Sleeper Truck

[Sleepy Cheyenne]

So boys I think, I have changed my mind on what I want to do on my truck aka Orgasmic Ebony. I am still going to put the 67 front end on it and leave the rest of the body the same and build a pretty fast Dart small block.
What do guys think

[bigmac73]

not a fan of the dart heads, i think they are more or less a stock replacement with a little improvement,
I would go with a trick flow or AFR head depends on the budget also If you are going cast iron, GM vortecs do pretty well also

[Molberg]

Originally Posted by bigmac73

not a fan of the dart heads, i think they are more or less a stock replacement with a little improvement,
I would go with a trick flow or AFR head depends on the budget also If you are going cast iron, GM vortecs do pretty well also

X2.... AFR fan myself

[special-K]

Tell us more about the truck. Mostly,what will you do to "hide" the powerhouse within. Other words,what will be so "sleeper" about it? You say "Dart engine" so I'm seeing much more than heads here. I guess people have their preferences,but I see people get gobs of power from engines using Dart heads. And,since you're asking what we think about making your truck a sleeper,no matter what we think of your choice in heads,I say GO FOR IT!

[Heavymetl]

If you're open to a less traditional option, look into an LS. There's a reason everyone is running them now....they make so much effortless power its like cheating.

[Lattimer]

My truck is kind of a sleeper right now, all dented and ugly, dog dish hubcaps, rusty mismatched tailgate. 382 HP and a TREMEC 5-speed underneath. The only giveaway is the exhaust sound.

If its what you want, go for it. Just do your homework on how you want to make the power. I went with a Vortec head crate engine, and I really like the very flat torque curve I have.

[bbcmudtruck]

If your basically starting from scratch on a motor, I vote BBC and don't look back!

[Sleepy Cheyenne]

Oh sorry guys, I didn't clarify what I meant was a Dart Little M bare, but a 502 bare does sound tempting two.

[Sleepy Cheyenne]

Originally Posted by special-K

Tell us more about the truck. Mostly,what will you do to "hide" the powerhouse within. Other words,what will be so "sleeper" about it? You say "Dart engine" so I'm seeing much more than heads here. I guess people have their preferences,but I see people get gobs of power from engines using Dart heads. And,since you're asking what we think about making your truck a sleeper,no matter what we think of your choice in heads,I say GO FOR IT!

The way it's going to be a sleeper to me is because it will have a mismatching primer 67 front and just some mild body work done on it.
To me it will look like a "project" truck, to me which rich kids under estimate.

[special-K]

Gotcha. Sounds cool.

[88lsiroc]

4.8 5.3 turbo. Hard to out run technology. That is just my opinion.

[special-K]

^ I guess we need another 40 years to prove that ^

[truckster]

Originally Posted by special-K

^ I guess we need another 40 years to prove that ^

[Sleepy Cheyenne]

Originally Posted by special-K

^ I guess we need another 40 years to prove that ^

Yea that's the reason I'm going with a dart little m carb'd motor with only cubic inches. Because this one I really want to be a purist on and it's going to be a lights racer, not a drag car.

[bpatrol]

a 6.0 carbed ls motor will be 400 hp at the wheels, run cool all day long and idle nice. I dont think you can build a sbc with that horsepower cheaper. and it wont be near as smooth. For a long time sbc 350 and its variants were THE MOTOR. now its the new SBC, the LS.

[special-K]

Some prefer to "build" their motors as it's been with hot rodders from day-1. Some prefer to look under the hood and see a motor that says "hot rod" and not one that says "I belong in a modern car". To each their own,but for me an LS/computer/electronic O/D trans belongs in a daily driver. If I lived where I could drive my old truck year round it would be my daily driver. For fun and cool factor the older motors will never be "out"

[Sleepy Cheyenne]

Originally Posted by special-K

Some prefer to "build" their motors as it's been with hot rodders from day-1. Some prefer to look under the hood and see a motor that says "hot rod" and not one that says "I belong in a modern car". To each their own,but for me an LS/computer/electronic O/D trans belongs in a daily driver. If I lived where I could drive my old truck year round it would be my daily driver. For fun and cool factor the older motors will never be "out"

Thanks Special K and besides that fact if someone opens my hood and sees a modern ls motor they'll no something is up, but if they see a modified 350 they won't know anythings up. It has a certain subtle which is big thing for sleepers two.

[bpatrol]

I don't want to get into a versus argument just saying its got possibilities and can be configured multiple ways. If done right it looks very retro. AC and 20+mpg with an overdrive.

Does this one look out of place?
open minds is all

[Sleepy Cheyenne]

Ok I see your point, I'm not trying to be bias

[Heavymetl]

Originally Posted by special-K

For fun and cool factor the older motors will never be "out"

I'm gonna disagree. The old small block is quickly becoming your fathers Flathead Ford. Great for nostalgia, but if you want power, you're fighting a huge uphill battle. My 347" LS1 with ported 243's (common GM production head) put down 445 horsepower at the rear wheels, and traps 123 at a 3500lb raceweight. And it'll run cool, idle in traffic all day, at cruise down the road 1500rpm smooth as butter in 6th gear getting 20+mpg. There's no magic in the LS design, just outstanding engineering. Even the header bolts are easy to reach!! It's like a pure hot-rodder designed the LS and fixed everything we've always complained about. I've had several SBC's and been around hot-rodding for years, and they've been fun. But the LS, subjective opinions on looks aside, is as revolutionary as the original 265 SBC was in 1955. Rather we like it or not times are changing, and thankfully the old muscle cars and these trucks we all love have a timeless body style and design. But the engines which bred so much enthusiasm for previous generations just seem slow, heavy, and clunky compared to our modern powerplants.

[nicks diner]

Originally Posted by bigmac73

not a fan of the dart heads, i more or less a stock replacement with a little improvement,
I would go with a trick flow or AFR head depends on the budget also If you are going cast iron, GM vortecs do pretty well also

I don't understand this quote, are you talking about all Dart heads.I'm looking at the aluminum 220 for my 406.are you saying the vortex or the camel humps will outperform all Dart heads? From what I hear they are very good. do you have any experience with them? just curious.

[bpatrol]

dart ,afr,quick flow, all very good heads. all outflow any stock. its not even close.
I had darts in a 383 sbc and it was a huge jump over vortecs I had. they are just expensive.

[Lattimer]

The way I understand it:

Camel humps< Vortec< pretty much everything aftermarket

If you want an old school period correct kind of build, use Camel humps. Economical building ok power, use Vortec heads. Want real good power and have the cash, aftermarket aluminum heads are the way to go.

Lots of opinions out there on one maker vs. the other, but any of them are better at making power than factory stuff.

I went with a Vortec head crate motor because it fit the budget and makes decent enough power. Its a lot more power than I can put to the ground, that's for sure.

[bpatrol]

great point Lattimer. if all you do is burn outs whats the point? anything above 300 hp is great in these trucks

[67 cst swb]

Originally Posted by nicks diner

I don't understand this quote, are you talking about all Dart heads.I'm looking at the aluminum 220 for my 406.are you saying the vortex or the camel humps will outperform all Dart heads? From what I hear they are very good. do you have any experience with them? just curious.

There are different levels of Dart Heads. Most people are only familiar with the entry level SR heads. They make some pretty awesome performance heads. So, don't steer away from the Dart Heads based on a comment you hear.
Look at the numbers. Trick Flow, AFR, Dart, Edelbrock, etc... compare apples to apples then look at the cost of each product.
Also...Don't forget to look into some assemblies that some of these race motor builders supply, they can be quite a bargain in the long run.
Saying you had this brand or that brand and hated them, is like saying you don't like Chevrolet because you had a '82 Chevette once..
Just compare Apples to Apples on the heads your looking at. I have sold all those brand heads before. The cam choice and rear end gears play a huge roll in how well a car (or truck) runs...
Do some research... then go with your gut and buy what you want.