360 to 408

[bm73charger]

Just bought a 360 la out of a 1990 d150. Had it machined .030. Bought a stroker kit and had it internally balanced from the manufacturer.

I'm looking into heads next. Id like to get something that had decent performance but wont break the bank. i have a budget of around $1500 for a set give or take. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I'm also looking to get roller rockers but having a hard time finding a set that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

Has anyone ever hooked up a 360/408 to a 904 trans? It will probably be swapped in the future. But to get it running and driving I am keeping it this way for now. Will I need any sort of special hookups to make it work, torque converter, balancer on the flex plate, do i still need a harmonic dampener on front of engine even though it is internally balanced?

If you cant tell this is my first engine build and first engine swap. Id like to make decent power but nothing insane, Id only be going to cars and coffee events and cruise nights in it and random driving not really track stuff, just want enough power to have some fun with. Id really like to have it reliable as possible. Any help is much appreciated. I try to log in whenever i can and reply to any questions as well.

 

[R/T Boy 67]

Do not use an externally balanced dampener or torque converter on an internally balanced engine.

 

[GTX JOHN]

In that price range = I prefer the Edelbrock Budget Heads.
IN a street drive car I prefer the Stainless rockers and there
are many set in the $300. range. They are not great for a race
engine but fine for your use.

Just my .02 =For Free

 

[bm73charger]

Do not use an externally balanced dampener or torque converter on an internally balanced engine.

would i use a dampener at all? a neutral balanced one, or none at all?

 

[bm73charger]

In that price range = I prefer the Edelbrock Budget Heads.
IN a street drive car I prefer the Stainless rockers and there
are many set in the $300. range. They are not great for a race
engine but fine for your use.

Just my .02 =For Free

Stainless rockers as in roller rockers or stamped normal rockers? I cant seem to find rollers for under $500. I saw on jeggs speedmaster makes some decent aluminum heads for about 1200, but didnt know if it was worth it if im not racing. Didnt know if there was a better performing iron ones for cheaper if im not too worried about weight reduction.

 

[RemCharger]

would i use a dampener at all? a neutral balanced one, or none at all?

If nothing else, it will stop oil from blowing out the front of the motor??

Short answer; yes. A neutral balance balancer.

 

[bm73charger]

If nothing else, it will stop oil from blowing out the front of the motor??

Short answer; yes. A neutral balance balancer.

Thank you

 

[ESOXER]

R/T Dakota/Durango heads?

 

[bm73charger]

R/T Dakota/Durango heads?

i dont have any heads at all. I need to get some. i was looking at aluminum. But i didnt know if i could get more performance for the same money if i went with iron.

 

[ESOXER]

i dont have any heads at all. I need to get some. i was looking at aluminum. But i didnt know if i could get more performance for the same money if i went with iron.

I'm not sure they're more performance, but can be had for a song every once and a while. Just have to remember it's a magnum head so... Intake bolt pattern.

 

[Curiousyellow71]

You can build a 904 to be really stout. The parts can get expensive depending on how much power you want it to handle. But it's lighter, takes less power and front drum is safer then a stock 727.

 

[j-c-c-62]

I'd also suggest:
a. mild Hyd Roller
b. non alum bushed rockers
c. a low end simple efi set-up
d. a windage tray
e. if the car is big/heavy and will see reg street use, not sure I see the benefit here instead of a 727

 

[bm73charger]

I'd also suggest:
a. mild Hyd Roller
b. non alum bushed rockers
c. a low end simple efi set-up
d. a windage tray
e. if the car is big/heavy and will see reg street use, not sure I see the benefit here instead of a 727

i want to go roller cam anyways just because the break in on a flat tappet seems a bit intimidating. plus id assume theyre more sturdy/ longer lasting. It will get weekend warrior level use and i baby it most of the time. It currently has the absolute turdiest of turd 318s in it. so i want something with more pep. but im not going to be racing it. maybe a few burnouts but nothing crazy. a 727 is in the plans i think. but thats down the road. im sticking with carbed though. i have like 60 carbs 650cfm carbs laying around that im going to use because its free. and free is my favorite flavor.

 

[Don Frelier]

Pretty sure a 1990 would have been a roller cam engine originally.
I'm not a small block guy but I think the lifter bores/ casting are taller than the older la engines to support the roller lifters.
Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than me on small blocks can chime in.

 

[j-c-c-62]

I believe you are correct, and i don't even know if a downgrade is even possible in in
that block regarding cam choice. Others can advise.

 

[wahya]

i want to go roller cam anyways just because the break in on a flat tappet seems a bit intimidating. plus id assume theyre more sturdy/ longer lasting. It will get weekend warrior level use and i baby it most of the time. It currently has the absolute turdiest of turd 318s in it. so i want something with more pep. but im not going to be racing it. maybe a few burnouts but nothing crazy. a 727 is in the plans i think. but thats down the road. im sticking with carbed though. i have like 60 carbs 650cfm carbs laying around that im going to use because its free. and free is my favorite flavor.

Think it’s been a dozen or so years ago, when I was just getting going on restoring my car and I found a guy selling 340s on ebag.
It happened that the guy lived in the same town as mine and I went by his house to talk. He was telling me that the 340 blocks were getting more expensive and he told me he had a 360 in really good shape. He told me that the bang for the buck on this motor was probably what I wanted. He had a set of heads for the 360. I asked him if my 318 heads would work. He told me that yes they would, maybe even get a little more out of it after he ported them. So that’s what we did, solid lifters, slightly aggressive cam, Thermoquad and he threw in a set of headers. I had my 904 tranny rebuilt with a shift kit. The motor is all I need and I only really got on it one time and I squished a motor mount. I’m not by any means an expert on this, but I know it works for me. Maybe someone will chime in on this.

 

[Geoff 2]

Spend the money on steel or s/s rockers.. You will sleep better.....

 

[Kern Dog]

I'm not sure they're more performance, but can be had for a song every once and a while. Just have to remember it's a magnum head so... Intake bolt pattern.

The 1990 blocks are not the Magnum headed engines. They are still LA blocks. The LA 318s got roller lifters in the 2 barrel engines in 1985, the 360s got roller lifters in 1988.
The "Magnum" 5.2 and 5.9 were phased in by 1992.
The roller cam engines are excellent options for a stroker build. I'm building a stock stroke 1990 360 for my '67 Dart but a friend is building a 360/408 out of a Mopar Performance crate 360 that he has in his '68 Dart.
By the way, a 904 may hold up for awhile but will not last long behind a stroked 408 if you're a hot rodder that likes to take advantage of the added power. Some 360 cars did come with 904 transmissions but if I recall, they were 2 barrel/single exhaust engines. No performance 340 or 360 came with a 904 from what I remember.

 

[GTX JOHN]

We run 500HP plus routinely with a decent
904 with Kolene steels and good clutch discs.
I have run as much as 822 HP with a 904 and adapter
to a 540 Inch big block. We often go 5 or 6 years racing
or 20,000 street miles before rebuilding the trans and that
just for maintenance. I do run a good transmission cooler
as heat is you enemy on transmissions.

If you are towing or other heavy weight usage(motorhomes/trucks) then a 727
is imperative.

My .02 = For Free!