Is the 360 a heavier casting?
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Junior User
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 62
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Is the 360 a heavier casting?
I picked up the spring 2005 Muscle Car Review magazine which contains a
guide to FE engines. In the article it was discussing a “budget” buildup using a 360,390 or a 428 block. A quote from the article ;
''Your 390 or 428 project doesn't have to be expensive.The best picks for the
budget engine project are 360 , 390 and 428 blocks. The 360 was a truck big-
block available from '68 to '76 sporting a heavier casting. That's good when you're building a super-strong street 390.''
Is this true? Is the 360 a heavier casting?
guide to FE engines. In the article it was discussing a “budget” buildup using a 360,390 or a 428 block. A quote from the article ;
''Your 390 or 428 project doesn't have to be expensive.The best picks for the
budget engine project are 360 , 390 and 428 blocks. The 360 was a truck big-
block available from '68 to '76 sporting a heavier casting. That's good when you're building a super-strong street 390.''
Is this true? Is the 360 a heavier casting?
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,600
Likes: 4
From: Iowa
I think we're getting a little too small with our overboring recommendations. Any FE excluding the 427 should take a .060" overbore no problem. .080" is where you should start getting concerned.
All 360 blocks I've seen were mirror 105 blocks. They do have a stronger iron alloy and reinforced main webs. I'm not sure if the cylinder walls are any thicker though. There is an oil passage that goes up to the rocker stand on each side from the cam journal. This passage can crack and oil is forced out into the water jacket. I am of the opinion that these mirror 105 blocks develop these cracks more often than their regular FE counterparts, since the metal is harder and therefore more brittle. I had a 360 that had this condition. The repair is relatively simple though.
All 360 blocks I've seen were mirror 105 blocks. They do have a stronger iron alloy and reinforced main webs. I'm not sure if the cylinder walls are any thicker though. There is an oil passage that goes up to the rocker stand on each side from the cam journal. This passage can crack and oil is forced out into the water jacket. I am of the opinion that these mirror 105 blocks develop these cracks more often than their regular FE counterparts, since the metal is harder and therefore more brittle. I had a 360 that had this condition. The repair is relatively simple though.
Elder User
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 936
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You are right Kurt, but I have talked to some guys that had parts of their cylinder walls getting thin at .030
And according to Dave Shoe, unless your FE has thicker walls, anything more than a .030 overbore is just making the cylinder walls flexible. While that probably isn't going to be much concern for how most of us run our engines, it could be if you are running it very hard for extended amounts of time. I suppose it could cause a little more blowby to.
And according to Dave Shoe, unless your FE has thicker walls, anything more than a .030 overbore is just making the cylinder walls flexible. While that probably isn't going to be much concern for how most of us run our engines, it could be if you are running it very hard for extended amounts of time. I suppose it could cause a little more blowby to.
Needsmorecoffee.
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,624
Likes: 2
From: CT
JC you are right on with that. Also keep in mind there were two types of castings. First the std two finger cranksaddle webbing and the second with triple webbing with the beefier main area. Just because the block has the HD webbing does not mean the wall cores are thicker. There seems to be no paticular pattern or standard to which wall cores were used in the 360/390 blocks as some are thick and others not. G.
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FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 42,561
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From: Long Island USA
Originally Posted by rusty70f100
All 360 blocks I've seen were mirror 105 blocks.
If I recall it had the better webbing too...
but this is hearsay compounded by 15 years of bad memory ...
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