I was wondering if anyone knew why they got rid of the 340 and replaced it with the 360 if the 340 was supposed to be one of the greatest small blocks built according to some.

 

good question! i wouldnt know the answer to that, but most ppl think no replacement for displacement, give me a 340 anyday over a 360....318 for that matter

 

you took the words right out of my mouth.

 

just guessing:
the 340 was built as a performance motor
once the emissions really got heavy, there was no way to give the 340 the performance it once had, so rather than tarnish its name, they got rid of it

or, like in the case with the 383 becoming the 400, emmisions regulations forced it

 

67GTX has it exactly right.....

 

Ya I read that in '71 the 340 had a manufacture spec of something like 276 hp and due to emissions and insurance regulations they dropped it down to 248 in '72.

Just something I read while researching my '72 340.
I'll see if I can find the reference.

Well I was close, Here is the reference I was thinking of.

And while I'm thinking of it, I never have asked about the feelings on this board
about posting external links, if it's objectionable please remove.

Joe.

 

hey thanks guys i was always wondered about that.

 

The 340 V8 was only slightly larger than the 318, why go to the expense and trouble of producing 2 different engines which are nearly identical? The 340 was also not a good choice for the larger size cars Chrysler was making, nor was it a good choice for trucks, so a larger small block was needed. There was no way that Chrysler was going to produce 3 different size small-block engines at the same time, so the 340 was dropped. Making the 360 was also a good marketing move, as Chevy and Ford were using 350 and 351 engines in their larger cars and light trucks, Chrysler could get away with saying that they offered a larger standard engine than their competitors.


A 360 can easily be "woke-up" to make as much power (or more) than a 340, just add to it the things which came on the 340, higher compression, bigger cam, a windage tray, and a double-roller timing chain. You can even leave the stock intake and carb untouched (unless you have one of the later lean-burn 360 engines).

 

Is it possible to get 400hp out of a 360? how much can you get out of one reasonably?

 

Yes, you can get 400 horsepower out of a daily-driver 360. As a matter of fact, you can get a little more out of a 360 than you can from a 340, as a larger displacement engine can run a hotter cam than a smaller one.

To get 400 horsepower you'll need an intake, carb, pistons, cam, lifters, and springs, and a set of decent heads. On my last 360 build I simply used 340 2.02 heads, but newer aluminum heads from Edelbrock, etc. are even better. The windage tray which came in the 340 is also a great thing to add, it actually added quite a few horsepower.

Make sure the rest of your driveline is up to snuff, putting a 400 horsepower engine in front of a stock auto tranny and a 2.76 geared differential isn't going to make your car much faster (not until you get the rpm's up to 5000+), you'll need a higher stall converter and at least 3.55 gears.