360 Crate Motor

[js27]

Thinking about throwing in a Mopar 360 --380HP Crate motor in my 67 Satellite for a bit more zip that the stock 318.. Anybody here running one ? Are they worth the money ?
Thanks
JS27

[7212Mopar]

Which vendor you have I mind? They make them different and the prices are different.

[Bullitt-]

subject cam up some time ago & a representative of Blueprint chimed in...
https://forum.e-bodies.org/engine-transmission-and-rear-end/4/crate-engine-recommendations/7792/msg108495#msg108495

Would think there would be plenty of local shops in your area that could do a turnkey job for you. 
  someone in your state http://www.cmengines.com/Engines/DynoTestedPerformanceEngines/ChryslerPerformanceCrateEngines/tabid/117/Default.aspx

[Scooter]

^^ FYI... One thing I found with most who offer a crate 360... it's a Magnum. Might or might not make a difference to you but those who are offering a 360LA crate motor make for a much shorter list.

GL

[js27]

Which vendor you have I mind? They make them different and the prices are different.

Indy cylinder Head.
JS27

[js27]

Sure I can have one built locally but by the time you find a good one take it to the machine shop and have it checked out for cracks or damage then pay for machine work and buy all new parts it will cost more than a brand new crate motor.
JS27

[ledphoot]

how about boosting the 318 with a TURBO or Supercharger?

[1972V21Cuda]

Pull your 318 and build it. A lot of crate motors are a hit or miss.

[js27]

I could just throw a big block in it also but just tossing around ideas for now.
JS27

[chargerdon]

As a point of reference.    I bought a junkyard 1972 360LA engine for $100, complete with heads, oil pan, etc.    Disassembled it myself (took about 4 hrs as the pistons were stuck in there from rust.   Brought it to a machine shop 3 miles from my house and had him build a short block 408 stroker using scat new crank, and ICON dished pistons.   He line honed it and balanced the rotating assembly for me, and also did some J head valve work and shaving to true it.   These heads have the 2.02 diameter intake valves with hardened valve seats. 

His charge was right around $2600 total...   

I finished the engine with new std volume oil pump (if i did it again i would use a high volume pump instead) water pump, put in my existing Lunati Vodoo 703 cam which gives the engine a somewhat lopey idle, compression with the 15cc dished pistons worked out to about 9.75, Edlebrrock RPM Air Gap intake, Patriot headers, and Eddy 600 cfm carb (someday will buy a larger carb).    Engine runs GREAT and i would guess somewhere around 400 HP.   Idle is smooth enough to use Vintage air conditioning, and enough vacuum to run the stock Power Disc brakes.   I already had the J heads, intake manifold, and Voodoo Cam...   to buy them again would add about another $1200-$1500 for a total cost of around $4,000.

Only trouble with the way i did it, is the engine machine shop went out of business about 2 months after i got my engine back..   Shame cause he was fast...only about two weeks in total till i got the short block delivered by him to my door.   

[7212Mopar]

Indy and Hughes seems to be still offer LA engines. According to Hughes, they don't do crate and every engines they work with customer and is custom. They are not cheap. I read some members had bad experience with Indy but their pricing seems competitive. Both ATK and Blueprint are only doing Magnum. May be 360 LA blocks finally dry out after all these years. ATK makes mostly internal balanced crate motors where Blueprint does not. You can pick up a short block from ATK complete with Scat forged rotating assembly under $4k. You will have to go to the Trickflow route if you want shaft mounted rockers and use LA intake. Or you can get their complete crate engines. I think both use flat tappet camshafts only. I prefer roller myself.

[ledphoot]

If I were going through this decision today I'd lean heavily towards putting a modern Hemi in it, al the parts required for the swap should be available.

If you want it to appear stock / reasonably original and the budget allows for it I'd take the small block stroker path, build a mild 408 that puts down 400-450hp, strokers can be built for not a ton of money. The third option, like I said earlier a supercharger or turbo would be something interesting / different that you don't see too often. I don't know that your 318 would hold up to bolt on boost or not, I guess I'd have to assume that it wouldn't and you'd end up building the motor anyway.

Let us know where you land on it.

[tparker]

@js27 not sure if a rebuild is gonna cost you more than a crate motor, depending what you do. My 340 was about $3500 and that included machine work for block and heads, crank, pistons, timing gear, gaskets, and assembly. I got a cam for a couple hundred bucks plus some new springs. Heads, intake manifold, and carb maybe another $2000 depending what you get. I see crate motors going for a lot more. Just throwing it out there.

[Chryco Psycho]

I would talk to Blueprint about a crate build .
A turbo on a 318 or 360 should be awesome , swap the cam , the compression is low enough , the pistons are cast be extremely strong , if you hurt it throw in another 318 !!