My 360 rebuild adventure.

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Ok, I'm done buying stuff for the day....

$2,700.00 spent in one day. I started itching for the intake manifold and carb to get here too :(
 
JohnnyRingo said:
Ok, now you're scaring me with the whole having me pegged part. I went with this machine shop (It's actually part of the NAPA store here in Portland) and came recommended by a guy my dad dealt with through Napa way back in the day. Are those prices too high? Are they doing work that's not necessary?

Thanks!
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Those prices don't sound out of line. Right about the same ballpark as what I'm looking at here.

The head work is a little higher than what I was quoted but I didn't have stuck or broken manifold bolts either.

Sounds like your doing OK.
 
I think you went a little tame on the cam, but you know what? That always works out better than going too big. Similar with carburetors. PIck one too big and it's a dog. Pick one too small and it'll set your eyeballs back in your head down low and leave a little off the top. I think it'll work good for you though. I picked the 60403 for my 318. I WANTED the 60404 but that wouldda been too big. I am still tempted, but I ain't doin it. lol
 
StrokerScamp said:
I think you went a little tame on the cam, but you know what? That always works out better than going too big. Similar with carburetors. PIck one too big and it's a dog. Pick one too small and it'll set your eyeballs back in your head down low and leave a little off the top. I think it'll work good for you though. I picked the 60403 for my 318. I WANTED the 60404 but that wouldda been too big. I am still tempted, but I ain't doin it. lol
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Gotcha..I know nothing about cams..but that's good to know either way. In the end, I called Lunati tech support and talked to them on the phone about what I wanted/what my engine configuration is. I said I wanted a nice solid street motor with power and a nice throaty muscle car sound without excessive chop. That's when he recommended that cam. What would the next bigger cam do for me if I were to swap it out?

Conversely, the 270 magnum cam that I listed from COMP on the first page is what COMP recommended I buy for the same similar setup if that helps out with anything too.

Thanks!
 
Badsport said:
Those prices don't sound out of line. Right about the same ballpark as what I'm looking at here.

The head work is a little higher than what I was quoted but I didn't have stuck or broken manifold bolts either.

Sounds like your doing OK.
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Sounds great, thanks a lot. I'll show pictures of their work when I get it all back.
 
The current pricing sounds fine for repair-type machine work. I don;t think you're getting screwed at all. But make sure you get the matching valve springs for that Lunati cam, and tell the shop they will need to do work for them to fit. I'd also replace the valves with the stainless performance valves and have them do the valve job for the 2.02/1.65s.
 
moper said:
The current pricing sounds fine for repair-type machine work. I don;t think you're getting screwed at all. But make sure you get the matching valve springs for that Lunati cam, and tell the shop they will need to do work for them to fit. I'd also replace the valves with the stainless performance valves and have them do the valve job for the 2.02/1.65s.
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Copy that, I assume I'll need to order those springs directly through Lunati or Summit for that cam? Thanks for the heads up!

As far as the valves go. I called them yesterday and spoke with them about that. The impression I got was that the advantages were negligible and more likely would open up a can of worms for what I was going for, prone to cause problems down the road, etc.
 
Well, the FedEx guy JUST dropped off some presents to me :)

DSC_0390.jpg
 
I think you oughtta go with that cam. It's gonna run like a scalded dawg.
 
So a couple random thoughts here..

On the subject of rocker arms--is there anything wrong with cleaning up and using the stock rocker arms/bar in this engine? I would guess that there's no benefit in going out and buying aluminum rocker arms for this setup when I'm already using stock cast iron heads. Is there another advantage in using aftermarket rocker arms other than weight reduction?

I'll call Lunati on Monday and talk to them about matching up the appropriate valve springs to my cam/lifter set that I got.

Also going to order an ARP engine accessory bolt kit just to make sure I have all new fresh bolts and washers going in on this engine and I can toss all the old bolts aside and play it safe with nice clean ones with no stress.
 
Update: I have my engine back!

Pictures to come soon, but, here are the damages for the machine shop work so far.

Block Prep/Magnaflux/Hot tank fees - $150.00
Reboring the cylinders to .030 over - $176.00
Crank Grinding - $99.33
Engine Balancing - $200.00
Cylinder head work (grinding, seats, spring install, removing rusted bolts etc) - $450.00
All of that, and they installed all the cam bearings/galley plugs/freeze plugs, threw five quarts of break-in oil in and some other stuff for a grand total of $1,178.68.

More than happy with their quality of work and customer service (East side NAPA store in Portland, OR).

Now I'm jonesing to get this thing put together :)
 
I'm not sure you could find a better deal. All that is dang good I think.
 
The only advantage would be a roller tip and a better ratio. On a cam that size and on a street car, I wouldn't worry about it. The stock stuff will work just fine.

JohnnyRingo said:
So a couple random thoughts here..

On the subject of rocker arms--is there anything wrong with cleaning up and using the stock rocker arms/bar in this engine? I would guess that there's no benefit in going out and buying aluminum rocker arms for this setup when I'm already using stock cast iron heads. Is there another advantage in using aftermarket rocker arms other than weight reduction?

I'll call Lunati on Monday and talk to them about matching up the appropriate valve springs to my cam/lifter set that I got.

Also going to order an ARP engine accessory bolt kit just to make sure I have all new fresh bolts and washers going in on this engine and I can toss all the old bolts aside and play it safe with nice clean ones with no stress.
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The cam is a good street cam and the machine shop prices are comparable to our shop... Glad to see to Balanced it also!

And are those combat boots?
 
StrokerScamp said:
The only advantage would be a roller tip and a better ratio. On a cam that size and on a street car, I wouldn't worry about it. The stock stuff will work just fine.
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Perfect, thanks a lot. I REALLY wasn't wanting to spend $600 something on a set of rocker arms if mine were to work just fine.
 
Nice thread, will be following. I have a 360 from my duster, 125k, ran smooth, thinking seriously of rebuild & maybe balancing, so, good info for me here!.
 
Rice Nuker said:
Nice thread, will be following. I have a 360 from my duster, 125k, ran smooth, thinking seriously of rebuild & maybe balancing, so, good info for me here!.
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Thanks! I'm learning something new each day myself. I just ordered a couple of manuals on rebuilding small block Mopar engines to help me tackle this whole thing.
 
hmmm...yard near Portland that specializes in Mopar and charged you $600. Sounds like Wildcat, but I could be wrong-never went there because I heard too many stories and for what they charged I would scrounge and find much cheaper. I realize some don't have the option of hitting yards and having contacts as well as Wildcat being a business, but somethings are just obscene (kinda along the line of thought "Where is the line betweeen art and ****? I can't describe it but I'll tell you when I see it)

Glad to see it didn't dampen your enthusiasm and you are making up the difference on the backside. In here everybody will help you out be it with experienced advice, where to find stuff, and such.
 
I just found this post and figured I would share my experience. I am going through my own 360 adventure right now as well. Just like the original poster I don`t have a ton of experience with engines.

My story begins with a 360 I found on Craigslist for $300.00 description of motor 360: early 70's chrysler 360 v8 engine. It needs to be rebuilt. It comes with adjustable pushrods, 1.6 rockers, performance camshaft, aluminum weiand 4bbl intake, and chrome moroso valve covers. after looking at this ad for a while I realized I knew who had this motor I saw it about a year before at his shop. The seller told me he knew it had one bad piston a chunk broke off it and he shut it down to avoid further damage. He didn`t know much about this motor since it came in the car he bought but felt aside from the bad piston it was ok. He bought a crate motor for his Dart and set this motor aside.
So I took a chance and bought it hoping for a mild street engine at an awesome price I really don`t think the seller was dishonest or anything like that.
Now the fun begins after about a week and a half the machine shop finally gets it apart and gives me the diagnosis. It`s not good, bad piston check I knew that plus 3 other pistons had cracked rings cam and lifters worn out crank has been turned can`t turn it anymore basically the crank is junk, heads were cracked and repaired machinist advised against using them so the heads are junk ok didn`t expect all that!
Basically I bought a block with a .030 bore,aluminum intake rocker arms and valve covers for $300.00. Now my great deal on a motor has turned into an ok deal on some parts.
A few more weeks pass with me deciding what i`m gonna do. I have decided to stroke it out to a 408 there goes $1200 for the kit. I also went with Indy cast iron X heads with the S/S 2.02 valves "boom" another $1200 gone. It will probably be another $1200 for the cam/lifters and mach shop work when all is said and done. Plus another $225 already spent on an electronic ignition setup and distributor from Mancini, and I still need to buy a carb! Another week passes...
So the heads arrive the other day and I go to the mach shop to drop them off and I ask how the progress is going and i`m told the stroker kit shipped today it`ll arrive tomorrow but were on vacation next week and wont be back untill July 9`th! :angry5: At least when this is done it will be a kick *** engine and i`ll know exactly whats in it!

Oh yeah one more thing! The seller knew someone who wanted the Moroso valve covers and I had no interest in them and took a pair of Mopar Performance cast Aluminum valve covers with the black wrinkle finish instead, and found a crack in one the other day! :banghead:

Here is a pic of my 360 $300.00 deal!
And a pic of my valve covers I stripped and media blasted them to bare metal, V`ed out the crack and a little JB weld and voila! I think they came out BITCHIN!

Lastly I got a couple questions on my old pistons and rods if anyone cares to chime in.They are Keith Black Hyperutectic Pistons 7 of them are still good are they worth anything to anyone? Same question for the original heads they still have the valves and springs in them and the crack was repaired I just didn`t want to risk using these heads on my build. Are they worth anything or should I just junk them for scrap money?
 

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V-100 said:
hmmm...yard near Portland that specializes in Mopar and charged you $600. Sounds like Wildcat, but I could be wrong-never went there because I heard too many stories and for what they charged I would scrounge and find much cheaper. I realize some don't have the option of hitting yards and having contacts as well as Wildcat being a business, but somethings are just obscene (kinda along the line of thought "Where is the line betweeen art and ****? I can't describe it but I'll tell you when I see it)

Glad to see it didn't dampen your enthusiasm and you are making up the difference on the backside. In here everybody will help you out be it with experienced advice, where to find stuff, and such.
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I won't comment on the business name, but they are offering to take care of me and give me a credit towards business with them which goes a long way with me. Now maybe I can get those hard to find Dart letters for a good price in good condition.

It kind of killed my mood at first, but now I'm kind of jumping into this whole thing head first and I'm really enjoying it a lot. Prior to any of this, I couldn't tell you what a third of these parts were, and now I know. So it's been a good thing for me, and it gives me another hobby other than spending money on video games/beer/whatever.
 
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