360 block

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rrvolare

rrvolare

19Swinger69
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- what is best year for a stroker build ...
- do LA and Magnum blocks have same motor mount ear locations
- looking for a short block and main caps only...
- standard bore ( no machining performed .
- Prefer one stored inside
- in Michigan area ..

Thanks
 
I went with a 91 roller 360 I found in an old church van with 70,000 miles. I have never built a roller motor before but there were many benefits to the later engines. This one had reusable oil pan and valve cover gaskets,windage tray,308 heads and is already a roller and has minimal wear in the cylinders.
 
Sedanman said:
I went with a 91 roller 360 I found in an old church van with 70,000 miles. I have never built a roller motor before but there were many benefits to the later engines. This one had reusable oil pan and valve cover gaskets,windage tray,308 heads and is already a roller and has minimal wear in the cylinders.
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older 360 has thicker walls in them
 
There is a debate that 1971-74 360's can have cylinder walls that are more thick. These would mostly come from C-bodies and 1974 from A/B/C bodies. Since you were considering a Ritter block, I would ask Mike from MRL, Brian from IMM, Rob/RAMM, or Ryan Johnson from the Shady Dell -they probably have 360 cores already, some of them probably have R1/R3/X/340Reproduction blocks for sale. If you get an older block, obviously get it sonic checked for the power levels that you want. Bloomer has the 4.125 and 4.25" stroke cranks and hughes has the 4.18" crank I believe. Yellowrose was right though, the X and other blocks are popping up on craigslist ( my-craigs-finder.com ) or facebook
 
The only benefit to a factory roller block is if you are going to run a hydraulic roller. If you are going to run a HFT, SFT or SRT then you don't need the roller block to start with. In fact, you don't even need a roller block to do a hydraulic roller. You can use the other roller lifters. They cost more.


If you are making the power you want to make, I'd never use any head that had stud mounted rockers.
 
greymouser7 said:
I always wondered if there were older marine 360 blocks that might be thicker as well.
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They have some of the thinnest walls I've scored yet. Found a 340 Marine and got into the water jacket at about .010" over. It has literally rotted itself from the inside out. Was a bummer.
 
Later blocks seem to be more consistent in terms of casting quality. Earlier blocks can be thicker, and also can be so screwed from core shift that they're worse. You have to have the one you're looking at tested to know for sure. I like any block that's thick. If a hydraulic roller's in the cards, a Magnum or roller LA would be sought.
 
moper said:
Later blocks seem to be more consistent in terms of casting quality. Earlier blocks can be thicker, and also can be so screwed from core shift that they're worse. You have to have the one you're looking at tested to know for sure. I like any block that's thick. If a hydraulic roller's in the cards, a Magnum or roller LA would be sought.
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Post 8.

Sonic test as many blocks as you can and buy the thickest one you can that does not have push rod oiling, unless you are planning on running Jesel or T&D rockers.
 
Agree with Moper. post 10
The pre Magnum roller blocks 88-91 have always sonic tested well as compared to the earlier ones for me.
 
skrews said:
Agree with Moper. post 10
The pre Magnum roller blocks 88-91 have always sonic tested well as compared to the earlier ones for me.
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Weird. The worst blocks I soniced started in the mid 80's and went clear into the early 90's. Those were the worst I have seen. Also, the casting at the paste lines were always horrible on those core. That doesn't affect performance, but people see it and get worried.

I can't find the sonic numbers from my X blocks. Every one was better than Chrysler called out. I have access to an R block that belongs to a friend. Maybe I should sonic that pig. Just so we have the numbers.

Which, now that I think about it, I can't post the paper work I have for the X and R blocks on the web. Some day I'll learn how and we can post that stuff and make it a sticky.
 
Thanks guys... then i guess i am looking for a 88-91 pre-magnum block ... any idea who has one ?
 
rrvolare said:
Thanks guys... then i guess i am looking for a 88-91 pre-magnum block ... any idea who has one ?
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I actually have a 318 roller(good for a 390 stroker). They're getting hard to find. If I wind up going the LS route, I'm definitely going to post it up on here though.
 
1 found 2 pre-magnum blocks ... one is an 88 and one is a 90... 200 a piece ... seems like they are getting rare ??? should i buy both ?
 
yellow rose said:
Weird. The worst blocks I soniced started in the mid 80's and went clear into the early 90's. Those were the worst I have seen. Also, the casting at the paste lines were always horrible on those core. That doesn't affect performance, but people see it and get worried.

I can't find the sonic numbers from my X blocks. Every one was better than Chrysler called out. I have access to an R block that belongs to a friend. Maybe I should sonic that pig. Just so we have the numbers.

Which, now that I think about it, I can't post the paper work I have for the X and R blocks on the web. Some day I'll learn how and we can post that stuff and make it a sticky.
Click to expand...

The roller cam pre magnum blocks are the best production blocks from what I've seen. Alot less core shift than the earlier blocks, thick cylinder walls, better factory maching. The worst years for me have been the mid 70s to the mid 80s. Best block I ever had was a 72, that thing at .040 over had more wall in it than any block I ever tested.
 
1 of the blocks is in a 1 ton and the other in a ramcharger ... Are we saying ALL 88-91 are pre-magnum blocks ....or do i need to look for a specific block in 88-91 block ..
 
88-91 are LA blocks that use OEM hydraulic roller lifters....that is why everyone gets their panties excited about...
 
70aarcuda...are you saying there is nothing else special about these blocks when comparing to other model year 360 blocks
 
yellow rose said:
Which, now that I think about it, I can't post the paper work I have for the X and R blocks on the web. Some day I'll learn how and we can post that stuff and make it a sticky.
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yellow rose, hope I am not starting to bother you with "How to attach stuff to a post'.
You need your documents scanned so you either have them as ***.jpg (image) or ***.pdf, then you press 'More Options' at the bottom right of the reply box, 'Upload Photos' where you choose your scanned documents, upload them and bingo. Hopefully.
 
rrvolare said:
70aarcuda...are you saying there is nothing else special about these blocks when comparing to other model year 360 blocks
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If he's not I certainly am. The possibility is good that a pre-magnum roller 360 block will test thin. But my experience has been they usually are better than any of the earlier year pre-magnums because the earlier ones are badly core shifted. It is rare that ANY mopar factory block is free of core shift. Even the idolized early 70s production ones. That's why I test all of them I do.
 
stixx said:
yellow rose, hope I am not starting to bother you with "How to attach stuff to a post'.
You need your documents scanned so you either have them as ***.jpg (image) or ***.pdf, then you press 'More Options' at the bottom right of the reply box, 'Upload Photos' where you choose your scanned documents, upload them and bingo. Hopefully.
Click to expand...


I've got them scanned, but maybe Iall try it again.

I like to post them since they seem to be rare.
 
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