A True Low Dollar Backyard Build

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Soaked the pistons in cleaner yesterday. Just spent my lunch hour blowing them off and scrubbing them. Looks like this motor ingested something hard at one time, maybe? Number 3 and 8 pictured here. I find it odd that it looks like the same mark, 180* from each other. No other pistons are marked. Have not looked at the heads that came off of it yet to see if it left any scars there as well. Doesn't much matter since I'm not using the original heads anyway.

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ragtopfury said:
Soaked the pistons in cleaner yesterday. Just spent my lunch hour blowing them off and scrubbing them. Looks like this motor ingested something hard at one time, maybe? Number 3 and 8 pictured here. I find it odd that it looks like the same mark, 180* from each other. No other pistons are marked. Have not looked at the heads that came off of it yet to see if it left any scars there as well. Doesn't much matter since I'm not using the original heads anyway.

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Looks like a valve clipped the piston.
 
Why did the factory dish the pistons on all the 360s and not 318s? Magnum or LA?

That said I have seen exactly 1 360 with flat tops. 1. And that one is in a 72 fury wagon.
 
A 1971 built 360 had flat tops and an 8.5 factory rated compression ratio. All LA 360s after that were dished and rated at 8.0 at best.
 
Why did they castrate the 360s so badly by dishing the pistons like they did? Most 360s I have driven have been utter slugs, blah. I have a feeling this had alot to do with them being that way. Back then the 360 didn't drive any better than the 318, just sucked more fuel was all.
 
ragtopfury said:
Remember when we were 16-17 years old and only made $70 a week in 1983/4/5 ?
So my 24 year old son, Jake, has heard me tell of the free 71 360 I put together in the backyard for the 71 Barracuda that I had in High School in the mid 80's on a part time fast food job income when I was 17.

With that in mind, and the pulling of the 318 from my all original 89 Shelby Dakota that I bought new 3/89 so I can drop a 360 in, he donated his $125 84 360 that was stashed under my bench. All we know is it was running when the D250 it was in got totalled. Mileage is unknown. He picked it up about 3 years ago. I would build on one of the blocks a buddy gave me last summer, but I don't have half of the inards for them.
So this is going to be a low dollar, like I'm working fast food, scavenged what I can, buy cheap used where I can and some new as needed and/or makes better sense to do.

Stay tuned, if you choose to. This is going to be a true backyard minimum dollar build, just for fun.
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With the exception of the engine and some chassis mods I am putting my dirt late model together with all used parts. Shocks, springs, brakes, steering, interior tin, gauges, wheels, tires... all used.

You can't spend what you don't have... I like your idea BTW.
 
volaredon said:
Why did they castrate the 360s so badly by dishing the pistons like they did? Most 360s I have driven have been utter slugs, blah. I have a feeling this had alot to do with them being that way. Back then the 360 didn't drive any better than the 318, just sucked more fuel was all.
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Emissions...
 
I never understood how exactly that helped... cut the power and efficiency of an engine so you gotta give it more gas pedal to accomplish the same thing.... more power out of a given CID.... should mean cleaner tailpipe emissions.
 
MOPAROFFICIAL said:
Gawd that was hard to watch.
"Socket flow 10"

spare me please.
You hurt the exhaust flow making that socket fall in. There is no throat!
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LOL... I didn't "make" the socket fall in. That "308" head was untouched outside of using like a scotch to remove the carbon. The socket was merely to demonstrate the size difference of the exhaust bowl area of the two 360 heads, even after bowl hogg'n the other head. But thanks for watching !!!!!!!
 
I only posted it to show the cracking between the seats toward the end. I've recently seen a set of 1982 596 heads that had a similar crack. It wasn't passing obviously passing water but once the engine got up to temperature that cylinder lost about 25 PSI.
 
Garrett Ellison said:
I only posted it to show the cracking between the seats toward the end. I've recently seen a set of 1982 596 heads that had a similar crack. It wasn't passing obviously passing water but once the engine got up to temperature that cylinder lost about 25 PSI.
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I knew why you posted it, because that video wasn't about porting at all. But he trips over himself every time he acknowledges anything I post (or anyone posts about me). Kind of funny....
 
Yep cracked heads suck.
Whats left out and important to note is. ... that is a comparison of 2 differently shaped exhuast ports and you wouldn't approach them the same.
 
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I have a set of heads from my 1998 5.9 Magnum donor. They don't appear to be cracked in the normal location between the valve seats. I'll pull them out and check them again. In the spirit of your thread, I'll donate them for the cost of shipping if you want them, but I think you're going with an LA build. I'd donate a set of 915 2.02/1/6 heads, but with your LA 360 and the big open chamber heads, you'd have about 7.8 to 1 compression. The offer is there. I like the spirit of this build, and I'd like to help.
 
I don't know if they'll work, but I still have the stock crank, rods, and pistons in really good condition......I'll donate them to you and your son if you can use them. Shipping is only what I want, but for some good father/son pictures, I might even pay that. I'll dig the '98 heads out and take pictures of them, in case you make a Frankenmotor out of all the parts you end up with. A picture of you and your son working on it would surely soften my old , grumpy heart. 113K miles on the motor parts. I need to keep the stock cam as a core for a future build. Paul.
 
No pics cuz I left my phone in the house when we did it this am. Had the 13 yr old, Josh, help put the mains in place, set the crank in, introduced him to plasti-gauge and 85 ft lbs on the torque wrench. Also explained the rear main seal and showed him how to choose the right size 1/2" drive socket to put the brass freeze plugs in when you don't have the correct tool. It was a good morning.
 
Josh did say it's pretty cool that we are making an engine out of a pile of parts. LoL.

If it's not raining Sunday, we're having our weekly lawn tractor race mowing the lawn. I have 90 bucks invested in a 16 year old lawn tractor I picked up last summer to help teach him more/bigger responsibility. He looks good in his shades and orange ear protectors, riding around in rectangles and circles.
If we're not doing the lawn because of rain, he's going to get intimate with the ring compressor, a short piece of 2x3 and a 2 lb hammer. He just doesn't know it yet.
 
Brings back fond memories. Please let us know whatever parts you need donated before you buy them. I know members here would like to donate with the piles of parts we have. Maybe show us some pictures, please. I'd like to see Josh with a torque wrench. Paul.
 
Mark....it's awesome that he wears hearing protection doing the yard. If he just does it because Dad says so, next time Y'all are at MBTP I'll be glad to tell him I wish somebody had insisted I do it. My hearing is fine....but the Tinnitus drives me :realcrazy: when it's quiet and there's no background noise to mask it. :BangHead:
 
JDMopar said:
Mark....it's awesome that he wears hearing protection doing the yard. If he just does it because Dad says so, next time Y'all are at MBTP I'll be glad to tell him I wish somebody had insisted I do it. My hearing is fine....but the Tinnitus drives me :realcrazy: when it's quiet and there's no background noise to mask it. :BangHead:
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Jackie - looks like next summer for MB for us. We're doing Cherrystone, VA this June and probably Williamsburg for a week in July after the boys' weekend in Carlisle. As for the ear protection, that's the same reasons I've given him to wear it. I'm 54 and my hearing is starting to fade a little. If there is background noise from a fan or piece of machinery, it's hard to hear a low volume voice. That and most nights my ears are ringers as well. Too many years in manholes with impact guns and loud machinery before i was smart enough to know better or listen to those that were.
Josh is a good kid. Although he will challenge a lot of things, he dons the earmuffs without question. I guess he's seen me grab mine, or safety glasses or gloves without hesitation if the task calls for them.
 
70dart340 said:
Brings back fond memories. Please let us know whatever parts you need donated before you buy them. I know members here would like to donate with the piles of parts we have. Maybe show us some pictures, please. I'd like to see Josh with a torque wrench. Paul.
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LOL - yesterday afternoon, i asked Josh to pose with the torque wrench for a pic and he refused. Said that was a dumb idea. This evening after dinner, told him 'lets go learn how to put the pistons in'. He said 'really?' So I said let's just do 2 on the one side to finish that side up since I did 2 on my lunch break. Told him it'd only take 20-30 min. Once I got him out there, he was smiles and fun. Got the 2 done and he said that was easy and quick and asked if I wanted to do any more. So we finished them all. And he didn't even care about getting his pic taken. Imagine that. LOL.
I figured once I got him out there, he'd want to finish them.
So meet Josh. He's Jake's little brother by 11 years, stands 5'2" at 13 yrs old. He's about 4 inches taller than Jake was at the same age. And he's solid thick, stronger than he knows. We are not a family of giants, by any means - Jake and I are 5'7" and my wife is 5'1".
At any rate - pics as requested....
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@70dart340 as for parts needed, as my opening post mentioned, this is a throw together of good used parts kind of build. Other than the gasket/bearing set, oil pan, pump and sump, I had it all laying around.

Speaking of good used parts, I've had a new Cloye's double roller for quite a while, but with the original double roller still so tight I'm contemplating sticking with the whole used idea.... thoughts from the board?
 
ragtopfury said:
Jackie - looks like next summer for MB for us. We're doing Cherrystone, VA this June and probably Williamsburg for a week in July after the boys' weekend in Carlisle. As for the ear protection, that's the same reasons I've given him to wear it. I'm 54 and my hearing is starting to fade a little. If there is background noise from a fan or piece of machinery, it's hard to hear a low volume voice. That and most nights my ears are ringers as well. Too many years in manholes with impact guns and loud machinery before i was smart enough to know better or listen to those that were.
Josh is a good kid. Although he will challenge a lot of things, he dons the earmuffs without question. I guess he's seen me grab mine, or safety glasses or gloves without hesitation if the task calls for them.
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Lead by example. Outstanding!
 
ragtopfury said:
LOL - yesterday afternoon, i asked Josh to pose with the torque wrench for a pic and he refused. Said that was a dumb idea. This evening after dinner, told him 'lets go learn how to put the pistons in'. He said 'really?' So I said let's just do 2 on the one side to finish that side up since I did 2 on my lunch break. Told him it'd only take 20-30 min. Once I got him out there, he was smiles and fun. Got the 2 done and he said that was easy and quick and asked if I wanted to do any more. So we finished them all. And he didn't even care about getting his pic taken. Imagine that. LOL.
I figured once I got him out there, he'd want to finish them.
So meet Josh. He's Jake's little brother by 11 years, stands 5'2" at 13 yrs old. He's about 4 inches taller than Jake was at the same age. And he's solid thick, stronger than he knows. We are not a family of giants, by any means - Jake and I are 5'7" and my wife is 5'1".
At any rate - pics as requested....View attachment 1715725935 View attachment 1715725936 View attachment 1715725937 View attachment 1715725938 View attachment 1715725939
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Great pictures, and the excitement of working! Great times together that he will always remember.
 
You need to save these photos in the family picture album. One of my few regrets in life was not taking more pictures of my kids. I have a similar picture of our youngest son torqueing rocker shafts on a 340 when he was 10. He graduates from the UW in June with 2 degrees, physics and computer science. He was recently accepted in Vanderbilt University for his dream program of a PHD in Astro-Physics. I paid about $50K for his education, but it was worth every dime. I'm a little off track for this thread, but my son started out the same as your son in your photos. Keep him motivated. Hell, my son might go from Mopars to Mars!
 
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