360 HP Confusion. History of this motor?

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DionR

DionR

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Hoping someone can shed some light on a confusing (to me) motor.

Numbers on the front of the block are 0W360HP0211 and a big weird stamp of 4097. So, 1980 model 360 HP built in the Winsor plant. I expected to see a Julian date after HP, but 0211 makes not sense so I am assuming that is the 211th motor built that day and there is no Julian date.

Casting number is 4179930-360-2 with a casting date of 3-5-79. Bearings show a date of 4-79.

VIN stamp says AA135520.

Cylinder heads are 4071051.

Really not sure what the motor would have come out of. With the HP stamp I though it might be a E58 motor but the VIN stamp should have be 0_135520 or something, right? Best I can figure, trucks and vans used A for model year 1980 designation so maybe its a truck or van motor? The LRE stopped after 1979 so don't think it was that, but did they put HP motors in either a van or truck in 1980? I think the guy I got it from said it came out of his van. I assumed it had been swapped in but now I'm not sure.

And why is it stamped as a 1980 motor when it was cast and assembled in early 1979? Maybe it was assembled and then didn't find a home until the 1980 MY? And the stampings on the front of the motor are done closer to when the motor is installed instead of when it is assembled?

It does have a double roller timing chain and had a windage tray, too so it makes sense it was an HP motor. No idea on induction, couldn't tell you if it had a 4bbl on it when I got it (been too long).

I bought this motor years ago (like 22+) after seeing it in the back of the trailer with some trash. Didn't really have any plans for it, and it's been long enough that I don't remember if I got anything off the motor either. At some point I stuffed it in the back of a storage unit where it rested for most (all?) of those 22+ years until recently when it came home after getting my garage built. Tore it apart last night (was seized up) and got curious about what I had.

Any Sherlock Holmes out there able to garner any info from the above?

I looked around and found zero info on vans and such in 1980 so figured I would ask the question here.
 
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Pretty sure E58/EH1 package was more than just the induction. I've read that the E58 had a double roller timing chain, windage tray, chromed valve stems, better valve springs and better gaskets (I think?). No idea if all 360 4bbl's after a certain point were all E58 motors or not though.

To be clear, this one is stamped HP, don't know if the rig had the E58 or EH1 option. But it does have the double roller timing chain and windage tray. Valve stems are still shiny while the heads are a rusty mess so maybe chrome valve stems?

And no oil pan on the motor. Don't think it ever had one, but been way too long to remember.
 
Little Red Express engine? Just a guess. The only HP I know of back then.
 
toolmanmike said:
Little Red Express engine? Just a guess. The only HP I know of back then.
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But an 1980? I though the LRE was 1978 and 1979 only.

I did find one site that said the LRE motor's were never stamped with the truck's VIN. So...???
 
SSG_Karg said:
Police car motor? Just a wild *** guess.
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My first thought, too. But cars didn't use "A" as a year code in the VIN, per the info I have found, which makes me think it was a truck or van which did use "A".

One theory would be that Dodge built a bunch of E58 motors in 1979 and then they didn't sell. So this motor sat around for awhile until it was either dropped as is into a rig sold with a 360 (assuming they had a 44bbl option), or converted to a 2bbl intake and used that way. It would explain the 6+ months that the motor must have sat to have early '79 casting dates and parts but marked as an '80 motor.

Really not a big deal, motor is pretty rough either way and if it needs to be rebuilt there really isn't any difference between a low performance 360 or HP one. Just has me curious.
 
I know of a 360 hp out of a 1980 motorhome. One notable change on the HP 360s that I have seen inside of is thinner head gaskets and higher compression height smooth top pistons.
 
No help, but reminds me of "way back when" when I was visiting a buddy and I noticed an old tradesman sitting next to his shop. When I asked him about it, he said "Yup, it's got a 360 in it". I said "Show me", and hopped into the front, thinking we'd pull off the doghouse and have a looksee; but he walks around the back and opens the doors and says "It's back here". It was a slant 6 van that he just hauled a 360 home from the boneyard in...
 
Professor Fate said:
No help, but reminds me of "way back when" when I was visiting a buddy and I noticed an old tradesman sitting next to his shop. When I asked him about it, he said "Yup, it's got a 360 in it". I said "Show me", and hopped into the front, thinking we'd pull off the doghouse and have a looksee; but he walks around the back and opens the doors and says "It's back here". It was a slant 6 van that he just hauled a 360 home from the boneyard in...
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lol...awesome :)
 
Garrett Ellison said:
I know of a 360 hp out of a 1980 motorhome. One notable change on the HP 360s that I have seen inside of is thinner head gaskets and higher compression height smooth top pistons.
Click to expand...

This one doesn't have flat tops. Looks like the standard dished pistons to me.
 
Professor Fate said:
No help, but reminds me of "way back when" when I was visiting a buddy and I noticed an old tradesman sitting next to his shop. When I asked him about it, he said "Yup, it's got a 360 in it". I said "Show me", and hopped into the front, thinking we'd pull off the doghouse and have a looksee; but he walks around the back and opens the doors and says "It's back here". It was a slant 6 van that he just hauled a 360 home from the boneyard in...
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OR the old man calls the dealership service dept and says "send a tow truck for my car ,the engine is missing..." sales rep says "sir you should still be able to drive it in with a miss..:" ..the old man says "no, dammit the engine is missing, it isnt there under the hood..." LOL! back in the day when people stole engines in the middle of the night :)
 
It appears that there was a 360 4bbl "J" code E56 motor from '73 to '80, at the same time that the E58 motor was available. Guessing that means a block stamped with "HP" was more than just a different intake.

It does kind of seem like I used the pan in the Diplomat build I was doing at the time. Really foggy about the specifics though, can't even remember what motor I put in that car. I know I put a 360 in the Diplomat, I know the pan was missing off this motor, and it doesn't make sense I bought it without a pan. This would lead me to believe that it had a car pan on it, not a truck/van pan.

If the VIN stamp on this motor had been 0A135520 instead, I wouldn't be here asking the question. Just makes no sense to me.

I guess I am going to go with it came out of a 1980 cop car and the "A" in the VIN stamp is a mistake.
 
Hp 360 engines had premium cranks (CFD), shot peend if I remember correctly and a factory windage tray that fit a 360 only, I only had one out of a 76 cop car. They had the updated 340 cam, and the exhaust valves were .0005 undersized as well as chrome plated stems. I have some NOS 1.88 intakes for the cop motors, I think they were also different also but would have to check. Double roller timing set and the thrust plate with the hollow bolt. TQ intake and carb. 727 Auto trans.
 
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My '78 Van had a stage 3 2bbl. 360 truck engine, regular leaded gas, stage 4 was a 4-barrel. Stage 1 was an unleaded 2-barrel, stage 2 was an unleaded 4-barrel.
So, my stage 3 had a 6 qt oil pan if I remember, and the heads had rotators on the exhaust valves. Don't know if this can help.
 
66fs said:
Hp 360 engines had premium cranks (CFD), shot peend if I remember correctly, I only had one out of a 76 cop car. They had the updated 340 cam, and the exhaust valves were .0005 undersized as well as chrome plated stems. I have some NOS 1.88 intakes for the cop motors, I think they were also different also but would have to check. Double roller timing set and the thrust plate with the hollow bolt. TQ intake and carb. 727 Auto trans.
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Underside valves for idling and long periods and heat build ?

What are the cam specs, are they available anywhere ?
 
Brooks James said:
Underside valves for idling and long periods and heat build ?

What are the cam specs, are they available anywhere ?
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Like 340's, I always thought they ran hotter and extended periods of higher rpm cruising or pursuit. higher temps translate to more expansion. Also the hard chrome gives a harder surface, so less wear. You did get me thinking about the intake valves also. 1.88 diameter 340 and HP 360 intake valves were different from the standard 1.88 intake valves, 4 lock grooves as opposed to two lock grooves. Pretty sure they had hard chromed stems, but not sure if the stems were undersized. I could go down and measure some in my stash. As for the cam I'll look up the number. I have an NOS cam also.
 
I did some research, this is not what I believe necessarily

Windage tray
Oil mods
Chrome caps in valve stems
Undersize special exhaust valves
Special intake valve
Special valve springs
Hemi style rocker arms
Double roller chain
Special carb
Special distributor
W2 heads
6 qt pan
68 340 cam
72 340 smog cam

Etc etc etc

WTF, is there an authority here ???
 
Brooks James said:
I did some research, this is not what I believe necessarily

Windage tray
Oil mods
Chrome caps in valve stems
Undersize special exhaust valves
Special intake valve
Special valve springs
Hemi style rocker arms
Double roller chain
Special carb
Special distributor
W2 heads
6 qt pan

Etc etc etc

WTF, is there an authority here ???
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No "oil mods", stock block and passages.
No valve caps.
Valve rotator delete- therefore different valves and springs were used, also to compliment the updated spec. 340 style cam.
"Hemi style rocker arms"? No such thing, unless you're referring to 273/340 6bbl. rockers. But those never came on E58s either.
W2 heads NEVER came on ANY production line engine.
The E58s were assembled by the Chrysler Industrial/Marine division, as were most all performance oriented engines at that time.
 
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