360 Magnum building on an existing bottom end

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I can still see the factory hone marks in the cyl walls. 100k is nothing IF it's had any type of care at all. The roller lifters (providing they are good to start with) will be fine at .530 lift. I will bet you'll find a bad cam bearing or two. Easy to replace. Then I'd just spin the oil pump over with a drill and primer and see what pressure it has. If the pressure is good, I'd leave the bottom end alone. Throw your new cam and timing chain in it. Make sure your valve spring match the cam
Those bearings are toast. Chances are that the oil pump is bad too. If you are swapping out the heads, cam, possibly having the crank turned, it makes no sense to me not to hone the bores and replace the rings.
 
After looking at the engine for a period of time I decided to do the minimum just short of taking it to a machine shop. I'm going to do a home polishing of the crankshaft, replace all the bearings, hone the cylinders and get a set of hyper-Eutectic flat top pistons and a set of molly rings. This way the engine is completely freshened up with out the expense of a trip to the machine shop. I have been watching a lot of YouTube videos, not that YouTube is a replacement for experience, but I feel confident enough to be able to accomplish the task. Besides The flat top pistons will help to boost the compression a bit. I may also clean the block up as best as I can and then have it hot tanked, which shouldn't be to expensive. I may also consider a balance of the rotating group, depending on the cost. So there you have it.
 
With closed chamber heads and flat tops you should be around 9.2:1 using the .028 head gasket. That's what I did. But..... If you are going to balance the rotating assembly you may want to go with something other than flat tops to boost the compression.
 
With closed chamber heads and flat tops you should be around 9.2:1 using the .028 head gasket. That's what I did. But..... If you are going to balance the rotating assembly you may want to go with something other than flat tops to boost the compression.

Depends on if the flat-tops he's referring to are zero-deck or not. Factory Magnum pistons have a shallow dish but also sit .050" below deck at TDC. I ended up around 9:1 with open-chamber LA Edelbrocks, .027" head gaskets and factory pistons on my 5.9L.
 
Anyone have any experience with Speedmaster PCE281.1773 bare heads, 62cc chambers, 179 intake runners, setup for 1.92 intake valves 1.625 exhaust valves, 3 angle valve seat. They are reasonably priced for a budget build $339 a piece. I couldn't find any flow #s for these particular heads, but I have found for similar heads with similar intake runners, and those heads flowed at 260cc @ .500 - .550 lift. They are magnum style heads and I can build them up as the budget allows, that is why I'm favoring them. I have also looked at Edelbrock performer rpm heads but they are $700+ bare and $1100 complete. Can't justify spending that much just on heads alone, and I know the old saying "speed cost". But for a 60's street style gasser how much speed do you really need. Yeah it's fun to go to the track and make a some passes to brag what your car will run, but I don't have the budget to be competitive and break things. Besides there is always someone with more money and faster than you. So if you have any opinions or options concerning these heads please give them, I'm always open to any ideas that will help me make beast choices.
 
Anyone have any experience with Speedmaster PCE281.1773 bare heads, 62cc chambers, 179 intake runners, setup for 1.92 intake valves 1.625 exhaust valves, 3 angle valve seat. They are reasonably priced for a budget build $339 a piece. I couldn't find any flow #s for these particular heads, but I have found for similar heads with similar intake runners, and those heads flowed at 260cc @ .500 - .550 lift. They are magnum style heads and I can build them up as the budget allows, that is why I'm favoring them. I have also looked at Edelbrock performer rpm heads but they are $700+ bare and $1100 complete. Can't justify spending that much just on heads alone, and I know the old saying "speed cost". But for a 60's street style gasser how much speed do you really need. Yeah it's fun to go to the track and make a some passes to brag what your car will run, but I don't have the budget to be competitive and break things. Besides there is always someone with more money and faster than you. So if you have any opinions or options concerning these heads please give them, I'm always open to any ideas that will help me make beast choices.
They don't flow great out of the box ..I think it was they peak around 220cfm. I have a thread on them here.
They are falsely advertised as well. These speed master magnums are not 179cc like they say...unless the valve is out and they fill the chamber too! I had left them a review... but they had removed it not once , but twice... and while I made a video CC'ing the port and sent it to them AND posted it on YouTube... they ignored it and said it didn't prove anything. They themselves would not offer up any proof that it was what they called it either.
In my opinion Speedmaster is a group of assholes who sell Chinese ****. None of it is any good out of the box ..and some of it is 'almost good' out of the box. The valve job is buried as in sunk in the chamber.They are also 150cc....which is somewhere around the stock port. Believe or not...they sent me TWO DIFFERENT CASTINGS as well. I had to return the one I didnt like for a match to the other I did. Wish I flowed the other head but I didnt. Imo it is better shaped ..but its like a fkn diamond in the sense you have to mine for it.

What I like to do because I don't like stock length valves and I want stainless and don't want to pay a bunch of money is I have the guides opened to 11/32...then a valve job for a set of 1.94/1.60 +.100 valves. Then I drop a 30,15, radius stone to dig out and blend the top valve job angles to the chamber. I then flip the head over and cut all the guides to .500 or .530 for positive seals..then I cut the spring pockets 1.44 and use a readily available valve spring and comp 740 retainers n super locks...Gasket match...blend the bowl and ssr... 260cfm with 1.94 intake valve...all that work enlarges the chamber...so then I mill them .020 to about 61cc measured and verified.
The intake port at the largest is 160cc by the time I'm done .

$1,200 is cheap for a set of brand new casting heads assembled flowing that suited to perform anymore. You used to able to get RHS heads for that or a hair less in some cases...but that all dried up.
You have the cost of the heads the cost of the valves the spring is the retainers all the stuff you need that actually works then you need some machine work or the ability and tools to do it yourself. If you don't have that give me a call and I'll take care of it and send you the bill. :)
 
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WoW! thanks for the info, I really appreciate it. Guess I'm going to either save a little longer for some quality proven heads, Find a good used heads someone is selling or as a last resort lower my power expectation and be satisfied with what my budget will allow. either way I am learning a low from you guys as I dig deeper into this venture and have many questions. So thanks again for your help. Funny thing is I have had the same experience with Speed master my self when I inquired of them what these heads would flow they couldn't give me an answer, even though they advertise that the heads are flowed on a flow machine. Seemed odd to me also, but they did say they were in fact 179cc intake runners. Go figure.
 
WoW! thanks for the info, I really appreciate it. Guess I'm going to either save a little longer for some quality proven heads, Find a good used heads someone is selling or as a last resort lower my power expectation and be satisfied with what my budget will allow. either way I am learning a low from you guys as I dig deeper into this venture and have many questions. So thanks again for your help. Funny thing is I have had the same experience with Speed master my self when I inquired of them what these heads would flow they couldn't give me an answer, even though they advertise that the heads are flowed on a flow machine. Seemed odd to me also, but they did say they were in fact 179cc intake runners. Go figure.
This will be good.... ask them to prove that they are 179 cc. Get it in writing with a money back guarantee and stipulate all you need is a letter from a machine shop testing them to prove it.
They ARE 150cc...or they are selling 2 diff heads and lying.
 
The 360 motor im using has J heads with 2.02 valves stock HP exsaust manifolds elderbrock intake manifold with 750 carb.looking for right cam and lifter set new.not racing this car has 3.23 gears.looking to maximize what I have without being too lumpy as my wife will be driving this car too. Also want side exit exsaust before rear axle anybody with experience or good advice on this subject.Also the best duster 360 motor mounts to use.Any help with aluminum radiators with electric fans for this car ?
 
The 360 motor im using has J heads with 2.02 valves stock HP exsaust manifolds elderbrock intake manifold with 750 carb.looking for right cam and lifter set new.not racing this car has 3.23 gears.looking to maximize what I have without being too lumpy as my wife will be driving this car too. Also want side exit exsaust before rear axle anybody with experience or good advice on this subject.Also the best duster 360 motor mounts to use.Any help with aluminum radiators with electric fans for this car ?
This would make for an excellent thread on its own.
Include the kind of car, trans and rear end size as well as the goal of the build.
 
Its a 1972 duster 727 trany stock,8 3/4 sure grip 3.23.Not a racer wife needs to drive this car.mild cam will do.Want to daily drive this in the good months approx 6 months of the year here in canada.
 
Its a 1972 duster 727 trany stock,8 3/4 sure grip 3.23.Not a racer wife needs to drive this car.mild cam will do.Want to daily drive this in the good months approx 6 months of the year here in canada.
So much for starting your own thread……


Good job!
 
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