360 build

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Demon_Dan

Demon_Dan

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Im thinking of building a 360 and the only thing im interested in is low end torque and decent sound. this will be nothing other then a street car and id like to leave it mostly stock meaning no work to the block or heads..is it possible to do a cam,intake,carb,exaust upgrade on it and get something nice? ..what kind of numbers? also whats a good 360 block out there is a good doner?
thanks for your help ..like i said this is on the cheap and want it nothing more then to smoke some tires and sound nice while im driving.
 
Demon_Dan said:
Im thinking of building a 360 and the only thing im interested in is low end torque and decent sound. this will be nothing other then a street car and id like to leave it mostly stock meaning no work to the block or heads..is it possible to do a cam,intake,carb,exaust upgrade on it and get something nice? ..what kind of numbers? also whats a good 360 block out there is a good doner?
thanks for your help ..like i said this is on the cheap and want it nothing more then to smoke some tires and sound nice while im driving.
Click to expand...
~ comp 268XEH camshaft
~ LD340 or Holley Street Dominator
~ Carter Thermoquad or Holley 750 VS
~ 1 5/8" or 1 3/4" headers w/ 2 1/2" pipes right to the back

all 360 blocks are the same (cept the 5.9 magnums), no matter what you may have heard/read. You should make better then
1hp/cube easily, even with 8:1 cr.

Happy Hunting.
 
and thats leaving everything alone on the motor? ..just those upgrades make close to 1HP per CI? Thats amazing , thank you ...guess i have a winter project!
thanks a million!
 
there's nothing cheap when it come to mopars sorry ,you can build 2 bowties to one mopar but your one mopar will spank that a@@ of a bowtie pound for pound horse for horse .
 
Have you looked at the Magnum create engines specs for the 300 HP unit? The almost laugable on how mello they are. But they make 300+ HP with nothing more than completeing the engine with headers and carb.

IF your short block is in good shape, all you'll for it is a 340 cam and complete the engine like above. I would mill the head a bit for better compresion. It would make the package more efficent and powerful.
 
Kb107's, Comp XE268H, LD340, 750 vac sec holley, good valve job, headers.

Be a sound strong running engine with about 350hp and 390-400lb tq.

Here's that combo with 2.5" exhaust & flowmasters
http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b50/opkyle/?action=view&current=DemonontheRoad009.flv

This car/engine made 347HP and 395tq. Car ran 14.00 at 103 mph babied off the line at Las Vegas with a 2.73 7 1/4 peg leg rear. There is a bunch left in it.
 
rumblefish360 said:
Have you looked at the Magnum create engines specs for the 300 HP unit? The almost laugable on how mello they are. But they make 300+ HP with nothing more than completeing the engine with headers and carb.

IF your short block is in good shape, all you'll for it is a 340 cam and complete the engine like above. I would mill the head a bit for better compresion. It would make the package more efficient and powerful.
Click to expand...

If i used the heads i put on my 318 (aerohead racing 360 heads with a stage one port and polish) that would be sufficient?
 
More than enuff for now and good later when you want to really turn it up.

Crackedback, he said on the cheap
and id like to leave it mostly stock meaning no work to the block or heads
Click to expand...
After $200 for pistons and more for rings, then a balance job, boreing if need be. Cheap just went out the window.
But I like your direction!
Good run with a Hwy. Peg leg!
 
anything i should do to freshen up the doner when i get it?
timing chain?
Rings?
how about things i should look for that would tell me to stay away from the doner. things i can easily see, seeing as it will probably be a junk yard dog

thanks again guys for all your help
 
I would think for cheap a late model 360 roller motor with magnum heads would be the hot ticket. They already have decent compression, good heads, lighter pistons then the earlier motors, and a roller cam. If it we me I'd look for one of those. And they should be easier to find then the older engines too.
 
thanks for your help fastback ...when you say late model can you give me an aproxamate year to year time frame?
 
I believe the LA block went to a roller cam in '89 or so and the magnums came out around '92 and on until they stopped making them. Also, the magnum engines have closed chamber heads which are more pump gas friendly and provide a "quench" combustion chamber. I think your choice for a 360 is a good one due to the longer stroke and torque potential.
 
dartman340ta said:
there's nothing cheap when it come to mopars sorry ,you can build 2 bowties to one mopar but your one mopar will spank that a@@ of a bowtie pound for pound horse for horse .
Click to expand...

That used to be and for some still is.
The only reason why chevy crap is cheaper is cause they make more of it, and the reason they make more chvy parts is because everything on/in a chev sucks.
 
360Z28 said:
~ comp 268XEH camshaft
~ LD340 or Holley Street Dominator
~ Carter Thermoquad or Holley 750 VS
~ 1 5/8" or 1 3/4" headers w/ 2 1/2" pipes right to the back

all 360 blocks are the same (cept the 5.9 magnums), no matter what you may have heard/read. You should make better then
1hp/cube easily, even with 8:1 cr.

Happy Hunting.
Click to expand...

The comp XE268H cam is likely to much cam for a low compression 360 (a stock bottom end LA360 is going to be at or under 8:1) and you will be giving up bottom end. The XE256H or XE262H would be a better choice.

Any dual plane manifold will work even a stock iron one with the build you are planing.

If you are going to a square bore carb like a Holley something in the 600 to 650 range would be a much better choice for you goals. With the 750 you will give up a lot of low end throttle repsonse and driveability with little or no gain on the top end.

Definately stick with the 1 5/8" headers for the low end torque. Tube diameter determines the rpm at which the torque peak occurs with bigger tubes having the peak at a higher rpm.
 
Dan,
My 360 rebuild was 40 over , 8.5cr, stock heads, 280/474 MP cam Edelbrock Performer,600 vac holley, headers. Nice lopey idle, plenty of bottom end. On chassis dyno 250 rwhp. Car ran 13.5. Build a solid bottom end, then you can always upgrade. A 340 cam or 268 comp is a nice cam also...

Bob
 
Dan,
From reading thru this topic, I think something need to be cleared up a little. Some have touched on it but just to make it clear..... Most STOCK early model 360's (pre-Magnum) are low compression motors with the stock pistions WAY down in the hole with open chambered heads. Even changing the heads and using a thin head gasket will not bring you far enough up on the CR to run any respectable cam like the Comp 268XE. So unless your donar short block has already been uprgraded to better pistons at closer to a zero deck, then you might want to consider changing pistons.

Also mentioned here is what I would do if I were going to put together a street cruiser type moder. I would look the junk/salvage yards over and find a running fairly low mileage RAM truck 360. Take off the fuel injection and barrel intake and replace with a MP unit for a carb. Add ignigion and hearders and you would have a great running street engine. These are roller cam motors and have fairly decent compression. They are basically the 300hp crates from MP except for the cam.

You might also watch the classifieds here and at the "other" mopar sites for a deal in a ready to go 360 short block that you could put your heads on....

Hope this helps...
 
dgc333 said:
The comp XE268H cam is likely to much cam for a low compression 360 (a stock bottom end LA360 is going to be at or under 8:1) and you will be giving up bottom end. The XE256H or XE262H would be a better choice.

Any dual plane manifold will work even a stock iron one with the build you are planing.

If you are going to a square bore carb like a Holley something in the 600 to 650 range would be a much better choice for you goals. With the 750 you will give up a lot of low end throttle repsonse and driveability with little or no gain on the top end.

Definately stick with the 1 5/8" headers for the low end torque. Tube diameter determines the rpm at which the torque peak occurs with bigger tubes having the peak at a higher rpm.
Click to expand...
the xe268h is one of those magic cams.. dunno how it works, but it does.. even with low CR engines.

eg: i toss a xe268h cam in a bone stock 400 72 Satellite once, and just like that went from 14.8s to 14.0s w/ the stock 3.55 gear.

i have never seen a 600 or 650 holley make more power then a well tuned holley 750vs carb on a 340/360/. throttle response remained excellent.

i agree with you that tube diameter plays a role in effective rpm use, but equally (perhaps more) important is the collector length.
 
thanks for the replies guys. I do not have the motor yet ..just tired of the all high end wild 318 i built and want to go more tire smoker/cruiser/reliable style as im not going to be racing it
 
360Z28 said:
the xe268h is one of those magic cams.. dunno how it works, but it does.. even with low CR engines.

eg: i toss a xe268h cam in a bone stock 400 72 Satellite once, and just like that went from 14.8s to 14.0s w/ the stock 3.55 gear.

i have never seen a 600 or 650 holley make more power then a well tuned holley 750vs carb on a 340/360/. throttle response remained excellent.

i agree with you that tube diameter plays a role in effective rpm use, but equally (perhaps more) important is the collector length.
Click to expand...

I am running a XE268H in my 360 and it certainly is a great cam but in my build I have 10.6:1 compression. The fast ramp rate lets the cam maintain cylinder pressure like a much smaller cam but a stock LA 360 is likely closer to 7.5:1 and just won't have enough cylinder pressure for a strong low end. Since the goal is a street cruiser a smaller in the XE line would be a better choice. Also, you can't really compare how a cam works in an 400 to a 360, a bigger engine needs more cam. the XE268H in a 400 is more like an XE262H in a 360.

I have had a 600, 670, 725 and 750 VS carbs on my engine. The 725 and 750 had a noticeable to the butt dyno advantage over the 600 above 4500 rpm but the 600 had it all over the 725 and 750 in driveability and throttle response below that rpm. The 670 has as good low end as the 600 and no noticeable to the butt dyno disadvantage up top. I gave all these carbs a several 1000 mile test and spent a fair time tuning them and believe I was getting the best they had to offer.

I have run a best of 13.7 @ 102 mph with the 600 Holley and it is traction limitations (2.2sec 60' on that run) that are keeping it from the low 13's.

For a street cruiser a 4160 Holley 600 would be about perfect. The 750 would certainly work but for the maximum driving experience stay with a small carb. Carbs and cams are two of those items where it is always better to error on the small side.
 
Well, whats in my truck is an 87 360 LA, non roller. Stuck in an XE262, Performer, and 750 performer carb, cheap headers, and MSD. Pulls like a freight train. but it never goes over 4500.
 
All bolt ons, nothing special... but it will spin both 33s in the back...lol
 
So I have a 73 Dart Swinger with a 360 .060 over (371c.i.) with speed pro flattop hyper's, lightly swizzled heads, a crane 272 energizer, RPM airgap, 750 Edelbrock carb, and an MSD 6A. Stock manifolds with 2 1/4 to flowmaster 40 then 2 1/2 turndown. Dual electric fans, NOS sniper kit. I don't run the NOS cause I don't wanna pop my piston's. Soon I will jet it down to 100 or even 75. Or I will sell the kit and buy some rims that match. So, the reason I list all this is that my car sounds really nice, light lope, a little crackle, I don't know if they milled the heads or zero decked it but the PSI is over 150. That is pretty decent. It will burn them off for real, anytime I'm in first or second. Pulls extremely well, get so many compliments!! I have no idea what the HP or torque is, and the person I bought the car from was either ignorant or lied to me about the pistons and cam. But I still got my money's worth I think.
 
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