New member - 360 rebuild

[flboy0638]

Heard very good things about this site so thought I would join. Doing my 1st AMC 360 rebuild. I have a:

1974 J10 Jeep Pickup 258I6 th400 / Quadratrac

Going to a:

1974 AMC 360
Head casting = 3220502
57.92 volume cc
2.02k valve diameter intake
1680 valve diameter exhaust
dog legged exhaust port designrocker style bridged

Can anyone put me on a good 360 rebuild thread in regards to where to get parts, ideas, simple mods, oiling issue mods nessasary or unnessasry, how to avoid cheap parts, lessons learned. My jeep will not be a racing or mudder. Just for driving. I will consider any an all mods for performance. For example, a simple cam upgrade, exhaust ideas, parts upgrades ect....

Thanks in advance!
Kyle in Florida

[flboy0638]

Running list of things I have heard so far, these are not my suggestions, just what I have heard. Some may be obvious to some and controversial to others:

1. Make sure to do a 3 angle valve job
2. Harden valves so they can take unleaded gasoline
3. Drill oil return holes next to the lifter valleys. Chamfer the holes. This gets oil to the cam lobes quicker an helps with drainback
4. Run an additional oil line to your distributor gear to keep it well lubricated. It cost about 15 dollars to do.
4. Place emphasis on a new timing chain with real good parts and a good cover even if it means spending a little extra. Bulltear has good parts and some use a double roller timing chain
5. Motorcraft 2100 or 2150 seems to be low cost good carbs commonly agreed upon from a "non high performance perspective". Stay in the 600 range or lower
6. Some drainback oil mods would rather modify to increase oil drain back through the front or rear opposed to 3. above... Always enlarge the drainback holes because they intersect with the 2 outer head bolts. Flip the head over and use a 19/32 or 39/64 drill to max out the flow.
7. Bulltear HEI with matching gears
8. Add a windage tray, (keeps the oil from splashing up on the crank and rods)
9. Some rebuilders are swapping out the manual fan for electric. Perma cool is one choice.
10. Have the rotating assembly (crank,rods,pistons) balanced.
11. If upgrading cam, the rv cam from summit seems to be a popular choice by jeepers. summit k8600. Another is Crane H-260-2 cam. Consider buying the kit that comes with lifters too. Consider using a matched set of cam & dizzy gears.
12. Edelbrock performer intake is being chosen by many when going the carb route
13. If honing out cyclinders consider using AMC torque plates

[tufcj]

Welcome to Bulltear!

A factory engine easily ran 100K miles if taken care of. Unless you're going for racing use, a factory rebuild is usually sufficient.
AMC engines like to breathe, so a quality valve job is a good idea.
Pocket porting and cleanup of casting flash in the exhaust ports helps.
Hardened exhaust seats are optional, they generally run about $15/seat installed (x8 ).
Oil mods to the mains and distributor gears are usually not needed unless you're building a performance engine.
I do use cam bearings with smaller oil holes (available here at the Bulltear store, link at the top). These help push more oil to the mains and rods.
You do need to check the oil passages in the cam timing gear carefully to ensure oil flow to the distributor gear, the external line to the gear decreases flow to the bearings.
I add a higher capacity oil pan, like a Milodon or Canton.
Balancing is always a good idea, just for longevity's sake.
The cams above are good choices. Keep LSA in the 110-112 range, lift under .500". Always replace cam/lifters as a matched set.
The performer is a good all around manifold.
Torque plates are great if your machine shop has a set. Again this is something that only needs to be done for a high performance rebuild.

Bob
tufcj

[flboy0638]

My block was magnafluxed an no cracks but machine shop said number 6 cyclinder needs a sleeve. Bad idea? Should I seek a new block?

[tufcj]

Are you trying for a stock bore, or oversize? A sleeve will run about $80-100. Done correctly, it will outlast the other cylinders. On the other hand, 360 blocks are plentiful, and a bare block should be available for the cost of the sleeve. The choice is really up to you.

Bob
tufcj