“I learned to drive on that exact model. I loved the three on the tree. What do you have against the Holley one-Barrel carb? I think I’d be more concerned about the ball joints and drum brakes.”
My only complaint with the carb is the gas mileage. A decent aftermarket fuel injection kit can be dropped onto the intake manifold and will not only provide much better mileage, but better performance and less maintenance as well. If 22 mpg is good enough, I think I can manage to pull the choke to start the carb version. I prefer a four on the floor for highway cruising, but high gear on the three speed was pretty long.
The real advantage of a slant or straight six is that you can do everything short of a complete motor rebuild in your garage with hand tools. I once pulled the head on a 225 in my garage and took it to a machine shop for a refresh. I did the same thing with a Ford Maverick and I replaced the rocker arm assembly complete from a junk vehicle. I had a 135 piece Craftsman tool set from Sears.