360 redline

[canner78]

how high can i safely rev my mostly stock 360. they guy i bought the car from has the tranny set up to shift on its own at 4800 rpm. it is running 9.20 in the 1/8 mile. he told me i could get a 8.80 out of it if i shift it at a higher rpm. i really don`t want to blow it up, i can`t afford to rebuild the engine cause i used up all my cash buying the car.

 

[OUTLAW]

On my old 360 I used to shift it at 6200 rpm (stock valve springs on a medium hot cam) and on several occaisions I went higher (no need to go higher as performance dropped off after 6000 rpm). I did this for several years with out one failure of any kind.Also by accident I took it past 7000 rpm a couple of times before I got a rev limiter...LOL. A rule of thumb I was taught was to shift 3-500 rpm higher than peak pull of the motor. This has always worked for me on any engine. Not knowing how built or what condition your motor is in you need to determine this point. My new 360 I plan on shifting around 7500 to 8000 rpm . (I need to see how my new combination actually runs and where the torque seems to drop off at). Also I run a 4 speed which you normally run a little higher rpm with. But should give you an idea anyway.

 

[72dustyer]

There would be no need to shift any higher if it ain't makin anymore power. My 340 quits makin power @6800 rpm so thats it for it. I rev-limit it @7k. Somewhere I read on this forum that at neutral rev it until the valve trane starts to float then keep it 300=500 rpm under that. In theory, a stock 360 probably will be able to rev higher than a 340 because of rotating mass differences( a 340 RM is quite heavy).

 

[rumblefish360]

A stock 360 w/stock cam/valve gear shouldn't go to high. I can not say exactly, but,....

If you grab a tach and shift @ 5500 for starters, record time and speed, then try again @ 5300, you'll have a baselione to compare and where to go from there.

Of course, when the ET slows, you've gone to far. Have fun!