Torn between 360 or 408 .. Advice??

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Buy a kit but have a reputable local shop balance it. The term "balance" means different things to different people. Some companies take the manufacturers weight of the pistons, pins, rigs, rods and then "balance" the crank accordingly. End result is all the rods and pistons are different weight so it is not correctly "balanced". Don't fall for it, have a good local shop do the balance correctly.

And yes, with light rods and pistons internal balance should be not problem. The K1 cranks are nice, Scat I-beams are good, KB745 step dish pistons. You should pick up the book How to Build Big Inch Mopar Small Blocks. Lots of good info in there:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/193249457X/?tag=joeychgo-20
 
Don't skimp on the pistons..i myself prefer Diamond brand,as for cranks i run the Mopar performance "cast" in my 416..k1,eagle or scat rods should be fine but if your going to make any "real" power or rev that motor up around 8k,you want the best rods available and the best rod bolts..most of your power will be dictated by what cam and heads you choose,i have a 360 in my duster right now running the heads off my stroker and same cam..the 360 has gone 11.79(will be faster with the new cam going in soon) and the 416 runs 11.0's..so as you can see a 360 properly built can hang right with most strokers....
 
Hughes Engines has kits:

http://www.hughesengines.com/Index/...uZCAzNjAgZW5naW5lcw==&level1=U3Ryb2tlciBLaXRz

Here are some Scat kits:

http://www.strokerkits.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=56&Itemid=1

Mancini has some:

http://chucker54.stores.yahoo.net/smblstroas.html

You can also do a google search on "mopar stroker kits" and see many more.

I bought my Scat kit from Summit and go free shipping. Just have your local shop balance it. Scat's balance job is really lousy.
 
Make sure you get forged pistons. The 4" engines have very high piston speeds so forged is needed.
 
stroked 340 said:
What i'm saying is a stroker makes more power/tq if your going to build it use it..if all your doing is running around on the street its a waste!!!! thats like all the show only cars with their big mega cube motors that have never seen the strip what a Waste!!!
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see this i don't agree with. you guys that think that all guys that don't goto the drag strip do is put put to shows. what about guys that actually drive their cars? what about the guy that wants a ton of TQ so he can cruise the freeway with the A/C on and wants that passing power or the power to merge onto the highway. strokers are perfect for that. a ton of tq and idle and run like a stock motor. with the way you think anyone that doesn't race their car should just run a slant six then. why even put a v-8 in a car if your not goint to race it.
 
They mind set is more race like isn't it.

I agree with you Joe, more torque the merrier. Such is the argument of 318 vs. 360 in the days before stroking an engine was cheap and easy.

Wyoduster, once you get the short block togther, worry about the heads later.
 
I love my 408 and it will spend 95% on its life on the street. I had a guy try to tell me I would hate it. I don't get it, 2500 miles of all kinds of driving and I still can't stop grinning.
 
moper said:
The last 422 I did gets 17mpg and the E body it's in runs mid-high 12s with 3.23s and a cheap mild convertor. And iron heads...lol. 360 will be cheaper because of the items I mentioned. But, nothing can beat a properly matched 4" stroke combo on the street.
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I cheaped out with the 372 stroke on my 340 and it,s running 12.8.This spring I plan on low 12,s cause I,m not gonna be a pussy on my launch anymore(4 speed)I,m gonna giver all she,s got!I,m for the stroker all the way!!
 
I have a 360 in my Cuda now that I built pretty good. Ported X heads, Lunati cam, 3000 stall, 3:73 gears. Runs real nice and not too radical. But compared to a buddy's 69 dart with a mild stroker it feels like a dog. The awesome torque of his stroker feels like a decent running big block. I'm now in the process of building a stroker for mine. Nice thing is the bigger cubes lets you run a bigger cam and be less radical. Also plan on changing to taller 3.23 or 3.55 gears to make hwy cruising more pleasurable. After riding in a car of the same comparable weight I'm sold on the fantastic torque and docileness (is that a word?) of a stroker. You can probably build a good running 360 cheaper but if your not in a hurry (said you didn't have a car yet) I'd take my time and do a stroker. JMHO
 
Torque is what a street car needs and the stroker will give you tons of it.
 
I did a 408, 9.6:1 comp, cleaned up Edel heads, factory roller with a relatively mild cam (236/[email protected] .544/.541) through a 3" exhaust, mild 3000 stall convertor into a manual valve body 727 into a 3.73 dana with SS springs. My duster weighs 3485 without a driver (Dana, sub box, 2 amps, spare tire, tools, full tank of gas, etc). I run a Edelbrock 1406 (600 cfm) on the street, and a holley 750 DP mech on the strip.

With 87 octane on the street, if I keep my foot out of it, it get 10 mpg in the city, and 15 highway at 60 mph. It idles at 850, and pulls ~10 inches vacuum in gear (bounces some)!

With 92 octane (pump) on the strip, without slicks I can get 12.73's, and with slicks 12.26 best.

All around, a great combo. In street trim, at 30 mph in 1st gear, it will spin the 275/50/17 Nitto 450's into second gear, where it spins them several more revolutions (almost a full second). Has chirped a 3rd on occasion. I grin every time I drive it.

If you have the dough, do the 408.
 
340sFastback said:
Torque is what a street car needs and the stroker will give you tons of it.
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So torque is all I need to shoot for since my car is street only?

Should I throw horsepower to the wind?

Not trying to be a smart a-- just curious about everyone's opinion.
 
Rapid340 said:
The pistons listed with the 360 kit do not offer much compression in a standard rebuild with 70 cc heads and .050 head gasket. If you decide to go with a 360, I would get KB107's.
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How about some more info on your Duster?
 
mullinax95 said:
So torque is all I need to shoot for since my car is street only?

Should I throw horsepower to the wind?

Not trying to be a smart a-- just curious about everyone's opinion.
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Mully I don't think he meant to throw horsepower to the wind because you can balance things out but if you have street gears (3.91 or taller) and a reasonable street converter (3500 or less) torque is very important to get the car moving quickly. You can build a naturally aspirated 340 that'll make 600 hp and put it in a car with a 3,000 stall, 3.91 gears and 28" tires and it'll most likely be a pig down low and not be as fast as the same car, converter, and gears with a 408 that only makes 475 hp but has 200 ft. lbs. more torque down low. Of course that's providing it hooks up good to make use of that torque. JMHO

BTW: The gear ratio and torque converter stall I quoted is my personal preference of being the wildest I'd go on the street and that opinion will vary allot with different guys.
 
you'll get (and have gotten) ideas from a bunch of people, including me. There are budget ways to build a 4" arm engine that will do what you want now, with room to grow later. Torque is what wins races. On the track, and on the street. Simply put, the 4" arm makes more torque in the rpm ranges a street car worksin most of the time. So what do YOU want to do...lol. The items I consider must haves fro a stroked engine: Forged pistons, main studs, internal balancing, enough cylinder head with excellent valve work, and enough carburetor. You can use the cheapie cranks with no worries. And use factory redone rods, oil pan, windage tray, head castings, etc. These parts will be serivcable on a mild build, and remember a mild 4" arm engine will put you deep in hte 12s with highway gears. If you are "I want a 408 but only have $3500" then give it up and go with a performance 360 build.
 
mullinax95 said:
So torque is all I need to shoot for since my car is street only?

Should I throw horsepower to the wind?

Not trying to be a smart a-- just curious about everyone's opinion.
Click to expand...

I love how torque and horsepower are treated as different things. :-D

Regarding the 408, go for it. My advice: build a rock solid bottom end, don't be cheap. Upgrade your top end as you can afford it.
 
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