Where to find a rebuildable core?

[Tonefiend]

Thanks Greg!  That 360 looks interesting.  I may have to go check it out.


I have a line on a 340 block bored .040 over and either J or X heads.  $500 or $550.  Does that sound reasonable?  I know for the money the 360 is the way to go!

I wonder how hard it is to get rust off an engine like that.  WIll it clean up with the machining process?

[Cooter]

This is why I hate some people on Craig's list....That engine core for $60.00 is an AMC 5.9 liter and NOT a Chrysler 5.9 (360)....I know some people are SB all the way and that's fine, but for my money, I don't care if I had to mount the 440 in the passenger seat and run a driveshaft sideways out from under the car to get it in there, the 440 is the best bang for the buck....

[Tonefiend]

Thanks Cooter!  I probably don't want an AMC motor in my car and  I certainly don't need an extra engine kicking around my house. 


I'd be all over a big block, but at this point in time it is way too expensive and involved. Not to mention I do not have a place to work on such a project.

[72bluNblu]

The only issue with a .040 over 340 is that unless its a fresh hone you'll have to go to .060" for a rebuild. That shouldn't be a problem, especially for a street engine, but you'd probably want to have it sonic checked to be sure you won't run out of cylinder wall. The other thing is your piston selection for a .060 over 340 is pretty narrow unless you spring for forged pistons.

I bought my 340 .030 over, and had to go to .060 over because of the condition of the cylinder walls. If its rough (rusty, gouged, pitted etc) you may want to pass on it, it might not clean up at .060. I actually didn't think mine looked all that bad, and was hoping for .040 over when I brought it to the machinist.

Is it a complete engine with heads for $500 or $550? That's a REALLY good price if it is. Most of the complete engine, 340 cores I see go for around $1k, although thats usually for a standard or no more than .030 over bore (although I wouldn't pay that much). If its just a bare .040 over block, its pricey. I bought my '68 340 as a short block (block, mains, forged crank, rods) for under $300, and that was over a year ago. That was a pretty good deal though.

[Tonefiend]

The bored out block is $250 and the heads are $250 for J and $300 for X

My buddy helping me with the build recommended hyperu...  pistons, and I will need to find a crank, which shouldn't be that tough. I am also considering a pair of 308 heads that were recommended in my other thread.   Some rebuilt ones closed on Ebay for around $350  That seems pretty cheap for quality stuff.  Could that be legit?

[72bluNblu]

Sounds like a pretty good deal! 

Shouldn't be too hard to find a crank. 318's have the same crank specs, you can actually find a forged 318 crank if you can get your hands on an early model 318 or a 318 out of a truck.

The KB hypereutectic pistons are a good part, stronger and lighter than the original cast stuff (and stronger than new cast stuff), but not as pricey as forged pistons. They do have a different piston to cylinder wall clearance spec, so just make sure your machinist is aware of that (anyone that's used them before should know).

The 308 heads I mentioned in the other thread are a good choice, they have better designed ports (the exhaust port is modeled after the W2 ports) and will have hardened seats. The only drawbacks are that they tend to crack between the valves, so be sure to have any cores you buy checked. Easy enough to fix, but not something you want to miss. And they have smog ports, which you'll either have to have welded up or threaded, I had mine threaded so I can use set screws to block them.

I don't see how a set of 308's could be rebuilt for $350 with quality parts, let alone sold complete for that much. I paid that much for my cores, although, I paid a bit too much because I jumped on the first pair I could get my hands on.

[Tonefiend]

I have a line on another 340 block std bore with a crank and rods.  Looking for some 308 heads....