79 dodge needs new engine...

[Jesser04]

Looking for input I have a 79 dodge dually with the 360 that needs to be gone through trying to decide which way to go. I want to have somewhere in the mid 450 hp range when done. Do I swap it for a hemi or build the 360 and tranny to handle the extra power? Cummins swap is not an option. This will be a winter project I'm just trying to get an idea and start collecting parts. It will not be daily drivin just on the weekends or taking my 15 year old to school on occasion.

The end goal is an old farm truck that hauls ass.

 

[mbryson]

If you are contemplating a Hemi swap, I'd swing that way along with it's 6 or 8 speed transmission. That should hit your HP numbers relatively easy? 450 HP out of a 360 will be a little "rowdy" for a pulling motor in my opinion. I think you could get 300-325 out of a truck 360 but 450 HP is asking a lot out of 360 cubes

 

[Jesser04]

The hemi swap sounds appealing I'm just a little nervous getting nickle and dimed to death on all the small things. What about finding a 440 and rebuilding it? There is one tooele for 800 on Ksl.

 

[mbryson]

440 for cost effective power should be good? I haven't had anything rebuilt for years but I'd imagine a 350 Chevy is at least $1k to rebuild nowadays? If that's the case, I bet you're $2k in the 440 but would have decent HP. I don't know the Mopars RB/B block and the A engine transmission compatibility. You may be be able to use your current trans (possibly with a bellhousing swap or adapter) or you might need a different trans?

I wouldn't do a modern Hemi swap unless you can a) find a parts vehicle so you can steal as much stuff as possible from it and b) are really committed to the dually

 

[RogueJeepr]

For the sake of keeping it simple. Id rebuild the 360. You already have the parts and wont have any surprises. I had 2 projects get out of control on me by what I thought was a simple swap. Both got parted out and sold.

Id maybe upgrade the cam, add a 4bbl , newer ignition and fuel pump .

Reliability is the bomb.

 

[mbryson]

For the sake of keeping it simple. Id rebuild the 360. You already have the parts and wont have any surprises. I had 2 projects get out of control on me by what I thought was a simple swap. Both got parted out and sold.

Id maybe upgrade the cam, add a 4bbl , newer ignition and fuel pump .

Reliability is the bomb.

Having the swapped from vehicle makes a HUGE difference to me. You can steal little things from it to put on the swappie vehicle. Takes a lot of guesswork and parts chasing out of a swap. There's still a lot, but that helps immensely

 

[TRD270]

Throw a cam at it, maybe EFI and run it. My cousin just finished a 318 build, put a cam in it and converted it to EFI and it really woke the motor up. Those old 360's are good motors, you can pull some good reliable power out of them.

 

[sawtooth4x4]

I like the 360. I had one in a Wagoneer. I'm not sure if it's the same motor. I did a cheap rebuild on it with an RV cam. I spend $500 to rebuild it. It had lots of power for an old jeep.

 

[mbryson]

I like the 360. I had one in a Wagoneer. I'm not sure if it's the same motor. I did a cheap rebuild on it with an RV cam. I spend $500 to rebuild it. It had lots of power for an old jeep.

AMC had a 360 as did Chrysler. In a Wagoneer older than the mid-80s, I'm sure that was the AMC motor. Not sure as the Jeep line got more Chrysler-ized

 

[Jesser04]

Throw a cam at it, maybe EFI and run it. My cousin just finished a 318 build, put a cam in it and converted it to EFI and it really woke the motor up. Those old 360's are good motors, you can pull some good reliable power out of them.

I think this is the direction I'm leaning if there isn't a lot of fabrication involved I can handle a lot of it myself. I have some pretty handy friends but I don't want this to turn into a project where I need them there every time I want to work on it.

 

[rholbrook]

First off, your 15 yr old princess wouldnt be caught dead in that truck. Second, I think I know where your complete 360 is and he had FI on it already. Came out of a CJ8 so a LS4 could go in it.

I will check to see if the motor is available and let you know.

 

[TRD270]

http://fitechefi.com