IncredibleNurse

My project is to make this my daily driver and my occasional toy, but with a reliable engine that makes decent power. This project is to be done by a mechanic shop, not by myself. Anyway, here's my questions:

Is this list of parts something that would yield me good results?
Should i keep it stock and running well, and save for a full rebuild with more parts?
Should i save the money a build a big block to swap in?

Here's the list of parts i wanted to add to the 360:

-Holley 0-83670 - Holley Aluminum Street Avenger Carburetor
-Mopar Performance Dual Plane Intake Manifolds P5155426
-Davis Unified Ignition 708212YL
-Mallory Ignition 29217 - Mallory Canister Style Ignition Coils
-Lunati Voodoo Cam and Lifter Kits 10200703LK
-Milodon 16250 - Milodon Mechanical Water Pumps
-COMP Cams 3035 - COMP Cams Replacement Hi-Tech Roller Race Timing Chains(cheap)
-Electric fan conversion. Taurus fan? Maybe later.

So far ive read that HEI ignition>CD ignition. But I'd like your opinion on this kit.
-(Summit Racing® Ignition Tune-Up Kit Pro Packs 06-0035)

Some miscellaneous things to complete the install:
-Holley Fuel Lines 34-150
-ARP Carburetor Studs 400-2401
-Fel-Pro Performance Intake Manifold Gasket Sets 1243
-Fel-Pro Performance Blue Stripe Valve Cover Gaskets 1609

This is also gonna be done by a mechanic shop. Any suggestions or additions, corrections or concerns are welcome. Remember, this is gonna be my daily driver/occasional trail rig. Thanks again for the input.

Archer

IN -

I didn't see the vehicle or year mentioned, so the following is generic.
Buildup or replace depends on the current condition, see below.

If solid condition:

Not too bad.

Check prices on the Mopar vs Edelbrock and Holley manifolds. They all do the same thing +/-.

I can't get the specs on the cam, the number comes up as an American Motors 6.
Generally stay under 300 duration and under 500 lift for a street car. That might even be a bit much.

I would drop the HEI and go with a Mopar Electronic Orange or Sliver box and dist. Any decent plug wires will work (I like Accel, but that's your call.). You're not going to beat the reliability and simplicity.

You don't need ARP studs for the carb and for you application, but that's your call, fuel lines are fuel lines. 3/8" throughout and solid when possible (like tank to pump). Braided line looks cool if you're going for a detailed engine bay.

An electric fan can be a good idea, but you have to make sure that your alt and wiring are up to it. Check the load from the fan and the max output from your current alt. If you go to a hotter alt, some of your old wiring may not handle it. Usually, under 100 max out put will be tolerated.

If engine is questionable, a 360 crate engine might be cheaper.

Also, what about the rest of the vehicle? Tranny, diff, suspension, sub=frame, etc.

Archer

IncredibleNurse

Sorry, I did the intro at the new members section and forgot to add the details of the car here.
https://moparforums.com/forums/f4/hello-19288/
I got some videos and a pic there.

The car is a 1987 Dodge Ramcharger, Everything is bone stock. This car is known for electrical problems, so ill probably keep it with a clutch fan. The electric fan is an idea i wanted to make water crossings a little more stress free. I'll probably do it later, when i get a painless performance wiring setup, but thats for later.

What do you recommend as far as crate engines ? Thanks for the reply

TVLynn

Depends what your budget is ?? For a crate motor Maybe check with Hughes Engines

Archer

IN -

Like TV said, depends on your budget.

I'm not familiar with the engine bay on that, but in most cases, replaing a small block with a small block makes life easier.
For performance http://www.jegs.com/i/Blueprint+Engi...082CT/10002/-1

Shop around, Jegs, Summit, etc would be a first step.

Archer

IncredibleNurse

My budget is $5k. (Over time, a few extra shifts, and praying the wife doesn't find out)

<s>I have another option, let me hear your thoughts,

I found this truck, which is probably a little abused....

https://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/wto/5470594917.html

I can use this as a donor truck. My question being,
If i use everything from this truck into mine, it should be a direct bolt on?
If i low ball him, rebuild the engine and transmission with some mild goodies, i should be able to keep it under 5k, and end up with a better engine? Selling the 360/tranny would also aid in this mission. Thanks again.</s>

IncredibleNurse

I found a shop that does this sort of work, http://www.eliterpmengines.com/, about 20 minutes from home. Spoke to one of them and told him my goals. He quoted me about 2600-3000 parts and labor, but he did say this

He will pull out the engine and do an "overall refresh" of seals, or a soft rebuild, sort of speaking

he suggested i change the heads to aluminum heads so that he can go to 10:1 compression ratio

If i were to get the parts myself, i need to make sure that all the parts match and work with each other,

He also suggested to change the pistons from flat to something else ( i cant remember )

I think this is a fair price for this project. Im no longer going to go for the big block. From what i'm reading, and from what he told me, its awesome just because of the "cool factor" but not worth the trouble.

He mentioned that because of the proliferation of websites and discount places, his prices on parts are about the same as some of the websites like summit or jegs, sometimes they're better. Since i have the part list posted earlier, are there any other parts i might add that would benefit the project? Any suggestions from those who have built the 360 as well?

Guys, this is getting exciting, thanks for all your help.