Which year or years 360 is best

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Stepper

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I've searched extensively on this but can't seem to find an answer.

I currently have a 69 dart with a 318 (everything works blah blah..)

I want to swap in a 360 (most likely will do a 408 rebuild).

Therefore, which years of the 360/5.9 liter engines are most preferable.
And more importantly, are there years that should be avoided?

I've read conflicting write-ups and posts that certain years' blocks don't handle "refreshing/boring" well and should be avoided for rebuilds.

I've also read that LA 360s with Magnum heads are the best combo...but I don't know if that's true. I recall something with oiling passages between the block and heads being an issue though.

I'm not sure which years began the use of roller lifters...and if roller lifters really matter.

I'm building a street car that may see a track once or twice. I'd like good power, but I mostly want reliability balanced with the power.

Could someone please summarize for me if there are certain year ranges I should shop around for?

I'm kind of frustrated at this point trying to put all of the info together so that I can go shopping for a block or engine.

Thanks y'all,
Stepper
 
hey I don't know if this will be any help but i just rebuilt a 360 from a 74 ram truck. I was told that these blocks where a bit better to build than a regular 360. I thought it was a load of b.s. but i read in mopar action that there was true. There is a way to id the block and my motor guy said it is a better casting than the regular one. I did put a set of 360 heads that have been polished and ported with bigger stainless steel valves its just been put in the car so I cant tell you how good it is yet but that will change soon hope that helps cheers
 
any of the later roller engines are my choice, not sure when they came out, late 80's for the roller 360 with 308 heads, early 90's for the 5.9 magnum, roller cams produce a much wider power band, which is great in a street car
 
By god! Mopar Action said it was true!!!!!!!!! (not picking on you, read on)

You can't rely on magazines, written info, what your daughters uncles brother second nieces nephews great aunt said was the best, what I say, Rumble said, or anyone else here. The ONLY way to find a great block, is to inspect them. I have a 78 360 here, was a backwards turning marine engine, best 360 block I have ever seen, nice thick walls, NO casting lines, it is PRIMO! I also have a 74 318 block, that was complete crap, the casting line was even visible a couple inches up into the cylinder wall. (on the inside of the cylinder bore) Looking for big casting flaws in the valley is a start, but every block should be carefully inspected. AND, this is not common knowledge like one would think. There are a few of us here that have noticed quality differences from year to year as a whole, but again, like I said, I have a 78 that would make 99.9% of the blocks cry with envy. (It also happens to have no -# after the 360, telling me it is an original on a new mold)

If, I had to give any advice, if you were sorting through blocks from the outside, look for a -# more than the year, say, a -5 normally would be a better block than a -14. (generally, but really a piss poor way to tell)

Probably not the answer you were looking for, but there is no great formula or year.
 
For an FYI, years and years of tearing junk apart has taught me that the roller 318/360 blocks are by far the worst, as far as in general.......
 
i would go with as early as possible (ESPECIALLY if you plan on building a 408). the 360 was introduced in 1971 and up until about 73/74, the blocks were very strong and thick. They started using penny saving and weight saving techniques that really compromised the integrity when turning this 35+ year old iron into a high compression long stroke motor. Just my opinion, i have a 71' 360 block thats going to be a 408...someday! haha
 
Stepper said:
I've searched extensively on this but can't seem to find an answer.
Click to expand...

A really informative book is "How to Build Big-Inch Mopar Small Blocks" by Jim Szilagyi. Chapter dedicated to blocks (LA and Magnum) for use as stroker motor. Book states "Most 1975-1992 blocks can only be bored to about 0.030".


Stepper said:
I'm not sure which years began the use of roller lifters...and if roller lifters really matter.
Click to expand...

Roller LA360 1988-92


Stepper said:
I'm building a street car that may see a track once or twice. I'd like good power, but I mostly want reliability balanced with the power.
Click to expand...

That's the same goal I had. I stroked a 1992 LA360 Roller to a 408 and used the original 308 heads (ported). Also used stock style rollers and "dogbone". Used old LD-340 dual plane intake and a 950 Holley. Motor turned 443hp and 465 ft lb torque on engine dyno. Lots of fun for a mostly street driven car. See my "Ride along" video here: http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=130675
 
A really informative book is "How to Build Big-Inch Mopar Small Blocks" by Jim Szilagyi. Chapter dedicated to blocks (LA and Magnum) for use as stroker motor. Book states "Most 1975-1992 blocks can only be bored to about 0.030".
Click to expand...


how does he get that info tho? pulling it out of his ***? it varies from block to block!

grrrrrrrrrrrr

you have to LOOK at the block...........
 
dodgetkboy78 said:
how does he get that info tho? pulling it out of his ***? it varies from block to block! ...you have to LOOK at the block...........
Click to expand...

I checked his sources, he didn't list rectal extraction.

I would have to agree with you and Joe; if you really want to know you need to check. But I think the authors statement is "generally" correct. But then again, these are only my opinions.
 
Ok, loading pics from Cell phone is pissing me off....

Look at the cylinder bore, from the bottom. Right in the middle of the bored, near the bottom side of the cylinder bore, on the block side, and see if there is any visible line. If there is, it is NOT a well cast block. Also look from the valley, on the upper side of the bore, block side, for the same line. If it HAS a line, move on... If it doesn't, then check further, I looked at the bare blocks I have here in the shop, and NONE of them have it, because I pitch the ones with the casting flaws. From having a block actually split once, I stay away from them. The way I learned was after the block split. And it was a 70 340 block, running in a sprint car.

here's a pic of where I am saying to look, wish I had one with the lines....

Image0472.jpg


That is a 70 318-5 block in the picture, it's a nice one.
 
Demon 408 said:
I checked his sources, he didn't list rectal extraction.

I would have to agree with you and Joe; if you really want to know you need to check. But I think the authors statement is "generally" correct. But then again, these are only my opinions.
Click to expand...

LOL, I guess I have seen enough junk for the "good years" I am pretty skeptical is all.
 
I have a 73 360 block bored 60 over used it 2 years its hard blocked and no problems I even used 318 heads for a while, Now im building another 360 with lower compression you can have this block for $200 but you have to come to central pa to get it.
 
My understanding is that the 71 thru 74 360 blocks were cast from the 340 molding,Just with a 4" bore.I'm not sure how true this is,but the 71 thru 74 blocks are thought to be a lil better.Only true way to know is to have it sonic checked.
 
I'm running a 1978 360 block bored +.060

No issues at all so far. About 5000 miles now. In 90-95 degree temps the engine runs 180-185 in stop and go traffic. I'm running a 160 stat, a 3 core radiator and a fixed fan with a shroud.
 
ace26 said:
My understanding is that the 71 thru 74 360 blocks were cast from the 340 molding,Just with a 4" bore.I'm not sure how true this is,but the 71 thru 74 blocks are thought to be a lil better.Only true way to know is to have it sonic checked.
Click to expand...

The webbing, main size, and cap size is different on the 340 vs 360, so no, the 340 was it's own block mold. :iconbigg:
 
There is no "better" or "worse". Only ones that will work for what you want, and the rest. If you plan for a hydraulic roller, start with the 88-92 LA roller blocks. IMO, these tend to have teh best casting quality in terms of core shift and thickness. I've seen '71 casting 360s that were paper thin because the casting job sucked (core shift) and I've seen late 80s that could be bored to 4.10 safely. Again, all depends on the casting job. Not the casting core, but the actual pouring. Like Joe said - Have anything you look at tested. I bought a good sonic tester and it really opened my eyes to the BS that "tradition" and magazines and authors say on big and small blocks. IF you have to have "the strongest", you will have to test more than one or two. I've had 3 blocks over the years that I sleeved one to three holes because the bores would have been too thin for a stroker at .030 over factory. Too thin for me is less than .150" thick after finishing on the major thrust. If that spec is raised to .200 or thicker, at least 50% of the blocks you test will fail.
 
As an aside, I've had really good luck with my Magnum engine. There are a couple of little details that make the swap slightly more complex than a standard 360, but the Magnum makes more power OOB than a standard 360 (and my shortblock is straight out of the wrecking yard, runs 11s in a 3400 pound street car), and they've got good aftermarket heads now, so you don't have to run the cracky factory junk.

With the availability of the Indy X heads I wouldn't really worry about running magnum heads on an LA block. They are cheap, good heads without any of the rocker conversion headaches, or stock magnum head cracking issues.

If you're looking for a 90% street setup, I wouldn't worry too much about getting the best year block strength (OBVIOUSLY have it checked before you spend money having it machined). You just aren't going to put it to the kind of stress thats going to break even a bad one, and you're not going to bore it more than .030 anyway!

That strength stuff is mostly for racers to worry about. They are going to see lots of high rpm and cylinder pressure, and want a block they can go back and bore a couple of times.

Again, for a street setup, being able to run a hydraulic roller cam (without a bunch of machine work or expensive lifters) is going to pay WAY bigger dividends than block strength.

Hydraulic roller = More power and torque over a wider range in a streetable package, no worrying about lobes going flat, or zinc in the oil or any of that crap.

Where are you located?

Steve
 
Actually the late 74 through 75 blocks are the strongest. During that time iron was hard to come by and so in the casting process chrysler used more nickel in those blocks instead of iron because of supply and demand it was cheaper to use the nickel than the hefty price of iron.
 
Thanks guys. That's all great info.
I'm up in the Detroit area, a northern suburb of Detroit.

One follow on question, is there a difference with the truck 5.9s?

There's plenty of truck 5.9s up here in the U Pull It yards that I can get my hands on. But I don't want to jump on one and not be able to use it.

Thanks again.
 
No difference in any blocks, marine, truck, motorhome...... Some are good, some aren't.

BTW, I think GM changed the compound in their blocks making them better, Chrysler used the same good stuff the whole time. As far as "hard" blocks, the newer ones seem to be harder. Not really a great thing though.
 
nickel has never been cheaper than iron
plymouth67 said:
Actually the late 74 through 75 blocks are the strongest. During that time iron was hard to come by and so in the casting process chrysler used more nickel in those blocks instead of iron because of supply and demand it was cheaper to use the nickel than the hefty price of iron.
Click to expand...

nickel has never been cheaper than iron, it averages around 10 times the price, they may have changed the content for other reasons though
 
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