1990 360 engine, trying to retrofit it to use a mechanical fuel pump.

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Kern Dog

Kern Dog

Build your car to handle.
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Hey there. A couple months back, I bought this:

IMG_8407.JPG


It is a 1990 360 from a van. It has a car oil pan and a few goodies already in place including the valve covers, Air Gap intake and this:

IMG_8410.JPG


As you can see, water went through it, maybe due to a bad head gasket or cracked heads.
My question here is regarding the fuel pump. These EFI engines had the hole blocked off where the mechanical pump usually fits but I've heard that an aftermarket pump eccentric allows you to retain a traditional mechanical pump.
Who makes these things and who sells them?
Thanks....
 
Unfortunately I believe Hughes Engines is your only source for the cam extension and eccentric you need for the short nosed roller cam you’ve got …

Hughes Engines
 
Kern Dog said:
Hey there. A couple months back, I bought this:

View attachment 1716331305

It is a 1990 360 from a van. It has a car oil pan and a few goodies already in place including the valve covers, Air Gap intake and this:

View attachment 1716331306

As you can see, water went through it, maybe due to a bad head gasket or cracked heads.
My question here is regarding the fuel pump. These EFI engines had the hole blocked off where the mechanical pump usually fits but I've heard that an aftermarket pump eccentric allows you to retain a traditional mechanical pump.
Who makes these things and who sells them?
Thanks....
Click to expand...
The '89-'91 360 tk roller should be the same cam as the '85-'89 318 pass. car roller, which had a mechanical pump...take the block-off plate off & look inside, there may already be an eccentric in there, or a spacer which would be swapped out w/a factory eccentric.
 
Holy crap, that would be a nice score.
I like the simplicity of a basic mechanical pump.
Otherwise....


​

HUG 7013​

CAM SNOUT EXTENSION (SHORT SNOUT)
87-02 V6 & V8 EXTENDS LENGTH OF CAM SNOUT FOR FUEL PUMP ECCENTRIC
$37.50


HughesExclusive.jpg

87-02 V6 & V8 Extends Length Of Cam Snout For Fuel Pump Eccentric Most hydraulic roller-cammed small blocks have a short snout (nose) on the front of the cam because they are normally used with in-tank electric fuel pumps. If a mechanical fuel pump is to be used, this cam snout extension is required to provide a mounting for the fuel pump eccentric.(P/N 10003) Includes cam bolt, custom cam washer, snout extension and offset key.
hug7013a.jpg
 
woof. i'd say the water ingress is from there not being a carb on it... rarely do you get intake runners that funkalicious from a bad headgasket or cracked head/seat area.

we talked about this previously...

www.forabodiesonly.com

Mechanical fuel pump on a roller cammed 360?

I have no experience with the 318s and 360s once they were fitted with roller cams and lifters. I have even less experience with the Magnum series engines. A friend may be willing to part with an '89 360 that had a roller cam but he swapped in a hydraulic flat tappet setup in it. I'd like to use...
www.forabodiesonly.com www.forabodiesonly.com

i'll echo what killer and 72 said: check what you've got cookin' first and if you do need the adapter hughes is the place to get it. for better or for worse.
 
I forgot about that thread!
The engine was thought to be an '89 but the casting date reads XX-XX-90. It is an LA series of course. I thought it was a flat tappet engine but it is not.
I had much of that story wrong.

Quoted from that thread of mine that you linked, authored by "Professor Fate":

Roller LAs (from the factory) all had long snout cams. Some passcar rollers (non-TBI, with feedback carbs- usually found in Fifth Avenues and the like) already had mechanical fuel pumps. The later '88-'91/'92 TBI motors (found in trucks and vans) used an electric fuel pump in the tank and did not have the mechanical pump, however they still retained the long nose cam. The timing cover either used a block-off plate or did not have the pump boss finish machined, and did not have an eccentric installed on the cam- there was a special deeper cam washer used to make up the difference in depth with the eccentric deleted. Use a standard LA cam bolt washer and the eccentric is a bolt-on; either remove the fuel pump block-off plate or finish opening up the fuel pump boss on the timing cover- depending which you have- and you're good to go (or swap covers if you don't feel like opening up the boss on the TBI cover).
Magnums all had short snout cams and need the Hughes adapter and a timing cover/water pump/accessory drive swap if you want to use a mechanical pump.
Side note: Don't try to use a Magnum cam in a roller LA- it will fit and run, but it's lobes are ground for the Magnum's 1.6:1 rocker ratio and there will be a resultant power loss when run with the LA's 1.5:1 rockers.
Conversely, a factory LA roller cam used in a Magnum can give a nice little low-cost power boost with the Mag's higher ratio rockers.
 
I am not impressed with the Hughes engine cam nose extension... It does not look robust when I used it, I had to modify it myself...

I would recommend getting a cam made with the longer nose for the mechanical pump...
 
junkyardhero said:
woof. i'd say the water ingress is from there not being a carb on it... rarely do you get intake runners that funkalicious from a bad headgasket or cracked head/seat area.

we talked about this previously...

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i'll echo what killer and 72 said: check what you've got cookin' first and if you do need the adapter hughes is the place to get it. for better or for worse.
Click to expand...
The first time I discovered a roller 'teener on the job was a red '85 Dippy, the head gasket started leaking on #7, just past the warranty....not a ton of miles for the year on it either. Sam also had an '83 Cordoba, gold w/a brown top, all well maintained & garaged indoors.....one never knows.
 
Didn't read all the response, but my '89 roller 360 not only had the long cam snout, but it also had the fuel pump eccentric on it even though it was throttle body injected.
 
I’ll echo the above. The La roller will have a long snout cam. The magnum series is when they went to a short snout. The change came with the magnum timing cover.
 
I have seen no less than six 1990 360 roller cam engines WITH short snout cam. I have seen them with the eccentric in place as well. My guess is later or closer to end of LA production is when the changeover began to happen. Best thing to do is pop the block off loose and take a peek.
 
junkyardhero said:
woof. i'd say the water ingress is from there not being a carb on it... rarely do you get intake runners that funkalicious from a bad headgasket or cracked head/seat area.

we talked about this previously...

www.forabodiesonly.com

Mechanical fuel pump on a roller cammed 360?

I have no experience with the 318s and 360s once they were fitted with roller cams and lifters. I have even less experience with the Magnum series engines. A friend may be willing to part with an '89 360 that had a roller cam but he swapped in a hydraulic flat tappet setup in it. I'd like to use...
www.forabodiesonly.com www.forabodiesonly.com

i'll echo what killer and 72 said: check what you've got cookin' first and if you do need the adapter hughes is the place to get it. for better or for worse.
Click to expand...
This ^^^. The water induction is from the thing sittin out in the weather.
 
junkyardhero said:
woof. i'd say the water ingress is from there not being a carb on it... rarely do you get intake runners that funkalicious from a bad headgasket or cracked head/seat area.
Click to expand...

That could be. They pulled this engine and swapped in a stock rebuilt 360. He thought this had a bad head gasket but who knows. I'll dig in after New Year's and report back on it.
 
Killer6 said:
The first time I discovered a roller 'teener on the job was a red '85 Dippy, the head gasket started leaking on #7, just past the warranty....not a ton of miles for the year on it either. Sam also had an '83 Cordoba, gold w/a brown top, all well maintained & garaged indoors.....one never knows.
Click to expand...
yeah the year break with roller motors is kind of odd, lots of numbers thrown around but to my (albeit limited) knowledge there wasn't a set in stone date for the roll out. i've seen stuff as early as 85 have 'em and as late as 89 not.

there was a old guy locally that had an absolutely *mint* 'doba; that light blue with maroon interior. bought it new at the dealer nicely optioned 360 4bbl car and i wanna say he had them put mirada rims on it? it had headers and duals and he'd light 'em up every now and then. dig those crazy land barges.
 
I've often cleaned them with gasoline and a Scotch Brite pad. The lever of the fuel pump got a coating of assembly grease on fresh builds too.
 
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