cant choose which small block 2 get built

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fitchett

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what mopar small block is best to get built i want about 350-400 horse.getting professionaly built.
 
360 or stroke the 360 to a 408. Do yourself a favor and get a late 80s early 90s small block with a roller cam.
 
roller cam potential. Build a Magnum for better heads and cheaper rockers
 
im new 2 building cars the engine builder i called told me 360 with 350 horse for 3500 2 4000 grand canadian
 
It's fair money depending on the parts. If they use factory pistons, move on to someone else.
 
Gas ain't fixin to be cheap. I say do a stock stroke 318. You can get 350 HP easy with smart parts choices and still get 20 plus MPG driving responsibly. A 360 or stroker will be a gas hog from hell no matter what you do. 318s are plentiful and cheap to acquire. Just one man's opinion.
 
any 360, pick the right heads...and no, magnums are not better than any other head..in fact they suck in factory form.

Grab a short block built with kb107 pistons, some 'LA based' heads that flow in the 240-250cfm int range, an rpm air gap, some prw/comp 1.6 roller rockers, a 282*/.520 lift solid cam and top it with a 700 dbl pump holley, run an msd 6a ign box, a set of headman headers w/2 1/2 jegs mandrel exhaust kit. use 3.73-4.10 gears and if automatic trans..use about a 2800rpm stall convertor.

good luck
 
I guess if your calling an engine builder and are new to the car scene you probably dont haven a lot of experience. So here is some background info for you. The La series of smallblock's was produced from the mid 60's right up to about 1992. It was mostly a hydraulic cam motor,but from about 1986 or so there were roller cam La blocks built. In 92 the Magnum engine took over,which is roller cam block again.

Roller cams are expensive. You can retrofit a roller cam into a hydraulic block for about $1000 or so.

Solid cams make as much power as a roller without the expense. There is regular mainteneance though,like adjusting the rockers.

Hydraulic cams are what came from the factory in most La motors. They lend themselves well to a mild performance motor. Biggest thing about a hydraulic is the limited rpm potential due to valve float.

Both the hydraulic and solid cam need lots of zinc in the oil to live. You may need to use a zinc additive depending on oil brand.

The 360 has a bigger bore than the 318,and a longer stroke. More internal friction and cid means more fuel use than the 318. Use the best timing chain you can find on the 360,and a tensioner as the 360 has a very long timing chain.

The 318 is solid as an anvil. Been around for year's but needs good heads or port work to live up to it's potential.Low factory compression like the 360. Both motor's need either new pistons or lot's of meat cut from the heads to get compression up.
 
needsaresto said:
I guess if your calling an engine builder and are new to the car scene you probably dont haven a lot of experience. So here is some background info for you. The La series of smallblock's was produced from the mid 60's right up to about 1992. It was mostly a hydraulic cam motor,but from about 1986 or so there were roller cam La blocks built. In 92 the Magnum engine took over,which is roller cam block again.

Roller cams are expensive. You can retrofit a roller cam into a hydraulic block for about $1000 or so.

Solid cams make as much power as a roller without the expense. There is regular mainteneance though,like adjusting the rockers.

Hydraulic cams are what came from the factory in most La motors. They lend themselves well to a mild performance motor. Biggest thing about a hydraulic is the limited rpm potential due to valve float.

Both the hydraulic and solid cam need lots of zinc in the oil to live. You may need to use a zinc additive depending on oil brand.

The 360 has a bigger bore than the 318,and a longer stroke. More internal friction and cid means more fuel use than the 318. Use the best timing chain you can find on the 360,and a tensioner as the 360 has a very long timing chain.

The 318 is solid as an anvil. Been around for year's but needs good heads or port work to live up to it's potential.Low factory compression like the 360. Both motor's need either new pistons or lot's of meat cut from the heads to get compression up.
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a good hydraulic cam set up with the correct springs can turn 6500 rpm..

318 and 360 use the same timing chain ...so how can one be longer?

would not spend money on rebuilding a 318...machine work and parts would be the same cost a in a 360...the difference in gas mileage might be 1 or 2 miles per gallon at best..

with the same cam specs...a roller will make more hp and torque then a flat tappet cam...everyday of the week..but cost alot more unless you have an OEM block that accepts roller cam.
 
check out some of Imm's work in car craft magazine or Pm ou812 here at Fabo Brian's a great guy who has built engines and supplied parts to a lot of guys here , tell him exactly what you want from the car and he will tell you how to get it .
 
What do want the car/engine combo to acheive?Gas mileage,power,some of both?What are your needs and expectations? Think a bit,set parameters.You found the best Mopar knowledge bank on the planet,use it well.
 
fitchett said:
why 80's or 90's
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That is when Mopar made the LA roller cam block (think it was 88-91 only). You can find them in full size vans and full size pickups. I'll tell you now, that had I known about them before I got my current motor i would've built that instead. My current motor is a 340 which I picked up for next to dirt (the guy I got it from is a big block/Hemi guy so he had no use for the 340. Plus he let me drive the 71 cuda that he stuffed a 440 6bbl in, he even let me fire up his 1970 road runner with a 528 Hemi in it that car was a beast!).
 
Blueprint ? I heard some horror stories from that builder

Nope gas isn't cheap and its going higher, I think some of us are not going to be driving much this summer
 
paid $1.45 to $1.65 a liter{$5.50-$6.27 a us gallon} last year on my trip from Victoria bc to Kitchener ont. , got to love 26.4 inch tires and a 3.23 rear end ,got me 18-20 mpg with my 410 stroker all highway cruising , I'm going 3-4 times as far on this years trip I expect it will be back up to the same price again oh well beats flying to mexico to get robbed, beaten and or shot .
 
dodge freak said:
Blueprint ? I heard some horror stories from that builder
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Me too. If you search "blueprint engines" here there was a thread a couple yrs. ago about how screwed up one of their jobs was (for one they used a 1/16" ring pack on pistons made for 5/64" rings) and how they did their best to blame the customer. No way would I ever buy one of their engines.
 
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