Viva Las Vegas: Straight Six Shootout!

A lot of hardcore rodders like to drive their home-built rides nearly every day of the week, and I’ll bet that if gas prices keep doing what they’re doing, we’re going to see a lot more projects with inline sixes in ‘em. I have to admit that I’m partial to straight-six power since I run an AMC 258 in my Eagle, and I’ve been warmed up to the idea of I6 hot rods since a good friend began a swap of an identical motor into his ’46 Studebaker pickup. The thing is, a lot of these stripped-down rides are so light that six cylinders are all you really need, and with outfits like Clifford Performance (their motto: 6=8), you can get aftermarket support for these motors that’ll make them haul as well as your average small-block. Still and all, these mods can come at a price: as much as Justin, whose ’34 Chevy roaster (pictured) is running a 235 cu. in. straight six from a ’62 Nova, would love to get a 6-carb setup, it would be a major investment, which kind of defeats the purpose of the low-dollar fun that traditional rodding represents. On the other hand, standard parts for these smaller engines are often cheaper than their V8 equivalents, and with only one cylinder head to deal with, many of your expenses are automatically cut in half. All things considered, Justin admits that he’s looking for a V8 for his ride, and for now, it’s probably true that the most direct route to cheap power is still the junkyard 350. Nonetheless, I did see a handful of inline sixes at Viva, including Justin’s roadster and the Chevy-powered Fords below the jump. Still vastly outnumbered by V8′s at the show, a straight six in a stripped-down hot rod is an intriguing sight—different, and sorta cool.