Many know Trenton Engine as the place where V6 engines have been made for decades; or they recall it for classic V8 engines, or for the famed Hemi-powered Air Raid Sirens. But Trenton also made huge numbers of another six-cylinder, where every cylinder sat in a straight line, and all were tilted by 30%.
The slant six was created largely because a new compact car, the Valiant, needed a smaller, more powerful engine. The design team was led by Robert S. Rarey, a major force in the original Chrysler V8s and the brand new B-series V8s. The basic engine design was finalized in April 1958; when Plymouth’s leader, Harry Chesebrough, saw the proposal, he approved it immediately, and asked for a more powerful version for larger cars. Bob Rarey and Willem Weertman took five days to come up with a long-stroke version; and soon they had the 170 and 225.
The new six was coded G (RG for raised block and LG for low block, as the B was called RB and LB). Aluminum blocks were made in Kokomo for a few years; iron blocks were made at Trenton. The following photos show the Trenton plant being readied for the new engines in February 1959, and in production—also in 1959. The signs show just how rapidly the project moved along. (The Windsor engine plant, now closed, made the slant six for export.)
Sign dated 2-25-1959.
Preparing concrete forms.
In May 1959, you can see some progress and equipment being moved in.
By July 20, when this photo (below) was taken, most of the equipment was in the factory, and the concrete was poured and set.
In Fall 1959, the line started. It was less than a year since plant work began.
Was the engine successful, you may ask? Here’s the 15 millionth engine from the Trenton plant, made in mid-1978—a slant six. Contact us if you know the names of these people!
Leftmost figure was the plant manager. The man in the tan shirt with a pen (colorized as tan, likely not the actual color) was union presisdent Bob Smith. The man with red hair, second from right, was future plant manager Jim Dekyser (Dave Van Buren identified the people.) In the photo below, left, plant manager; middle, Bob Smith; right, Jim Dekyser. Colorization in both images was done by computer and is probably inaccurate. The photos were taken in the slant six hot test area.
next up: making V8 engines; also see building the plant (1951-52)
Building Trenton Engine
to Make Classic V8s and Air Raid Sirens
Building and Running the Slant Six Line at Trenton
Making the legendary Leaning Tower of Power
Making V8 engines
Trenton in pictures
Trenton Engine milestones
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Trenton Engine: Building New V6 Lines in 2000
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