To start off this is my first V-8 that I am building and not sure where to start. I have a 1978 dodge 360 that I am looking to rebuild over the winter and was wondering what is the best approach to take. I want the engine to make between 400-500 HP. How much am I should I be expecting to spend? Should i buy a complete rotating assembly or buy separate parts? Magnum heads or rework the ones i have? What cam combo should I use? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

theres no need to buy a new crank/rods the cast crank will handle 500 hp, how much to spend? thats a hard question to answer what quality of parts you use, magum heads flow a bit better but finding used ones that are not cracked is a chore, rhs sells good ones that flow better then stock,
every one wants 500 hp what is the purpose of this engine? race or street with some passes down the track. or soley a street bound car?

 

This is going to be a street car that i will take cruising one in awhile, Im from Pontiac MI so we have the Woodward cruise once a year and we cruise Woodward alll summer long. As far as spending money i just want to know if i can do it for around $2500? I dont really want to spend more than $4000, this is actually going into my dads car, I just want to rebuild a V-8.

 

You can rebuild a V8 to stock specs for that. Most of the moeny that you will spend (at least this is where I spent most of my money) is at the machine shop, getting everything cleaned and checked.

If I were you, I'd keep it all stock and maybe throw in a little large cam and use the rest of the money towards a full, god flowing exhaust system. You'll have some pretty good power.

Edit: I reread your first post and saw that you want 400-500HP. Sell the 360 and get a big block and tranny. I'm not going to say that you can't get 400-500HP out of a 360, you certainly can, but it's going to take more money..... as in a bore and/or stroker kit (http://www.moparproshop.com/inc/sdetail/4390). Are you looking for those numbers at the crank or wheels?

 

The only reason that I am using the 360 is because i have it sitting in the garage. I want atleast 400 to the wheels. I have rebuilt a few 4 cylinder motors in the past so i know about the machining and supporting mods, Im mainly looking for input on the motor and heads right now.

 

I would look into port and polished heads for the added flow, alum heads would be best for something like this. As far as what to do with a cam shaft and pistons, I'll leave that up to the other members to answer.

Look for these books as they will help you out with figuring out what to do. Also, make sure to start a build thread, even if it is just on the motor.

https://moparforums.com/forums/52014-post1.html

 

I say take a look at this article before making any decisions. ..
http://www.moparmusclemagazine.com/t...ine/index.html

Over 400HP on a mostly stock 360 motor with no machine work. Im planning on using this as a guide for my 360 build. Good luck and let us know how it goes