340 upgrades.
[QUOTE='64 Cuda]This is kind of opening a can o' worms, but this thread seems to be the place to do it.
I have an early 340. Completely dis-assembled. The heads had a valve job 25 years ago & were bagged. I have Isky adjustable rockers & a new Direct Connection (Racer Brown) P3690769 Hyd. Cam & lifters (292 deg. .510 lift don't know lobe ctrs.) that I bought close to 30 years ago. I have 1 5/8" fenderwell headers w/fairly long primaries, factory windage tray, new Ansen 1 piece bellhousing, Savage racing flywheel, Savage clutch (somewhere) hardened tip distributor drive, high vol. oil pump, Moroso deep sump chrome oil pan Don't think I'll be using this), new Direct Connection magnafluxed double row timing set, might have a set of Isky valve springs (don't remember for sure), & probably a few other things, all bought when I was younger & stupider than I am now.
My car is a 1964 Barracuda with a 3.91 sure grip 8.75 rear, factory 4 speed (Unfortunately it has a 3.09 low & that awful drop to a 1.92 2nd. I would like to put in the OD conversion that changes to a 2.66 low and a .8 something OD but that's about $2000!), & hood scoop to seal to the engine.
This car WILL ABSOLUTELY have a six pack on it. (This portion is not open to negotiation) I also plan to add a Mopar electronic ignition distributor to it.
The car will mainly be street driven, hot rodded, cruising, etc. & will have air conditioning.
Soooooooo........... What does everybody think I should do when I build this engine? What C.R? I live in the boonies & will have to run it on whatever premium swill I can find. What cam? I'm sure there are better hydraulic grinds out there now. What about my heads? Leave them as is (maybe a port match) or should I try to do something to help them run on unleaded? I'm open to just about anything, suggestions, criticism, rants, whatever.
I plan to take my time, do it right, & hopefully never have to it again.[/QUOTE]
Okay, I brought this to the top because I've dug out some of my parts & now have a couple more questions. I looked at the heads I have. I thought they were early 340 heads but I guess I'm wrong. They have casting #3418915, which makes them early 70's 340/360 heads. I found a 360 cast in one of them, didn't check thr other. I have a picture of one below. Looks like somebody put 2.02 valves in them. I have the complete block with all it's components, disassembled. It is rusty but I don't think it's ever been bored so will probably be usable after cleaning, etc. The crank is forged & when removed from the engine it looked good. I covered the journals with grease, bagged it, made a wooden box for it & stood it on end & it has been that way since the early eighties. I also have a brand new Edelbrock 3 x 2 manifold with brand new Holley (aftermarket, side hung floats, mechanical secondaries) carbs that have never been on an engine. I also now have my choice of three transmissions, the original, a 66 dart trans (rebuilt, has slip yoke setup) & an OD 833. Probably will try to use the OD trans.
Now for the questions. What can I expect from the heads? I had them in plastic bags but the bags fell apart so they have a bit of surface rust & will need cleaned up. I will most likely have to have new guides put in (present ones have been knurled, I think) & hardened seats for unleaded gas. Any idea what this would cost? Is it worth the cost to convert them or should I sell these on eBay or something & look for some later head? I need to use the pre-Magnum heads so I can bolt up my six-pack. I think Mopar Performance sells a Magnum style head with the early manifold bolt holes. Or what about the Edelbrock heads? I'm not out for all-out performance, just cruising, dependability, & (of course) all I can get fort my money. There's a new Mopar crate engine, 410 cu in, 465 hp, 500 ft lb torque, with a complete six pack on it that I would love to use, but it costs about $10,000 & even if I sold all of the parts I have I don't think I could offset the cost enough to get it past the wife. Any thoughts or suggestions? Anybody interested in paying a bunch of money for the parts I have? :tongue10:
I'll be waiting to hear EVERYBODY'S opinions. Keep those cards & letters comin'.
:burnout:
[QUOTE='64 Cuda]This is kind of opening a can o' worms, but this thread seems to be the place to do it.
I have an early 340. Completely dis-assembled. The heads had a valve job 25 years ago & were bagged. I have Isky adjustable rockers & a new Direct Connection (Racer Brown) P3690769 Hyd. Cam & lifters (292 deg. .510 lift don't know lobe ctrs.) that I bought close to 30 years ago. I have 1 5/8" fenderwell headers w/fairly long primaries, factory windage tray, new Ansen 1 piece bellhousing, Savage racing flywheel, Savage clutch (somewhere) hardened tip distributor drive, high vol. oil pump, Moroso deep sump chrome oil pan Don't think I'll be using this), new Direct Connection magnafluxed double row timing set, might have a set of Isky valve springs (don't remember for sure), & probably a few other things, all bought when I was younger & stupider than I am now.
My car is a 1964 Barracuda with a 3.91 sure grip 8.75 rear, factory 4 speed (Unfortunately it has a 3.09 low & that awful drop to a 1.92 2nd. I would like to put in the OD conversion that changes to a 2.66 low and a .8 something OD but that's about $2000!), & hood scoop to seal to the engine.
This car WILL ABSOLUTELY have a six pack on it. (This portion is not open to negotiation) I also plan to add a Mopar electronic ignition distributor to it.
The car will mainly be street driven, hot rodded, cruising, etc. & will have air conditioning.
Soooooooo........... What does everybody think I should do when I build this engine? What C.R? I live in the boonies & will have to run it on whatever premium swill I can find. What cam? I'm sure there are better hydraulic grinds out there now. What about my heads? Leave them as is (maybe a port match) or should I try to do something to help them run on unleaded? I'm open to just about anything, suggestions, criticism, rants, whatever.
I plan to take my time, do it right, & hopefully never have to it again.[/QUOTE]
Okay, I brought this to the top because I've dug out some of my parts & now have a couple more questions. I looked at the heads I have. I thought they were early 340 heads but I guess I'm wrong. They have casting #3418915, which makes them early 70's 340/360 heads. I found a 360 cast in one of them, didn't check thr other. I have a picture of one below. Looks like somebody put 2.02 valves in them. I have the complete block with all it's components, disassembled. It is rusty but I don't think it's ever been bored so will probably be usable after cleaning, etc. The crank is forged & when removed from the engine it looked good. I covered the journals with grease, bagged it, made a wooden box for it & stood it on end & it has been that way since the early eighties. I also have a brand new Edelbrock 3 x 2 manifold with brand new Holley (aftermarket, side hung floats, mechanical secondaries) carbs that have never been on an engine. I also now have my choice of three transmissions, the original, a 66 dart trans (rebuilt, has slip yoke setup) & an OD 833. Probably will try to use the OD trans.
Now for the questions. What can I expect from the heads? I had them in plastic bags but the bags fell apart so they have a bit of surface rust & will need cleaned up. I will most likely have to have new guides put in (present ones have been knurled, I think) & hardened seats for unleaded gas. Any idea what this would cost? Is it worth the cost to convert them or should I sell these on eBay or something & look for some later head? I need to use the pre-Magnum heads so I can bolt up my six-pack. I think Mopar Performance sells a Magnum style head with the early manifold bolt holes. Or what about the Edelbrock heads? I'm not out for all-out performance, just cruising, dependability, & (of course) all I can get fort my money. There's a new Mopar crate engine, 410 cu in, 465 hp, 500 ft lb torque, with a complete six pack on it that I would love to use, but it costs about $10,000 & even if I sold all of the parts I have I don't think I could offset the cost enough to get it past the wife. Any thoughts or suggestions? Anybody interested in paying a bunch of money for the parts I have? :tongue10:
I'll be waiting to hear EVERYBODY'S opinions. Keep those cards & letters comin'.
:burnout: