'70 Dart 360 ci Engine Upgrade Advice

[1BA1970Dart]

Hi All! Just wanted to get everyone's .2 Cents about improving engine performance. I recently bought a 70 Dart Swinger that has a 360 in it (think it came from a Dodge Van years ago (72 maybe??)) with 340 heads, Edelbrock intake and carb (4bbl). It has stock cast iron headers on it as well.... front has disc brakes, drums in the rear and I just bought a 8 3/4 rear end from a 67 cuda which I intend on refurbishing and throwing on here in the near future.

As for the engine, what would be the recommended way forward to get some decent power? Stroker kit, just buy a new crate engine, new heads, headers, etc.??? My bank account is certainly not deep so I want to keep it reasonable... this will be for street but certainly not a daily driver. I am a newbie to MOPAR so I greatly appreciate any lesson you can give me.

~ Steve

:newb:

 

[jerry6]

Do you just want to have fun , are you going to the track in a serious mood ? The 360 with cleaned up heads , a good cam and pistons should put a smile on your face , without breaking the bank . All I did with my 340 was the same , added pistons , mild porting of the heads , cam and viola fun fun fun .
Then again a nice crate stroker might put a bigger smile on your face , and it might not cost that much more , depending if you do the work yourself , and machining costs in your area

 

[Inspector71]

I have the same question but have ruled out both the crate motors $5K+ and a stroker build for the 360 $7000+-. With some porting, cam, and good pistons, what kind of horse power would this type of build put out? What type of compression ration? Would it run on 87-91 pump gas? Mine will be street/daily driver and for having fun. Thanks for posting this question.