Your vote for best small block crate engine?
#462671
09/07/09 09:20 PM
09/07/09 09:20 PM
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,612
Vista, California
ChickMaggot
OP
top fuel
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OP
top fuel
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,612
Vista, California
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Guys,
I may be shopping for a small block crate engine soon. I'd like to pick up a 360 or 408 long block and stay around $5K. 375-400hp would be great.
Whose product have you been happy with?
Anyone I should stay away from?
Maggot
You can lead a gift horse to water, but you
can't look in his mouth.
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Re: Your vote for best small block crate engine?
[Re: ChickMaggot]
#462672
09/08/09 08:06 AM
09/08/09 08:06 AM
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Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 2,415
Connecticut
Ron_M
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top fuel
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 2,415
Connecticut
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FWIW, I bought the MP 360/380 10 years ago and have been very happy with it.
Common sense is a flower that does not grow in everybody's garden
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Re: Your vote for best small block crate engine?
[Re: Ron_M]
#462673
09/08/09 08:21 AM
09/08/09 08:21 AM
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,609
Southern Cal
Noblewk
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top fuel
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,609
Southern Cal
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 380/360 390/360 395/360 435/402 Any of the Mopar Crates are great motors; however they are getting scarce to find. They are a ad more expensive however I think you get what you pay for. If you don't have anything to start with you will find it hard to beat. They are manufactured by Cummins. 
66 Dart GT, 402 11.18:109 Best
63 1/2 Galaxie 500XL 406 4Speed 13.20:103 Best
2000 Ram
2005 Durango Hemi.
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Re: Your vote for best small block crate engine?
[Re: Noblewk]
#462674
09/08/09 08:26 AM
09/08/09 08:26 AM
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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None,find a good reliable machinist/builder and have them do it your way..i wouldn't trust any crate motor..  especially anything from mopar performance...
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Re: Your vote for best small block crate engine?
#462675
09/08/09 08:29 AM
09/08/09 08:29 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 16,123
Grand Haven, MI
patrick
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 16,123
Grand Haven, MI
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how far are you from brian at IMM? I'd probably just pick up a junkyard magnum and have him build it. stock rods, stock crank, KB107's, get the roller cam reground by bullet cams, and if the heads aren't cracked use them, if they are, look at the EQ318B's, or the RHS magnums, or the edelbrock magnums.
1976 Spinnaker White Plymouth Duster, /6 A833OD
1986 Silver/Twilight Blue Chrysler 5th Ave HotRod **SOLD!***
2011 Toxic Orange Dodge Charger R/T
2017 Grand Cherokee Overland
2014 Jeep Cherokee Latitude (holy crap, my daughter is driving)
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Re: Your vote for best small block crate engine?
[Re: patrick]
#462676
09/08/09 10:46 AM
09/08/09 10:46 AM
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,612
Vista, California
ChickMaggot
OP
top fuel
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OP
top fuel
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,612
Vista, California
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Thanks for the input, guys. Keep'em coming.
You can lead a gift horse to water, but you
can't look in his mouth.
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Re: Your vote for best small block crate engine?
[Re: RobX4406]
#462685
09/09/09 07:50 AM
09/09/09 07:50 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 16,123
Grand Haven, MI
patrick
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 16,123
Grand Haven, MI
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Quote:
Talk to Brian at Indio Motor.
There are core motors in the neighborhood and you wouldn't even have to be there. Once it's done, pick it up.
just talk to him, see if he can scare up a core, rebuild it, basically do all the legwork so you can pick up a complete motor.
if it were me, I'd reuse the stock crank, rods, & roller lifters, an LA timing cover, KB107 pistons, if the heads are cracked, I'd pick up a set of these heads from hughes and one of their cam snout extenders. I'd have bullet cams regrind the roller cam with their HR272/340 on both the intake and exhaust, and maybe try out of scorpion rockers if the stockers can't handle .544" lift. add an RPM air gap intake, 1 5/8" headers, and a 750ish cfm carb (I'd probably go 800 eddie AVS), and that's probably an easy, 400 HP on even a conservative dyno. price wise, I would swagger fully dressed with carb, etc, it would be at or under $5k.
1976 Spinnaker White Plymouth Duster, /6 A833OD
1986 Silver/Twilight Blue Chrysler 5th Ave HotRod **SOLD!***
2011 Toxic Orange Dodge Charger R/T
2017 Grand Cherokee Overland
2014 Jeep Cherokee Latitude (holy crap, my daughter is driving)
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Re: Your vote for best small block crate engine?
[Re: patrick]
#462686
09/09/09 08:00 AM
09/09/09 08:00 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 25,200
Upper Midwest
MoparforLife
Too Many Posts
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Too Many Posts
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 25,200
Upper Midwest
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Quote:
Quote:
Talk to Brian at Indio Motor.
There are core motors in the neighborhood and you wouldn't even have to be there. Once it's done, pick it up.
just talk to him, see if he can scare up a core, rebuild it, basically do all the legwork so you can pick up a complete motor.
if it were me, I'd reuse the stock crank, rods, & roller lifters, an LA timing cover, KB107 pistons, if the heads are cracked, I'd pick up a set of these heads from hughes and one of their cam snout extenders. I'd have bullet cams regrind the roller cam with their HR272/340 on both the intake and exhaust, and maybe try out of scorpion rockers if the stockers can't handle .544" lift. add an RPM air gap intake, 1 5/8" headers, and a 750ish cfm carb (I'd probably go 800 eddie AVS), and that's probably an easy, 400 HP on even a conservative dyno. price wise, I would swagger fully dressed with carb, etc, it would be at or under $5k.
Why not just get a Hughes cam to go with them? Talk to them about a package. As for getting one built by someone for 5K or less - good luck in these times.
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Re: Your vote for best small block crate engine?
[Re: MoparforLife]
#462690
09/11/09 04:35 PM
09/11/09 04:35 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 16,123
Grand Haven, MI
patrick
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 16,123
Grand Haven, MI
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Quote:
Why not just get a Hughes cam to go with them? Talk to them about a package. As for getting one built by someone for 5K or less - good luck in these times.
3 reasons I wouldn't get a hughes cam:
1) they get a little overboard with lift for any cam beyond an RV cam duration especially with magnum 1.6 rockers, (their 1828 roller cam is .544" lift with mag 1.6 rockers), to where you may end up needing extra machine work for double springs or more IH, and I'd start to get concerned about the stock magnum rocker's load capacity (especially considering the pedestal is retained by only a 5/16" bolt)
2) their regrind price is $50 more than bullet's
3) don't know who I talked to there, but when I was looking for a mild street roller for my 318, I asked them why they use so wide a split duration cam, especially for the magnums since the magnum heads already flow very well on the exhaust, with a little cleanup the mags can hit 75-80% of the intake flow on the exhaust, and I wanted to run the same lobe on both to minimize overlap for economy/drivability reasons, and the answer the person gave me was "because that's how we do it". I guess I was hoping for a more technical explanation to convince me that my line of reasoning was wrong about running a straight pattern cam.
as far as a $5k budget for a complete motor, my thinking is core magnum ($400-500 max?) stock crank ($100 if it needs turning), stock rods resized w/good bolts ($150-200), KB107's ($220), rotating assy balanced ($150?) stock mag cam reground ($150-200) stock heads gone through with new hughes 1110 springs & retainers, or hughes Iron ram heads ($400-700), reuse stock lifters, pushrods, rockers. moly rings ($100) bearings ($100) oil pump ($50) t-chain ($50) RPM air gap intake ($260), car oil pan & pickup ($150), gasket kit ($100)...conservative ballpark pricing adds up to just under $3k....I doubt machining/assy would eat up another $2k. maybe if you had it run-in on an engine dyno.
Last edited by patrick; 09/11/09 04:38 PM.
1976 Spinnaker White Plymouth Duster, /6 A833OD
1986 Silver/Twilight Blue Chrysler 5th Ave HotRod **SOLD!***
2011 Toxic Orange Dodge Charger R/T
2017 Grand Cherokee Overland
2014 Jeep Cherokee Latitude (holy crap, my daughter is driving)
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