block glowed red with little to no sign of damage later. We’ve heard about the ones that have been running on near no oil for months, with just the occasional top-off to keep things from fusing together. And I personally have, in my more wild and reckless days, seen one run on a mixture of engine oil, soil, and fine sand for a couple of hours with the throttle hardwired full open before the engine finally succumbed to the strain of such an abusive trial. It might not get you home quickly, but as long as you don’t straight up abuse the unholy hell out of one, a Slant Six will get you home.
In the quest to maximize the $5,000 dollars of the Rough Start budget, we set out to look…well, honestly we were looking for anything but managed to stumble over this baby-blue Plymouth Volaré that has somehow not only managed to age gracefully, but managed to avoid common problems associated with Mopars of this vintage: bad modifications, faded interiors, and rust. If you turn a blind eye to the infamy of the Volaré and it’s Dodge Aspen twin, you will end up with a situation like this: dog dish hubcaps, a comfortable but not overloaded interior, a light curb weight (somewhere near 3,200 pounds sound good?) and of course that six-piston anvil under the hood. You could cruise it as is, or you could have some fun with the engine. Many people would see a rowdy small-block F-body Mopar from a mile away. A clean one with a six-cylinder exhaust note? Not so much…
Craigslist Link: 1977 Plymouth Volaré
Sweet looking Volare, I wouldn’t mind having that to drive around, it has lots of potential.
Damn thats is swee, and cheap!
Better tell Steve Magnante!!!
I’d totally rock it. If the fenders have been recalled and squared away, then it’s going to be solid.
The differences between a boring Slant 6 and A Leaning Tower of Power are a cam, compression and intake.
To prove a point, this guy is shooting for 300 at the crank via elbow grease:
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=56718
Follow his lead and slam it into a-what, 2800 lb?- Volare, and you have a fun car.
I posted that after reading only the first post.
Three pages in and no tech whatsoever, just a bunch of drama and an OP that’s kind of a jerk. Lame.
It’s funny you mention the fender recall. My parents bought the 1976 Volare wagon new and 2 years later, the fender were rotting from the inside out!
Put a 5.7 Hemi in it and have fun!
Well that was no surprise, Volare already sold.
Some say “rust”, I say factory self-lightening panels for performance. It’s the R/S model!
Lame that it sold already. Hopefully the new owner will appreciate it. Those steelies were mint.
I always liked this body style. In my opinion the R/T’s and their varients were just a bit too gawdy for me. 440 anyone/
a bargain at twice the price….I’d roll it with pride.
Really is a decent looking car. I never could understand why someone was always bashing them. Man,they were just everywhere through the 80s and even early 90s. And stuff rots like crazy here.