72 duster resto

-
72smallairparticler said:
Edelbrock 2049 Edelbrock Total Power Package 417 HP Small Block Mopar Top-End Engine Kits | Summit Racing - my neighbor suggested droppin 3k+ on this setup and just selling off the purple camshaft, intake and heads for whatever I could get for them.

:

yeah im with you on the cam. Not sure what its worth, but i'll try ditching it. Want something more mild that I can pair up with appropriate spring rate and some new valves.

I may spring for a machinist to assemble and add in a valve job. Unless I can find a deal on some better flowing heads for a reasonable price. Budget build, mild performance goals, streetable drivability. Those are my goals.

Compression is factory 8.4:1 with these stock pistons so I'm again at crossroads with parts. I have already bought all standard bore rebuild parts, but might have been premature.
Click to expand...
1st, you'll get 10 bux and a burrito for the cam and heads. okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration but it's not going to be much at all.

2nd, you don't want that power package. that cam is ridiculous for mild performance goals and streetable drivability. you'll need compression, exhuast, a 750cfm or better carb, converter and gears to make that work. pass.

budget wise, you already have an intake that's good, so you need heads, a cam and compression*. you can get a set heads done for 1K, a cam package for around 5, and then figure another couple of hundred on a gasket kit and odds and ends.

decide on the compression/pistons now, as that will influence basically everything else. staying with what you have will dictate a smaller, more reasonable cam.

for your performance goals, i wouldn't bother trying to find another set of "better flowing heads" unless yours were cost prohibitive to rebuild. the "small valves" are more than enough to meet your mild performance goals for a street driven car, you don't need 2.02 intakes.
 
Alright, so plan has changed a bit.
  • I'll be boring the cylinders out .020 or .030
  • running stock rods
  • need a mild cam (suggestions?)
  • need a new set of pistons (stock 75 assembly gives me 8.4:1 so looking for 9.3-9.5:1)
  • will be rebuilding and doing some light port work on my smogger 976 heads
    • new valves
    • new valve seals
The rest of the rebuild will be pretty straightforward
- standard size bearings for cam and crank (already bought)

This should get me back on the road for now. I can always toss on some better heads later, but I just want to get progress. Dropping the block off for bore/hone next week

Meanwhile, since I have some PTO this week I've already been pressure washing the engine bay, sanding, etc to get it looking nice for when things are ready to go back in.
 
1st i would talk to the machine shop, the overbore will dictate which pistons you can use-- it *should* be fine, in that most everything comes in 20 & 30 over it's just the price that might be a surprise (some are like 100bux more). also, they'll need to know what to finish the cylinder at for piston clearance and rings. unless they're assembling the bottom end, that is.

anyway, KB107's are a popular choice. speed pro H405CP and H116CP, as well as KB190 are all good too, it just depends on the application.

there's a lot of factors at play here and getting the compression you want while working within the parameters of parts you have is going to require a little homework. figure out the cc of your heads and then work from there factoring in the headgasket thickness. you're working on the assumption of a stock deck height (which can vary), and that's why a lot of people zero deck on a build.

i've used KB107's in a 360 with 72cc chamber heads and MP headgaskets and gotten 8.8:1 on a block that wasn't decked. that's probably the exception, not the rule though. and i was lucky.

on a cam, i'd keep it mellow with just your basic 3/4 race unit.

kidding, kidding, but i'd totally do something "RV adjacent" that's dual pattern, around 450 lift and 220 or less duration on a less than 114 center. i like the howards street force 2 (or street force 1), crower compu-pro 3 is interestesting, budget melling always gets a nod, everybody seems to like the comp 262 piece, if you're down with comp stuff.
 
junkyardhero said:
1st i would talk to the machine shop, the overbore will dictate which pistons you can use-- it *should* be fine, in that most everything comes in 20 & 30 over it's just the price that might be a surprise (some are like 100bux more). also, they'll need to know what to finish the cylinder at for piston clearance and rings. unless they're assembling the bottom end, that is.

anyway, KB107's are a popular choice. speed pro H405CP and H116CP, as well as KB190 are all good too, it just depends on the application.

there's a lot of factors at play here and getting the compression you want while working within the parameters of parts you have is going to require a little homework. figure out the cc of your heads and then work from there factoring in the headgasket thickness. you're working on the assumption of a stock deck height (which can vary), and that's why a lot of people zero deck on a build.

i've used KB107's in a 360 with 72cc chamber heads and MP headgaskets and gotten 8.8:1 on a block that wasn't decked. that's probably the exception, not the rule though. and i was lucky.

on a cam, i'd keep it mellow with just your basic 3/4 race unit.

kidding, kidding, but i'd totally do something "RV adjacent" that's dual pattern, around 450 lift and 220 or less duration on a less than 114 center. i like the howards street force 2 (or street force 1), crower compu-pro 3 is interestesting, budget melling always gets a nod, everybody seems to like the comp 262 piece, if you're down with comp stuff.
Click to expand...
Appreciate the input, I definitely want to steer clear of comp cams. Howards ive heard good things about.

Im good with not fully achieving the higher compression as im being realistic that this is a budget build. Just thinking an RV adjacent cam is good enough for me. Im also thinking the 750 cfm holley carb I have might be too much - might shop a 670 replacement

Some quick kframe cleaning and paint in the meantime.

IMG_6622.jpeg


IMG_6624.jpeg
 
What's wrong with Comp Cams? I've used them for decades and they're always my 1st choice. I have a Jeep 4.0 to 4.6 stroker and chose Comp Cams for it. I haven't fired it yet, should I be scared? Educate me.
 
mpgmike said:
What's wrong with Comp Cams? I've used them for decades and they're always my 1st choice. I have a Jeep 4.0 to 4.6 stroker and chose Comp Cams for it. I haven't fired it yet, should I be scared? Educate me.
Click to expand...
a rash of wiped lobes and early failures have put people off them.
 
Hydraulic lifters having issues and the quality gone down. all hearsay but I also like supporting the smaller up-and-comer type manufacturers
 
If you’re looking to buy another cam, I think I’d emulate what RAMM did with this build. That torque curve is nuts!
 
72smallairparticler said:
Been searching but not sure what thread / cam youre mentioning. Also I noticed a bit of build data on magnums but none on an LA
Click to expand...
he has one on a LA360 that's pretty straight forward with stock small valve J(?) heads. iirc correctly it wasn't super wild with KB107's and stock bottom end. but it had a single plane and a fairly rowdy cam, and made just shy of 400/400.

the one magnum build he did was super impressive. if not for milling the pistons that would be a copy cat recipe all day long.

let me look...

ETA: found it Street 360 W/.528" P.S. Cam

basically a MP 528 purple shaft solid w/ a street dominator. but the whole thread is worth a read. he mentions that because the heads are a limiting factor, a dual plane and smaller cam would probably make the same power and behave a little better.
 
Last edited:
RAMM said:
Since the heads on this 360 are very very limited it could have capitalized on a milder cam with a 110-108 LSA, and RPM style intake and probably made 30-35 more ft/lbs 15-20 more HP @ the same peak and had a better idle to boot. In fact I know it would have as I have built 360's in this manner many times before. I'm not surprised this one didn't break 400 ft/lbs easily. I love solid flat tappet cams but I have NEVER seen the .528" whether it be in a B or an A engine work very well. This cam NEEDS great cylinder heads to make it look even remotely good. I'll probably get flamed for this but I believe the .484" hydraulic P.S. (or is it P.O.S.?) works better than the .528 J.Rob
Click to expand...
So after reading this… why wouldnt I just keep my .484 cam? Its a bit radical but not as much as the .528
 
72smallairparticler said:
So after reading this… why wouldnt I just keep my .484 cam? Its a bit radical but not as much as the .528
Click to expand...
i mean, sure, why not-- you're doing pistons so you'll have the compression-- or at least should have some decent squeeze. as long as you're not running like a 2.76 and soft converter it should be okay. just don't expect it to have great manners down low, or run power brakes.

what were the specs again? refresh my memory, is that the used one that looked a little thumped?
 
Rear will be a 3:73 posi from an explorer 8.8.
727 but the converter is a little stock looking dark blue one came with it. May need a new one anyway
Manual disc brakes all around (13” front, havent bought the rears yet.
Airgap intake
750 holley carb on top
Headman headers.

Honestly I wouldnt know how to tell if the cam is worn or bad by the looks. But still down to get a better cam profile if this will be a challenge to run and keep tuned. Im not heading to the track with the car.

IMG_6658.jpeg
 
Last edited:
also worked on the engine bay cleaning today. Fresh F3 started covering things nicely til I ran out. happy with the results so far. Not a show car just a happy driver thats not ashamed to pop the hood!

Engine block goes to get bore and honed 0.020 over next week. Getting excited to start putting things back together (and by extension, so is my wife )

IMG_6635.jpeg


IMG_6637.jpeg


IMG_6639.jpeg


IMG_6662.jpeg


IMG_6665.jpeg


IMG_6666.jpeg
 
You've git the old-school MP purple shaft cam designed to run from 2600-6000 rpm and an Airgap RPM manifold designed for the same range. Get the compression in the 9.5+ range with the iron heads and, with that cam, you should be fine on 87 pump fuel all day. With your manual brakes, that cam will be fine (no worries about vacuum/power brakes).

I ran a 383 with that cam "back in the day" with iron heads and 9.7 CR. Ran on 87 octane just fine and that was a bigger bore/shorter stroke engine (BBM). And we know "stroke eats duration" and the 360 has more stroke. Also ran a 750 vacuum Holley. It was a good-running engine that pushed my 4200+# 69 Charger to 13.0's with a 3200 stall converter. Drove that car all over as well as to the track. You're not going to the track but my point is you'll have a nice-sounding engine that is plenty tame for the street and fun to drive.
 
RAMM said:
Because the .484" is a POS and there are hundreds of better options. J.Rob
Click to expand...
Ahh, I probably just misread what you were saying in your post, just as a comparison to the 528 you prefer the 484?

Im open to suggestions and still eyeing the howards street force 2 cam. Obviously, the cheapest one considering I have the 484 already is to just toss it back in. But since I'm swapping cam bearings it would be best to use a better option since I'm here.
 
if that cam was in really good shape when it was removed (i can't tell from the pics), and the lifters were labeled/placed/stored so that you can match them all back to their original lobes, i *might* take a chance.

but i think single pattern old school grinds are butt, so i wouldn't risk the couple of hundy on a question mark, especially with fresh cam bearings on a fresh build.

in for a penny, in for a pound amigo. don't cheap out now.
 
Bit the bullet and decided to get my crank magnafluxed and journals ground 10 over along with the bore and hone work on the block. Just dropped everything off at the machine shop. He said if I had just tossed the pistons back in with new rings they'd have smacked against the lip on the cylinder walls at the top and cracked.

Y'all were pretty accurate on the cost to rebuild the heads themselves. Considering they're about $900+ to fix up I am now shopping for a new set. I'm sure these old smogger heads could be used but I just dont' want to drop almost a grand on fixing them.

So now with new heads in the picture im sure to be well beyond my budget build. Goals are to get about 9.5:1 compression ratio (reminder- this is a 75 360 block rebuild)
need:
- higher compression pistons
- using stock rods
- new heads
- modern cam profile (less radical than my .484 purple cam)
 
72smallairparticler said:
So now with new heads in the picture im sure to be well beyond my budget build. Goals are to get about 9.5:1 compression ratio (reminder- this is a 75 360 block rebuild)
need:
- higher compression pistons
- using stock rods
- new heads
- modern cam profile (less radical than my .484 purple cam)
Click to expand...
heads are going to determine piston selection, kinda, sorta. depending.

are they decking the block? if so you'll need to know how much they're taking off.

you can go KB107's off the cuff and *probably* be alright. but better to know the deck height, chamber cc of the head (and design) and have an idea of what head gasket, although that's adjustable-ish.

cam wise, something in teh 450~460 range with 260 and under duration on a less than 114 center would do well. and that would give you a pretty broad selection to choose from. the howards street force is a good piece. but if you're strictly budget, melling has a few options. they're not gonna blow your eyelids back around your skull, but they work well and they're cheap.
 
junkyardhero said:
heads are going to determine piston selection, kinda, sorta. depending.

are they decking the block? if so you'll need to know how much they're taking off.

you can go KB107's off the cuff and *probably* be alright. but better to know the deck height, chamber cc of the head (and design) and have an idea of what head gasket, although that's adjustable-ish.

cam wise, something in teh 450~460 range with 260 and under duration on a less than 114 center would do well. and that would give you a pretty broad selection to choose from. the howards street force is a good piece. but if you're strictly budget, melling has a few options. they're not gonna blow your eyelids back around your skull, but they work well and they're cheap.
Click to expand...
Always clutch Junkyard. Thank you
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top