1978 360 questions

[Sonny]

I'm looking to swap my 318 in my Belvedere with a 360. I found one in town on CL and it's a 1978 5.9L out of what he calls a "kary-van". He only wants $200 or best offer. Says it runs. Are there any pitfalls I should look for in a 1978 360? I'll try to rotate the engine. Anything else? I'm prepared for a full rebuild but will pass if it's a bad design. Also, will my 318 alum intake, water pump, alternator, etc work on it?

 

[PurpleBeeper]

Off the top of my head, I'd say buy it. I'm pretty sure the '78 360s were "lean burn", but who cares since your existing distributor/ignition will bolt right up. I think the only part that won't swap over is your 318 intake since the 340/360's have much larger intake ports (good thing). You might want to talk to Rumblefish on this site. He seems pretty sharp on small blocks. I switched to big blocks many years ago.

 

[mopar 3 B]

Intake is questionable. Every thing else should work on the 360 front cover. The flywheel or torque converter will have to match the 360.

 

[Sonny]

Intake is questionable. Every thing else should work on the 360 front cover. The flywheel or torque converter will have to match the 360.

How about my 904 trans? I did read somewhere about needing a new flywheel.

 

[mopar 3 B]

The 904 will bolt to the 360. If the trans for the 360 is still available take it also.