So Frustrated!

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roughidle said:
It's just so frustrating...

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Sorry, I couldn't help myself, I just saw the title of the thread and had to post....I never even read what your issue was...Hope your Friday is going better!
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LMAO! Thanks I needed that laugh!
 
1st off.....Do you trust that engine shop? If not, I'd get a second opinion...you might get a pleasant surprise! (they may just be wanting to "drum up some business")
 
Oh ya forgot about the engine shop in my earlier post. So talked to them again asked them what the cost will be if they do just the machine work to the block, crank, heads and everything else, Im told $1500. Asked them what type of parts they were planning on using in the rebuild. I was told basic pistons and so on figuring this was the case. So Im still stuck buying parts for the engine if I do it myself and I figure I could spend way more than $700 on buying at least some decent parts for a very mild build.

My decision now is to try to find a complete engine somewhere else. Like the magnum engine we have talked about. I know its been brought up about a earlier 80's engine, but how about late 70's style 360. Are there any years I should try to avoid or engines for that matter.
 
straightlinespeed said:
Oh ya forgot about the engine shop in my earlier post. So talked to them again asked them what the cost will be if they do just the machine work to the block, crank, heads and everything else, Im told $1500. Asked them what type of parts they were planning on using in the rebuild. I was told basic pistons and so on figuring this was the case. So Im still stuck buying parts for the engine if I do it myself and I figure I could spend way more than $700 on buying at least some decent parts for a very mild build.

My decision now is to try to find a complete engine somewhere else. Like the magnum engine we have talked about. I know its been brought up about a earlier 80's engine, but how about late 70's style 360. Are there any years I should try to avoid or engines for that matter.
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nope. any 360 up through '92 is fine. try to find a car that older folks liked to drive. bigger cars.

you might want to avoid the ones out of HD pickups, or anything that is super high mileage. HD vans are fine though, usually. the pickups take more of a beating i'm afraid. same goes for rear axles if you ever go shopping for those :D
 
straightlinespeed said:
So I have a lead on a 01 360 R/T engine with 154k for 500. Thoughts?
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I wouldn't even think about it. 154,000 miles is a lot of miles. Most likely 80-90% worn out. Plus magnum's have a huge problem with heads cracking between the valve seats. And don't fall for the hype that an engine out of a dakota R/T is any different than any other 360 magnum truck because they aren't. Mopar just grabbed a 360 Ram engine and slapped it into a Dakota and stuck R/T emblems on it. Don't get me wrong, their fine engines, just nothing special.
 
straightlinespeed said:
So I have a lead on a 01 360 R/T engine with 154k for 500. Thoughts?
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Go look at it if the cylinder heads are off.

The thing that a lot of people don't think about is how well the engine has been maintained and how it was driven.

I have a friend who has 3 360 magnum engines pulled from fleet airport vans that still show cylinder hatch and good crank journals, because they were mostly highway miles and they always keep them running/ warm with little startup wear, which is where most of the cylinder wear happens (cold start).

These engines have over 300K on them and look fantastic inside. Milage has a lot less contributing destruction on fuel injected engines, especially with new oil/ roller cam technology. When muscle cars were made, multi-grade oil wasn't widely used and viscosity was all over the place. They relied on crap like lead and tons of zinc to keep engines from destroying themselves back then. That '01 is a different story.

That is a Magnum engine, by the way, but don't be afraid of it.
 
Mine had 100+k,mileage wise.Cam had a lobe going flat.Sweet crosshatch on the bores,minimal wear,on the bearings.
 
Abodybomber said:
Mine had 100+k,mileage wise.Cam had a lobe going flat.Sweet crosshatch on the bores,minimal wear,on the bearings.
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Exactly.

The cylinder heads suffer on the 360 engines if they are neglected, but mileage is completely moot on an engine build if you are going through it. If you are going through an engine with nothing in mind except for a re-ring or even just building a used motor that is in good condition, all you need to do is inspect and measure the wear surfaces.

Get a good look at the heads, look for cracks at the valve seats, burned out/ white/ corroded areas on the seats, look at the mating surfaces for damage, look at the piston tops, cylinder walls, crank journals, cam lobes for discoloration, etc.

That '01 engine will likely need a dual bolt pattern or a magnum pattern 4bbl intake. Most of the time, you're buying those engines with carburetion in mind and they do require a few mod parts to get them shoehorned into your car, but they are nice engines. The Magnums being fuel injected also used electric fuel pumps and I can't remember if they have provisions on the timing cover for a mechanical pump or not.

If you are willing to look out of state to get something, I have several LA 318 and 360 short block assemblies that I can measure. Some of them have been machined and some are still assembled. I know that I have at least one 360 core that has the piston/ rod assemblies with less than .007" taper that would do well with a re-ring. The crank would need turned. I'd have to look at it again to see if it has been, but it was running when it was disassembled. Unfortunately, I lost the heads when the machine shop I paid $400 to go through them closed up and sledge hammered everything that I didn't get back. They set aside a pair of 318 heads that were gone through and mistook them for my 360 heads... so I have those, too, if you are looking for a cheap set of standard 318 heads for a 318 short block. I'm not going to use them on anything I have at the moment.

I'd be happy to look through my junk and see what I've got with a caliper, if you can't find anything, locally.
 
I sure hope it's this one. It took me less than a minute to find it and I'm several states away!!

CL ad for E58 engine

It says it's set up for a truck, but that would be an easy fix.
 
BrianT said:
I sure hope it's this one. It took me less than a minute to find it and I'm several states away!!

CL ad for E58 engine

It says it's set up for a truck, but that would be an easy fix.
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I don't know that I'd change anything about it on a street car.

If it's set up for torque, that's where you'd want the pull, anyway. Down low.

That's a good deal on a good engine.
 
I meant that it has a truck oil pan and pickup. That would need to be changed.

The ad says it needs to be rebuilt, but if I was looking for a cheap engine, that is where I would start. He says he's been tripping over it for a while. Go in there with $250 cash and you might be surprised.
 
Was going to say it needs a rebuild. Arent I better off finding something that has less than lets say 75k on it and using it as is right now? Especially if all checks out and seems to be good.

I did find a entire 84 truck with a 360, aftermarket heads, intake and carb. Just waiting to hear back from him on how many miles are on that one. Lots of complete vehicles out there for under $1500 with somewhat low miles
 
Sorry, I jumped into the thread kinda late. I read the first page and saw that you had a 318 at the machine shop, and then I jumped to page three. My bad.

The engine above would be a great candidate if you were looking for a engine to rebuild. If you are looking for something you can drop in, keep searching Craigslist at least twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening. Deals are out there on running/rebuilt engines, but they don't come looking for you!! Good luck.
 
I don't know how far Trego is from you, but here is a 360 with 54k miles on it for the same $350. I'm not saying it's gold, but this is how deals are found. You have to look for them.

Trego, WI ad
 
Thanks again Brian. I did email that person in the last link you gave. Have not heard back yet. There are so many different ways to search, its all keywords. I try to hit them all. Thanks again
 
straightlinespeed said:
Thanks again Brian. I did email that person in the last link you gave. Have not heard back yet. There are so many different ways to search, its all keywords. I try to hit them all. Thanks again
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You're welcome. I have a phone app that tells me if anyone within 150 miles of me posts something for sale that says either Mopar, 340, 360 etc in the auto parts for sale section. Most of the time, it's the same ads over and over again, but when that one ad pops up that you're interested in, you'll be one of the first people to contact the seller.
 
What?!?!?! I need to find me that app. Hopefully that would save me some time searching! PM me what the app name is if you dont mind.
 
It's an Android app called "Craigslist Notifica" It is no longer available because the owners of Craigslist sue everybody who tries to develop software that helps people search CL for some reason?!?!

I did a search and found someone on an Android forum and he gave me a link to an old version that he had stored before "Craigslist Notifica" went away. It's not as good as the original app, but you can still set search parameters and it's better than blindly searching the FIVE different Craigslists in my area.

Here is the link I used, and it works fine for me. I must warn you about downloading software from unknown sources to your phone, sometimes it can be hazardous. Do so at your own risk. Just type the following into the browser of your phone. Good luck.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18474790/com....android-1.apk
 
Damn, typed it in the way you have it and comes up with a error. Oh well! I'll keep searching the old way, Thanks again!
 
I would just like to thank everyone once again for all the input on this thread!

Ive found a few 360 engines, an 89 with 85k and 97 with 85k. These engines are already pulled so no hearing them run. Still waiting to hear from the others I have emailed. They are looking for around $500, which Im sure I can get them down. Seems to be very consistent for this area. Im going to keep looking, hopefully something great comes along. Im just unsure of what year engine to go with. To much info in my head and its all getting mixed up LOL
 
straightlinespeed said:
So I finally hear back from the engine shop about my 318. They had it for 3 weeks. Today I get the call that the entire engine is shot, rotating assembly, block, heads all of it. The person I bought it from had reciepts for the engine work that was done prior. Obviously who ever did the work messed it up big time. I got a quote back for $2200 for the machine work, and parts.

I was expecting very minor machine work. Is a 318 worth putting that kind of money into? Is that normal for a engine job? I had a Chev 350 that had a total rebuild and I was only into that $800 for everything. Would I be better off having them do the machining and buy the parts myself or could that add up to more. Im assuming they arent doing anything fancy just pistons sized to the bore job, rods and bearings. Then a complete rebuild of the heads. UGH!!:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:
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I wouldn't spend that much on a 318 when you can go to a parts house a buy a rebuilt 360 for about the same price with 3yr warranty. I know you've decided to find an engine. I was just saying. That guy was out of his mind lol
 
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