why do so many like 6 cly over v8

[tratman2000]

just wanna hear some of your thoughts on the i6 im more of the hot rod type and wanna put all the power under the hood i can but i see a lot of people that dont like 6 cyl coming out and v8 droped in other than being original why would you wanna keep the 6 mpgs cant be much better and the power just isnt there plus no v8 sound.

[sjarrett71]

Originally Posted by tratman2000

just wanna hear some of your thoughts on the i6 im more of the hot rod type and wanna put all the power under the hood i can but i see a lot of people that dont like 6 cyl coming out and v8 droped in other than being original why would you wanna keep the 6 mpgs cant be much better and the power just isnt there plus no v8 sound.

Those could be two of the main reasons. I just think the I6 and 3 on the tree are cool.

[pat 70/71]

I have them both 2/ v8s 1/six silly Imo, people like the six because its not a v8. its even more simple to play with and great fun to drive. mine has three on the tree and I love the fact that it can be driven anywhere we need to go. and the sound as bad as some say it is is music to my ears. cheers, Pat

[crites_72]

i have both a v8 and an 6cyl. i dont mind my 6cyl at all. the only thing i dont like about it is having to wait for parts. like i needed a water pump not to long ago, took 3 days to get it when the v8 stuff is always in stock. thats why its not great for a daily driver in my opinion. mines soon to be a fuel injected 350 hopefully

[big_al_71]

It is a matter of taste and opinions....

[Dan in Pasadena]

Does THIS answer your question?

[ETsC10]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Does THIS answer your question?

Holy Cow Dan!!! That is Stunning!







.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by ETsC10

[B]Holy Cow Dan!!! That is Stunning!

I should have said in posting those pictures that engine is NOT mine! It was in a '68 short fleetside owned by member "n2billet". Someone already dropped me a PM because of those pictures. I did not mean to mislead anyone into thinking it was mine...I wish it were. It's awesome. All I remember from his description was he degreased, rinsed, degreased, rinsed, etc to get it super clean then ground the intake smooth and painted it body color along with the distributor cap. I have never been able to fin that master cylinder cover..and I have searched. Anyway, enjoy everyone. One day I WILL have a straight six and I'll keep it and make it a clone of that one.

[R.L.]

I love my 6, it'l probally out last me.

[cam.man67]

The 292 is a great little motor, in my opinion. Tons of torque at practically no rpms, there's a reason UPS used them in their fleet vehicle for years. V8s are nice and all, but everyone has one, it's nice to have a unique motor. I agree they're not drastically more economical, but that's what the 250's for.

The next truck I get, if not a 4x4, will hopefully be a 6-banger.

[Shaky]

I like both. I like stock sixes for their simplicity, cost, and reliability. They make adequate power and good low-end torque. They've taken me all over hell's half-acre and never let me down. As easy as a small-block is to work on, I find a straight six even easier.

I hot-rodded one 250. It made good power, but for the price I could have made more with a V8.

My formula now is keep the sixes fairly stock for cheap, good cruising and use V8s for power...

[yote1234]

one word maby? simplicity !

[71swb4x4]

I love my 292. Tons of power down low. I could drop a 350 in my 67, but it is not necessary.

People can do whatever they want. My opinion is why mess with something that works??? When I was younger I would do things just because I could, man I wasted a lot of money and time on things that didn't give me much of a different end result. If it's a daily driver, leave the 6 in. If it's a weekend driver, or custom show vehicle, then put whatever in there that gets you to your end goal.

When I am at a show I love looking at those dressed up 6's. I have seen thousands of dressed up V8's, but only a handful of 6's.

[bbowser]

I agree with the 6 folks. There's nothing like an I6 and 3 on the tree to keep you engaged in the driving experience. To me, a V8/auto is like driving your living room, where's the fun in that?

[Ronnny]

It is all what you like or just want. if it were a motorcycle you would be asking about a parrell or a v in the twins. I like the fact that i get torque right off at no rpms. I love a manual tranny and in my 2wd trucks unless i would want to pull a trailer regular i do not need a 4 speed with a granny gear. the trouble and dollars to swap out a 3 speed for a 4 speed is not worth it to me. I had a v8 3 on the tree 4x4 that did anything i asked it to do. And you could have a 3rd passenger or 4th without the shifter in the way. The six and three combo is lighter and if you do not kill it does get a god 5 or more mpg. In a 4x4 I have also found that i like a step side truck. Can step right out of the cab and into the back without getting your feet muddy. It is all in what you like or want.

[PanelDeland]

Originally Posted by bbowser

I agree with the 6 folks. There's nothing like an I6 and 3 on the tree to keep you engaged in the driving experience. To me, a V8/auto is like driving your living room, where's the fun in that?

Also I've seen a belly button.350's in these trucks are nearly as common.I'm a fan of the 350 for a V8 due to the availability,interchangeability,price for parts and ease of servicing.But there's just something about a 6 that screams truck.Maybe that's why I like the steppers better than a fleet.

[Shyguy]

I have two trucks, a '71 with a 454 and a '67 with a L6 250. They are both unique compared to a 350.

Both have the granny 4 speeds.

I like both of them, but for different reasons. The L6 250 is just a cruiser and the 454 is a tire smoker. It depends how I feel which one I drive.

If I could only have one it would be '67 swb stepper with the 250.

I am getting up in years and I no longer feel a need for speed. I will leave that to the younger people.

[raycow]

Add another vote for the 6. There are certain times and places where a 6 just feels right. It's kind of hard to explain, but you will know it when you see it.

Ray

[Erik V]

I had a 72 2wd half ton on the tail end of college. 250/3 on the tree. Manual steering, manual brakes, factory no stereo truck "dark yellow" (school buses are about the same color). It had been rebuilt just before I bought the truck, but the first 3 cyls had no compression. We pulled the head and when I caught the pistons as my dad tapped them up outta the block the rings all fell apart in my hand. We mic'ed them, and they were waaay thin. The back 3 checked out fine, so somewhere somebody else must have gotten the other half of this rebuild. New rings back in, put it all back together, and it ran great-well as great as a 250/3 can. It averaged 13mpg no matter how it was driven or loaded. I hated the lack of PS/PB, and the linkage was shot making shifting an art form. I built the 305 out of my mom's old 78 Impala using stock pistons/rods/crank/block just all cleaned up, tossed on an Edelbrock intake and Carter 625 carb, mated the engine to a th350, and using all the crossmember type stuff from a parts truck, everything went right in. Installed some headers, soon figured out the factory 4.11 rearend was too low geared for the slushomatic, swapped out for a 3.07 rearend from the parts truck, and then it ran great again. Still only got 13mpg but it sounded great, had the power options I wanted, and was way more powerful. Made me wish I had gone with a bigger small block, but the 305 is what I had. ...why oh why did I listen to the girlfriend at the time.

Despite the coil rear, I really miss this old truck:


Erik

[19673ontree]

for me it's the NOSTALGIA FEEL ! of the six cylinder 3 on the tree combo , I learned to drive on Dads 1969 short stepside with that same combo , it's just COOL !

[Palf70Step]

I miss mine. The V8 will be nice, but I really wish I had stuck with my 6.

[Mt Man Chad]

Six bangers.......why not?
Quiet, torque & smooth running engines that run forever!

[RichardJ]

I like my six, but I don't see anything to like about a three speed on the column. I didn't like them in the '60 and they haven't gotten an better.

Nothing says Old Chevy Truck more than a Straight Six.

[Erik V]

a friend of mine bought a 1950 Pontiac Silver Streak. Has a straight 8 in it. Sounds like an old tractor at idle, flathead, 140 something hp, but 220 something tqs. Pretty fun 99% original car.

Had a 292 came along before I built the V8 for my 72 lwb, I think I'd have kept it a 6. Oh well, I hope that truck has found a good home.

Erik

[Hair]

I think its an age thing. When I was younger (16-35) I wanted a 454 with a blower and nitrous in everything I owned. Now that I'm older, I realize that stuff like a neat looking original I6 is cool, because it's different and it makes the statement: "I don't need some big, fast, expensive, loud, rod slinging, two ton, space taking, hard to work on, piece of doody under my hood to be a cool dude... I can do it with an I6."
And I don't care what anyone says about how easy it is to drop a V8 in, because it will never be easier than just cleaning-up and leaving the I6 in there. I like the I6 because it makes my truck seem more nostalgic and just being old is cool in itself. I'm not into "updating" old cars to new tech with the digital meters and EFI and all that garbage either. IMO, nice wheels and a good stance, that's all an older vehicle needs to be cool. If I want to be fast, I'll drive my 67 Firebird with the "hot rodded" 455 that I built in my 20's. If I want to be cool, I'll drive my truck, which I'm still working on. Well... I'm still working on the Firebird too, but y'all know what I mean.