Tech Question
Larry Sickler, Asheville, NC, 1964 Dodge Dart 270 Wagon 22
5
Ok, now that you’ve been down under perhaps you can answer anagging question of mine. I love the Ute’s of the early 60’s (especiallythe one that appears in Crocodile Dundee). In the US the slant six isoffset to the right to have the center of mass of the engine on centerlineand to provide more room for the steering box and the brake master cylinder.From pictures, I know that Chrysler did not slant the six the other way forAussie cars, is it just especially cramped on the right side with right handdrive, did they shift the engine to the left, or did they use some otheralternate way to accommodate the slant six and right hand drive?Thanks, loveyour tech and resto articles.Larry
Larry-
As you know, the engine was basically unchanged. So was the RH offset. Asyou also know, this left no room for the steering box on the K-member. Thesolution: Mount the steering box (a different, Aussie one) directly on theRH chassis rail.
BTW, the engine offset wasn’t so much for “center of mass” as it wasconvenient (for LHD, anyway): It left more steering gear room, as yousurmised, also driver footwell room, and allowed the rear axle shafts to beidentical, side-to-side. (Think: Pinion offset in rear axle vis-Ă -vis thering gear).
Rick
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