Good 400+ HP 360 build

[DartVadar]

So I'm wanting to put a 360 into my 73 dart, I'll be putting an 8 3/4 with 3.55 gears and I'm not sure about what I'm going to do about the converter. But I'm wondering how I can get 400+ hp out of it without stroking or boring ,the car will be a street/strip car.

 

[Baxter61]

comp xe268h cam, eddy air gap intake, headers, 100 shot of nitrous, goal exceeded

 

[autoxcuda]

So I'm wanting to put a 360 into my 73 dart, I'll be putting an 8 3/4 with 3.55 gears and I'm not sure about what I'm going to do about the converter. But I'm wondering how I can get 400+ hp out of it without stroking or boring ,the car will be a street/strip car.

So basically you are just doing a cam change?

You want to keep your old pistons, rods, etc.? So what pistons are in there right now? What compression?

 

[412 Stroker]

So basically you are just doing a cam change?

You want to keep your old pistons, rods, etc.? So what pistons are in there right now? What compression?

yep if you dont have the motor yet get a boneyard Magnum Roller block, with the right roller cam and intake, fairly easy 400hp, NOS not needed

 

[Woods74]

yep if you dont have the motor yet get a boneyard Magnum Roller block, with the right roller cam and intake, fairly easy 400hp, NOS not needed

x2 love those new blocks!

 

[RustyRatRod]

360 magnum engine, mutha thumpr hyd roller, ported Magnum heads, Eddy air gap, 800 Eddy Thunder carb, big tube headers. Hello 400 plus.

 

[MRL Performance]

The cheapest best way to get power is a solid flat tappet cam and good intake/carb setup.

 

[UOP]

448hp 434tq

http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/engine/hrdp_0804_small_block_mopar_engine/viewall.html

 

[DartVadar]

Well although a magnum would probably be the better choice I'm going to stick with an LA 360 because I already have a brand new top end. And I'm planning on replacing the pistons anyways, I just don't want to bore it out, I would prefer to keep the stock 360 bore and stroke. I'm starting to think that 400 hp without doing that may be a bit much, would around 350 be reasonable with the right tuning and cam then?

 

[doogievlg]

Do the classic combo of rpm intake 750 dp good cam and headers, forged flat top pistons and rods and 100 shot and your over 400.

 

[turboking15]

360 magnum engine, mutha thumpr hyd roller, ported Magnum heads, Eddy air gap, 800 Eddy Thunder carb, big tube headers. Hello 400 plus.

Just wondering why you suggested that camshaft? I have heard nothing but bad things about them, and that they are just a noise maker.

Do you have findings that say otherwise?

 

[ryansiki]

dont think its a specific camshaft. Thinks its a line of cams that gives the loud muscle car sound that some people go after....

 

[DartVadar]

Although they sounds cool, I've heard that they can actually hurt performance so I don't want to go with a thumpr cam. I have a comp 256XE cam that was initially for my 318 that crapped out, I know the cam would work, but is it too small? I guess I haven't really said my parts yet. I have a set of rebuilt J heads with 1.6 and 2.02 valves and hardened seats. Aluminum weilant 4 barrel intake manifold and a holly 650, and that 256 cam. I want to add new pistons and achieve close 9:1 compression or higher. I've been looking at other cam shafts such as the comp 262XE, but it says that I need adjustable valve train, why is that? What would happen if I run it without adjustable valve train?

 

[412 Stroker]

See this>> http://www.popularhotrodding.com/tech/1110phr_testing_three_cams_on_a_347_ford/viewall.html
I know it is a 347 stroker Ford small block, but in this engine the Thumper cam kicked the other 2 cams big time, I have one in my stroker and I am quite happy with it, until you run one you shouldn't bash them, IMO
A Tale of Three Cams
As no surprise, a quick call to COMP Cams’ Trent Goodwin confirmed that the most popular grinds in the SBF catalog are relatively mild designs that offer a great balance between sub-6,500 rpm power and low-speed driveability. The challenge was picking three cams that were different enough to show a measurable difference on the dyno, yet similar enough to where variations in horsepower and torque output could be pinpointed to specific differences in their lobe profiles. The smallest of the lot, which we’ll call Cam A for the sake of simplicity, is a 224/232-at-.050 unit with .555/.565-inch lift and a 112-degree lobe-separation angle. Cam B, the largest of the bunch, features 232/240 degrees of duration at .050, and .565/.574-inch lift, also with a 112-degree LSA. The wild card of the bunch is Cam C, which measures in at 227/241 degrees of duration at .050, with .531/.515-inch lift and a 107-degree LSA. As one of COMP’s Thumpr grinds, Cam C was designed with a lopey, aggressive-sounding idle in mind, and as such, it has a tighter LSA and an earlier exhaust valve opening point.
Based on specs alone, Cam B would seem to have the advantage on paper since it packs the most duration and lift, but that’s not how things played out on the dyno. Cam A was good for 437 hp at 6,000 rpm, and 409 lb-ft of torque at 4,900 rpm. As expected, Cam B improved upon those figures dramatically, kicking out 464 hp at 6,200 rpm and 426 lb-ft of torque at 5,100 rpm. Longer-duration cams typically sacrifice low-end torque for top end power, and predictably, Cam A held an advantage of 5 to 10 lb-ft of torque from 3,600 to 4,200 rpm. After that point, Cam B pulls ahead big time, holding a 15-25hp advantage throughout the rest of the power curve.
While the SAM crew slid Cam C into the block, since its duration specs fell in between Cams A and B, we expected horsepower output to fall somewhere in the middle as well. Boy, were we wrong. Cam C proved to be the most potent of them all despite giving up 5 degrees of intake duration to Cam B, and .034- and .059-inch of lift on the intake and exhaust valves, respectively. In fact, the Thumpr produced more torque down low than the smallest cam in the test, in addition to posting the highest peak output of 466 hp at 6,300 rpm. Peak output aside, the Thumpr trounced the 232/240-at-.050 grind by a large margin in the area-under-the-curve department, holding a 10-15 hp advantage throughout the majority of the power curve. The Thumpr proved to be the most rev-happy as well, pulling hard to 6,600 rpm, while Cam B was out of breath by 6,200 rpm.


Read more: http://www.popularhotrodding.com/te...cams_on_a_347_ford/viewall.html#ixzz2a1Yu69FM

 

[Beatnik]

Well although a magnum would probably be the better choice I'm going to stick with an LA 360 because I already have a brand new top end. And I'm planning on replacing the pistons anyways, I just don't want to bore it out, I would prefer to keep the stock 360 bore and stroke. I'm starting to think that 400 hp without doing that may be a bit much, would around 350 be reasonable with the right tuning and cam then?

Totally doable. Listen to Mike the Mopar "Whisperer" from MRL. Solid flat tappet in an LA is a good choice especially If your going new pistons and can get the compression up a little. What new top end do you have? Stock heads reworked? Aluminum heads? Intake? Nicely prepped heads and an air gap or rpm intake and Holley or Quick Fuel 750'ish carb will get you there no prob with a good cam. Devil is in the details...

 

[moparlover]

Well although a magnum would probably be the better choice I'm going to stick with an LA 360 because I already have a brand new top end. And I'm planning on replacing the pistons anyways, I just don't want to bore it out, I would prefer to keep the stock 360 bore and stroke. I'm starting to think that 400 hp without doing that may be a bit much, would around 350 be reasonable with the right tuning and cam then?

if replacing the pistons, you might just consider getting "zero deck" pistons. what they do for you is a couple of things. by making the piston flush with the deck (where the head meets the block) you end up with just about .040 of space from your gasket between the piston and the chamber in the head. this small amount of space gives "quench" space, which helps prevent pinging / detonation. the other thing is that these type of pistons will increase your compression ratio to somewhere between 9:1 and 10:1, increasing your horsepower substantially over the stock 7.5:1 or 8:1. it would be a good match for your new top end.

 

[YY1]

I wish that Hot Rod mag article had gone a head and tested the cam (or one that didn't require machining) with out the high dollar heads and rocker assemblies.

I used to know what the diff was between the 300 and 380 HP versions of that crate motor. Were the pistons different?

 

[DartVadar]

Totally doable. Listen to Mike the Mopar "Whisperer" from MRL. Solid flat tappet in an LA is a good choice especially If your going new pistons and can get the compression up a little. What new top end do you have? Stock heads reworked? Aluminum heads? Intake? Nicely prepped heads and an air gap or rpm intake and Holley or Quick Fuel 750'ish carb will get you there no prob with a good cam. Devil is in the details...

I have a set of 915 casting that came off of a 340 I'm pretty sure, they are rebuilt and have 1.6 and 2.02 valves in them. My intake is a weiland action plus, and I've got a 650 holly, I'm now starting to think it may be a bit too small of carb though. I'm wanting to keep this build somewhat cheaply, new pistons which will most likely be zero deck will be the last thing I really want to buy for this engine.

 

[moper]

If you have fresh heads (even stockers) all you need is a camshaft to make 400hp. If they are stock they might need the guides and spring seats machined for the springs many cams need and you might need valve retainers and locks - but none of that's a big deal or really expensive.
Take an LA shortblock - stick some performance pistons in it to get the static compression up a little, then stick a cam at least as big as the XE268 in it. you don't have to worry about "0" deck unless you want to add closed chamber heads in the future. personally I'm not a fan of those "sound" cams - not Comp's or Hughes. Stick a cam of 230-240° @ .050 and your intake, a slightly bigger carb (750cfm) of any manufacturer, some cheapie headers and a good ignition it will reach 400hp. The adjustable valve train is not necessary with cams equal to or smaller than the XE268. The reason they want you to have adjustability is because the lifter preload on the higher rpm lifters is very precise. More precise than the factory stuff allows. If it was me I'd say just go with the XE268 and use the factory lifters and 901-16 springs. Then it's all drop in stuff. Lunati requires a dual spring for thier "268" cams. Hughes likes big spring pressures too.

 

[mopardude318]

I like the LA platform better. I upgrade the heads anyway, and also use roller cams. no more flat tappet for me.

 

[crackedback]

350hp = XE268H in a well sorted out package.

If you want 400hp, you'll need a bigger camshaft.

 

[moturbopar]

Without, big cam, compression, or killer head flow, I think 400 is going to be hard to do. I think mill your heads, run some thin head gaskets, Howards 710461-10 (you could have the same cam ground on a 108 or 106 to bring up the cranking compression), headers, performer rpm, and a good carb would make for a nice strong runner. probably be 350hp maybe more, but strong torque. Should work well 3.55 gears. If you want more hp, spend some time with a grinder, or have some body do a good pocket port.

 

[1970Duster]

Roller cams only, even in non roller blocks.

 

[doogievlg]

Why don't you want to bore it? Don't forget a good converter!

 

[turboking15]

The cheapest best way to get power is a solid flat tappet cam and good intake/carb setup.

Would you pick a soild flat over a hyd roller?