How to choose a used engine??

[MoparFan]

Hi,

this weekend I found a interesting junkyard, not too far. Lots of old cars badly damage by time but with still lots of good stuff (in my novice eyes8-[ ).

Anyway, the guys as a couple of Diplomat/Caravelle, Fury with 318 and 360...so, if I look at the 318 I want 302 head. Is that right?

If I look for a complete 360, is there some years that I need to avoid?
If there is the "lean burn" system, can I use that motor with the carb/intake he has?
If I look for a 4bbl OEM intake and carb, is there some better then other?

Thanks

 

[MoparFan]

I forgot to ask. Is there a reliable or good way to check if an engine is good when you can't have it running?


btw...where is the edit button gone??

edit: how long before you can't edit a post?

 

[BadAssDodge]

i dont think you can edit anymore....the 302 heads are the ones they used in that 400 hp 318, article, but i think 360 heads will still outflow them. If your going to go with a 318, try and take the heads off a 360 car. See how much less it wil cost without the intake manifold. You might be able to save at least half the price of a edelbrock performer intake, which is better than any of those mid 70s-80s intakes anyway. When you take the heads off, look at the piston. Ussually if its been bored over, it will say on the piston how much bigger it is. You dont want to get one thats been gone over too much, especially with a 318 cause there will always be more 318s. I literally pass by 10-20 318s until i find a 360 car. If you find a 71-74 360, thats a really good block to get, It has thicker walls. I heard it uses a 340s casting, so when you go .040 over, it has the same bore as a stock 340 would, which is 4.04, and you can still go another .060 over that. Of course you should/would sonic test the block to make sure it can go over that much. Other than that, the blocks are all really the same, and the compression is gonna be lousy on most of the cars from those years.

 

[Mopardude]

When I go engine hunting I take a breaker bar and 1.25 inch socket and turn the crank over. Spin it a full 360 and listen for anything that doesn't sound normal. I personally would go far a 360 if you can. If the junkyard will pop the heads off for you that would be great also.

 

[MoparFan]

Thanks for all the advice.

And BadAss, I think I will follow your advice about the intake, it's true that they will probably ask around 100$ for the intake (at least one place I know for sure), and the edelbrock is around 280$ (without to much big deal searching)...

Hopefully, I will have time to go at the junkyard soon... :cheers: :toothy3:

 

[dgc333]

Any old engine in the junk yard that has not been run in who knows how many years should be treated as a core for rebuilding. That being the case and my experience a 318 should cost you about $100 and a 360 $150. If you want to make a road trip to the Boston area I have a 318 and 904 you can have.

A stock cast iron manifold whether it's a 4bbl or not should not cost any more than $25 at the junk yard. A new Edelbrock Performer is around $200 and the Performer RPM is $220. You can get them from any number of places like Jegs, Summit, Mancini for that price. A used one at a swap meet will run $50-$100. I picked up a Professional Products CrossWind new on EBay for $140.

 

[MoparFan]

If you want to make a road trip to the Boston area I have a 318 and 904 you can have.

Thanks for the offer, but it somewhere close to a 6 hours trip, so I will begin around here.

If i buy a complete engine at the junkyard, it will be rebuilt after for sure.

As for the intake, thanks for the hint, probably the guy was trying to rip me off with is 340 intake. So if i'm lucky I will be able to find something maybe a lot cheaper...I spotted a (my guess) mid 70's Fury with a 360 in is yard (4bbl hopefully).

And what would be the best used/core/need a rebuilt kit carburator, that I can find in a junkyard (ThermoQuad, Carter, others)? I know these should go pretty cheap between 25 and 50$.