360 Problems

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KJoeZ61

KJoeZ61

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I have a 71 Scamp with a 360 in it that I bought this spring which was supposedly just rebuilt. It has a mild cam and I have not been able to get it to run the way it should. I did replace the intake because I thought that was part of the problem and sure enough it ran much better. That is until yesterday!
Started it up yesterday and it sounded horrible, a minute later it smoothed out. Then it sounded like metal on metal! All of a sudden it starts blowing smoke out of the drivers side exhaust. Barely made it back in the garage. I pulled the intake and valve covers and everything appears fine, but I got a bad feeling there is something going on under the drivers side head. Also I drained the oil and it doesn't look bad at all. Any suggestions before I pull the head?
 
Double check valve train, make sure you don't have broken/collapsed valve spring; make sure you didn't/haven't wiped a lobe on your cam........with intake off, pull plugs and shine flash light in the plug hole, look down intake port with valve open; what do you see? All else fails, pull the head.

Good luck, hope it's not too serious.
 
well it would be a good idea to do a compression test before you pull a head . troubleshoot a bit before you pull it apart .
 
Have a beer and pull that intake and if it looks like it was sealed then heads, especially paying attention to that right side.
IMO there is no reason to possibly do further damage after a smoking bank.
(remember the metal on metal sound)

It's possible you have an intake issue (again) but that doesn't explain the metal on metal sound.
 
my guess is a head gasket and the metal to metal sound is compression leak by the firing ring .

or a broken ring and ring land bashing on the head .
 
I pulled the intake and valve covers, no broken springs or bent rods and certainly no interference from the intake. Think I got screwed, the engine may have looked new and got new freeze plugs, but wasn't rebuilt. Anyway tomorrow I'll do a compression test, but I have a bad feeling it's in the lower end!
So what's the average going price to have a 360 rebuilt?
 
Joe Zartler said:
I pulled the intake and valve covers, no broken springs or bent rods and certainly no interference from the intake. Think I got screwed, the engine may have looked new and got new freeze plugs, but wasn't rebuilt. Anyway tomorrow I'll do a compression test, but I have a bad feeling it's in the lower end!
So what's the average going price to have a 360 rebuilt?
Click to expand...

Get a 5.9 and run the V belt stuff unless you are really attached to that 360. :D
 
It really depends on hp goals and what is broken. After you do compression test the have it apart much easier to guess costs.
 
Also check for the oil galley plug under the oil sender. You remove the sender and insert a small rod. If it goes in farther than x number of inches its not there.. Sorry dont remember the inches soneone will chime in
It is the most overlooked plug. It will show oil pressure,but starves the mains. Sometimes they run a while and sometimes not so much! If you can cut the filter open and its clean. The plug is probably not there.
 
Here are the compression test numbers.
DRY / WET
1 - 163 psi/ 180 psi
3 - 140 psi/ 180 psi
5 - 130 psi/ 155 psi
7 - 130 psi/ 145 psi
2 - 165 psi/ 175 psi
4 - 155 psi/ 165 psi
6 - 145 psi/ 170 psi
8 - 155 psi/ 175 psi

Can't do it warm, intake is off.
 
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Not good, I'm afraid the heads need to come off. I would start with the drivers side. Funny that the high numbers are the front. I wonder if the deck is that far off.
 
Well just as I suspected, looks like I bought a backyard rebuild! New freeze out plugs and paint and what do you know I got a backyard new motor! Anyway the motor is at the Machine shop and I went there today, he has it broken down and everything's bad. The good news is it's save able. The estimate is $1700.00 and this shop is good. Getting bored out 30 over, new cam and all the other stuff including the heads being redone.
The guys that purposely do this crap, well lets just hope what goes around comes around!
 
Sorry about that. I had it happen to me. Bought a car from a now, inactive member, said it was all rebuilt and "done right"! I noticed a thing wrong here and there. Long story short, it is now a complete gut, stripped down to nothing and going back together again. It was so bad, when i jacked the front of the car up, the 1/4s and rockers split and cracked bc the floor, rockers and 1/4s only held on with screws and bondo.
I truly believe in karma will come back and bite you. Your rebuild is costly, but will be better and very reliable when finished.
 
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