Stop or keep going?

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greymouser7

Vagrant Vagabond “Veni Vidi Vici”
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I bought a 360 block from a jacksonville drag racer for $60.
block was supposed to be machined, including line honed, was .040 ,,late 70's block
a hone would not clean it up, they bored it out to .060" -they had to sleave only one cylinder for $125.
I plan on using this build/engine as a LOW rpm daily driver, will it be good enough?
Should I have the machine shop sonic check it?
or at <5000rpm am I probably okay without needing to worry?
thanks
 
I bought a 360 block from a jacksonville drag racer for $60.
block was supposed to be machined, including line honed, was .040 ,,late 70's block
a hone would not clean it up, they bored it out to .060" -they had to sleave only one cylinder for $125.
I plan on using this build/engine as a LOW rpm daily driver, will it be good enough?
Should I have the machine shop sonic check it?
or at <5000rpm am I probably okay without needing to worry?
thanks
It'll be fine.
I rev my 340 with a sleeve to 7200, its fine.
 
I would just so you know. Saving $100 or so could cost you more in the end if it's thin, even on a low performance budget build. Or eat the $60 if you haven't done anything to the block and find another. Sleaving them all back to stock would be ideal but costly.
 
run it. Big motor, low RPM's, low stress---long life. Did they bore the sleeve .060? Seen a few that had a std hole and the rest were bored. Ovesized badger piston was same weight as std.
 
How much to sonic check it? Or did they already do that? If they had to sleeve that one bore, I'd be wondering how thin the others have gotten. Did they just break out of that one bore?

I have a 360 block bored out .030" that is already approx .140" thick on the #1 cylinder's main thrust wall (inside wall) . That one bore shows considerable core shift. It would get down to .120-.125" if bored to .060"..... probably fine for a low end use street engine.

Oddly enough the average front and back wall thicknesses on that block are thinner than the inside and outside surfaces.
 
The higher the nickle the thinner you can run the cyl wall and it is stronger.
I had a metal salvage yard I used to buy steel and aluminum for a little over salvage price but anyway he had a hand held x-ray gun that analyzed metal and told you the content of the metal, I ask him if he could check the nickle content of a couple blocks, he said he could. In the meantime his dad died he was like 90 and owned the business, after that his son never came back and auctioned off the scrap and property. I haven't found anyone around that has one, I think they are like $10,000.00 so not easy to find in my price range. I'm just curious if the 68 vs 79 blocks have more nickle, some say yes some say no but a friend of mine worked for Chrysler and he said they reduced the amount of nickle in 73 to save money.
 
They broke out of the one bore. It has not been sonic checked. It has only been sleaved in one hole and that was the only hole that needed it. I found a deal on KB - 107 .060" pistons. I can put stock J heads or speedmaster aluminum heads. I was considering the L4B aluminum intake and a 1406 carb.
 
I think it will be fine too, but I just have to ask. Why do you always gravitate toward stuff that's almost junk/used up? Is it the cheap price? FOr what you're paying in machine work, you could have found a standard block that would clean at .030. Jes sayin.
 
I think it will be fine too, but I just have to ask. Why do you always gravitate toward stuff that's almost junk/used up? Is it the cheap price? FOr what you're paying in machine work, you could have found a standard block that would clean at .030. Jes sayin.
Everyone suddenly wants $500 for their 360 or 318 blocks around here. I see your point, but I am into the block for $185, less than half of what everyone around here is asking. I was willing to gamble the $60, but was thinking about all the talk here on FABO on overboring after they called about needing a sleeve.
 
If they broke through a wall boring, I would test it. In fact I would have tested it before they sleeved it. Better burn $60 then more.
 
Everyone suddenly wants $500 for their 360 or 318 blocks around here. I see your point, but I am into the block for $185, less than half of what everyone around here is asking. I was willing to gamble the $60, but was thinking about all the talk here on FABO on overboring after they called about needing a sleeve.

I get it. But .060 is pushin it for a late 70s block. I did a 417 years ago from a 77 360 at a .070 over bore, but I had it sonic tested. Ended up with about 700 in that bare block........in about 1998. The block is one place you really don't want to cut corners. Kinda like building a brick house on a straw foundation. Next time that engine needs a rebuild, better hope it doesn't need boring, because it probably won't take it.
 
Good news!, good news!

upload_2019-1-15_23-6-53.jpeg


One bank was completely 185 thousandths thick and the other was more (despite breaking through one cylinder) . For a 1977 block. WOOHOO 370” cubic inches of torque to enjoy!
 
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