So, I've got a 360 engine sitting on the side I'm going to send to IMM engines to do some work. The detail I have on the 360 is that it's 9:1 compression, has ported J heads, a Mopar M1 intake, a Paxton supercharger, a 700 or 750 CFM Holley Carb, and TTI A-body shorty headers. The engine was running autcrosses 2 weeks before it was pulled so I know for a fact it was running and driving well (some of you probably have seen the car before). It was rebuilt last sometime in the 90's; however, there are currently a couple minor issues. It does have a couple oil leaks here and there and the compression reads about 150 psi on all cylinders except for one which was at around 120 psi. Cam and internals are kind of unknown, but IIRC the internals were all cast components. When the engine was fuel injected it made about 390 whp.
The engine this is going to be installed in is my '68 Dodge Dart. It will primarily be used for street cruising, an autocross at least 1-2 times a month, and a couple track days 1-2 times a year. It will be run behind a T56, an 8 3/4 with 3.55 gears, an Eaton TrueTrac, 18 x 9" wheels, and 255/40/18 tires.
So, originally, the plan was to take it to IMM for a minor rebuild. I'd have IMM tear it all down, make sure the bores and heads are good, install new gaskets and seals, dyno, tune, and break it in.
Now here are my thoughts... The Mopar M1 intake is pretty tall and with the supercharger I'm pretty sure it won't clear my stock flat hood. I don't really want to swap the hood, but I'd imagine an Edelbrock RPM Air Gap could be the solution. Another thing, is that the supercharger is added weight (my guess is ~20 lbs, especially up high) which would theoretically make handling worse since the front would be more nose heavy. The last concern is that IMM told me they'd rather work on a stroker than a supercharger. My guess is it would be difficult to tune without fuel injection.
My other idea was to stroke it so that I can keep the weight down and the horsepower up. If one of the cylinders are scarred, it's going to need at least new pistons anyways. If I stroke it, and it's in the budget, I was also thinking about going with aluminum heads and a SCAT forged rotating assembly. With this setup, I'd still keep the carburetor and M1 intake. And thinking about it, I could probably install A/C again.
I see pros and cons to the supercharger. Pros being it's more efficient, shouldn't cost more than stroking, and it has the wow factor. Cons would be it's "more complex" meaning more things can go wrong, increased weight where I really don't want it, no A/C, and potentially has clearances issues with the stock hood.
If I take the supercharger off, I'd probably save it for my next engine build I'm planning or just sell it. Same with the J heads.
What are your thoughts? I'd be happy with an engine that runs at around 375-400 whp (or more), is reliable, and runs on no more than 91 octane.
The engine this is going to be installed in is my '68 Dodge Dart. It will primarily be used for street cruising, an autocross at least 1-2 times a month, and a couple track days 1-2 times a year. It will be run behind a T56, an 8 3/4 with 3.55 gears, an Eaton TrueTrac, 18 x 9" wheels, and 255/40/18 tires.
So, originally, the plan was to take it to IMM for a minor rebuild. I'd have IMM tear it all down, make sure the bores and heads are good, install new gaskets and seals, dyno, tune, and break it in.
Now here are my thoughts... The Mopar M1 intake is pretty tall and with the supercharger I'm pretty sure it won't clear my stock flat hood. I don't really want to swap the hood, but I'd imagine an Edelbrock RPM Air Gap could be the solution. Another thing, is that the supercharger is added weight (my guess is ~20 lbs, especially up high) which would theoretically make handling worse since the front would be more nose heavy. The last concern is that IMM told me they'd rather work on a stroker than a supercharger. My guess is it would be difficult to tune without fuel injection.
My other idea was to stroke it so that I can keep the weight down and the horsepower up. If one of the cylinders are scarred, it's going to need at least new pistons anyways. If I stroke it, and it's in the budget, I was also thinking about going with aluminum heads and a SCAT forged rotating assembly. With this setup, I'd still keep the carburetor and M1 intake. And thinking about it, I could probably install A/C again.
I see pros and cons to the supercharger. Pros being it's more efficient, shouldn't cost more than stroking, and it has the wow factor. Cons would be it's "more complex" meaning more things can go wrong, increased weight where I really don't want it, no A/C, and potentially has clearances issues with the stock hood.
If I take the supercharger off, I'd probably save it for my next engine build I'm planning or just sell it. Same with the J heads.
What are your thoughts? I'd be happy with an engine that runs at around 375-400 whp (or more), is reliable, and runs on no more than 91 octane.
