Low money 360 any ideas

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Well pretty much cooked the budget. I plan to put parts on the car I can grow into plan is to make a streetable drag car that can see 12s from motor maybe alil nitous. I know thats going to cost a hole bunch more than my budget but I would still like to drive it while I save some money I tend to lose interest otherwise.
 
budgetcummins said:
So just got a 74 swinger with org 318 (alum. intake elb. 4bbl) 727, and 7 1/4 rear. so i have most of my extra cash tied up in full floor pans, interior, and fixing the paint on top of the car. But manged to pick a running 72 2bbl 360 with 55k on it ($200). any ideas where to spend $500 to get the most power i can. I already have plans for a dana 60 out of different budget
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i'd throw a 4bbl intake (performer or performer rpm) and carb on it,recurve the dist and call it a day..:)
 
Your in deep Do-Do for what you want to do.

Carb to small
Intake isnt what it should be.

A 12 second package? A basic set up will use a 750 carb, a cam @.050 @ 248*, you'll need something along the lines of a 3000 stall converter and 4.10 gears.

For what you want to do, on the short term, get a bigger carb and mild cam. ([email protected])
Save your money! It is going to be a long haul.
 
Two7T3Dart said:
Still ain't gonna be cheap....buying and welding on new ends, and then new axles, brakes, etc, etc, etc.....besides its overkill, but to quote rumble, "What do I know?"
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Not to mention the added weight and power loss. A Dana is very WRONG for your build.

Find a Ford 8.8 and thank me later.
 
I disagree about the Dana being wrong. The weight difference is not as big as a penalty as one may think. He might as well use what he has. I would certainly not go out and get one over what may otherwise be in there now as delivered when new.
 
rumblefish360 said:
I disagree about the Dana being wrong. The weight difference is not as big as a penalty as one may think. He might as well use what he has. I would certainly not go out and get one over what may otherwise be in there now as delivered when new.
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I had read that he was GOING TO BUY a truck Dana.

Not that it's on point, but the Dana is a heavier housing and everything in it is heavier resulting in more power to turn it.

I have replaced same geared 8 3/4's twice in bracket cars with Dana's and they BOTH went slower.

Bottom line is that 360 is going to need all the help it can get for his goals and I hate to see someone go backwards...AND spending money to do it.
 
What heads does your 360 have? If they're j heads than that's good if not find some j or x heads to start. Summit cam # sum-k50062 228/228 -480/480 cheapest good cam 145 bucks. As for intake just find a factory 340 intake square bore they perform well for cheap builds. Carb holley 3310 should be able to find one used for under a 100 bucks. I had a dart with a 360 with x heads .30 over bore and the rest of the parts I listed above run high 12s low 13s in the quarter also I used a 66 b-body 8 3/4 with 3.91 gears it was just a cheap race car me a buddy built in a weekend yrs. back. Good luck on your build
 
I know a guy that has a set of u heads I can buy but not really sure what the gains are each other havent pulled motor yet to see what I have either
 
Being that it's a '72 model engine, the factory heads should be 915s, which are essentially Jheads. I wouldn't waste the money on a different set of OEM iron heads. Have those heads freshened up with hardened seats and a set of 2.02" intake valves, and a home brewed gasket match wouldn't hurt. Plenty of guys have run 12s or better with massaged J/U/O/587/915 heads!
 
Dont forget that 360 has an EXternally balanced crankshaft, unless you dissassemble it and have a machine shop internally balance the crank you will need to get a torque converter with a balance weight welded to it in the correct spot on the converter shell, or figure out the correct weight of the balance weight, and correct location on your existing torque converter and modify yours.

The 360 is the only mopar small block that is this way.,the 273, 318, 340 are all internally balanced at the factory. Personally i am building a hot mill 318, since it was low mileage and came with my parts car. I dont have the cash to stroke the 318 to a 390, and dont want to hunt around findingfinding a good 360 block and mains as a core. If i come across one cheap down the road i will prob grab it.

The big key to power, is compression, and breathing, ignition not withstanding.

The 318 #302 castings off a late model chrysler 318 (pre magnum) are closed chamber swirl port heads, and with a bit of milling can be brought down to 52cc. Add a nice set of Keith black #167 cast flattops or #844 forged versions, and a thin headgasket , and you have a 'teen with 10-1 compression.

#302 heads are small valve heads but will support 2.02, 1.60 valves, and if you dont mind breathing iron dust port em yourself. An alternate is 56cc magnum v8 heads.

Port match your intake. Id recommend an edelbrock RPM series, as far as cam selection goes, most of the cam companies base the aggressiveness of cam lift off of chevy cams which have small width lobes and whose tappets can only support so much aggressiveness in lift.

Mopar cam lobes are physically much wider and can support a much more aggressive lift cam profile than a chevy cam and tappets can. Some cam companies know this and do grind mopar cams with this advantage in mind. Mopar performance for obvious reasons, i believe Hughes racing engines for another, however i'm not sure about the other usual suspects like comp cams, edelbrock, lunati etc.

Yes as stated in this thread in other places proper matching of parts makes a much stouter engine combination. I am hoping to crack 400 hp with my 318. And in a 2,700 lb street car with a 4 speed and 3.73 gears thats plenty for me.

Matt
 
The 360 Converter in the truck will probabally be a 12" low stall unit and will be a slug with anything other than a stock-ish cam. Buy the B&M flexplate and run any converter you want.
 
thanks for all the ideas, this is what i have gathered through trade; hooker headers, a set of u heads with 2.02 valves double springs that look to be milled a bit, 3500 stall converter unbalanced, 650 holley that in suposed to be worked over to a 700, performer intake. parts i have in my summit cart double roller timing chain, 1121 head gaskets, summit 228/228 cam, and b&m balanced flexplate. maybe have a trade worked out on a brand new set 29.5x 13x 15 drag tires. what else do i need?
 
That 228*intake might drop your Dcr into the soft launch area, but, the 3500 TC, and race gears, will get you through that faster than you can notice. The trade-off is terrible fuel mileage. Do you care? IDK.
If I could recommend just one thing it would be to verify/build the compression up. I mean a hi-comp 360 with a 340 cam, can be a blast around town with 3.55s in a 3200 lb A. Even with a big 2 barrel and manifolds. But you put the pistons down .120 to .150, and it all goes away.Just saying.
-Save your money. Drop that 360/4bbl/727 in as is.Put some 3.55s in it. call it done. Drive it for a couple of weeks, til you pull a racecar plan together.By that time you will have found the weak points of that set-up.
 
so traded off the dana for an 8 & 3/4 housing and 489.center, toying with the idea of getting a standard bore flattop pistons I found for $300
 
I don't agree 100% about the manifold being junk. You could have worse. At least it's not a Torker II. The original Torker will work. Certainly, there are arguably better manifolds, but it's not a deal breaker, IMO.
 
Throw it together with what you have, buy the cheap cam and timing set, change the frost plugs with brass ones, get the car running, driving, and safe, drive it for a year to shake it down, and save up for the big block that you really need.
If you are a dedicated small block guy, never mind.
I would have stayed with the Dana, but that's me.
 
Well said the hell with a budget picked up a 40 over block fresh from machine shop and eco w2 heads 11to1 pistons 590 solid lift cam stock stroke crank, came with victor intake, tti headers and deep oil pan, does need two rockers
 
Focus on the converter. Get a decent cam then call a converter company and tell them the specs and rear gear and other details.

If I was in your shoes I would work over the heads.
Then get a rpm intake and one of the mild summit cams. Throw a 750 dp on top and be done with the motor. Then the right converter for your combo and some 4:11 gears and then have fun!

Just saw your last post so you seem to be ready!
 
I totally agree with the Comp 262 XE cam idea. I have a 268 XE in my 69 340 4 speed Barracuda, and it runs awesome with a nice, lumpy idle. If the 262 XE woke your 318 up like the 268 XE did my 340, you will love it.
 
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