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360 budget build for 1980 D150

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Timmy2gudd

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Mar 16, 2015
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I have plans to build a 360 to replace my tired and worn out 318. I daily drive this truck as I am still in highschool so I want something reliable but with some get up and go as well. I have a budget of $6,000 and I was looking for 350-400 horse from this build. This motor will be going into my 1980 d150 it will be paired with an a833 4 speed overdrive and an dana 30 8 3/4 rear end. At the moment the rear end has 2.94 gears but if I have any left over cash I plan on changing that to 3.73 gears. I was wondering if anybody would have any insight to help me out as this will be my first engine build. Thanks.
 
Welcome to the site Timmy . Just a couple of question's about your build . Are you talking total rebuild or just freshening up a running 360 and what gen engine are you planning on using ? Are you doing all the work yourself or are you sending it out ? And if you are doing the work then what's your mechanical level ? As for the swap it's self the main things your going to need right off the bat is the 360 truck motor mount brackets , 360 truck oil pan , and a 360 fly wheel .
 
I plan on using a mid to early 70s LA block 360 and doing a full rebuild. I do plan on doing most of the work myself but I will be using the help from books, my dad, and my automotive teacher at my highschool. As for my mechanical level, I know how to do simple things but I've never torn an entire v8 down to its bare block. Also I was wondering if the 360 mounts would maybe be the same as the 318 mounts in my truck because they are externally identical engines.
 
With a little research I found out that my mounts will work but with the help of some shims. I also found mounts on rockauto that are a couple bucks so I'll go that route. Rockauto also has the oil pan I will need as well as a flywheel.
 
First off , use the correct mounts . You don't want to start off mouse'in stuff together . If you don't have the motor yet then a good way to save a couple of bucks is to find a complete 360 out of another truck . That way you'll have the correct oil pan & pick up , brackets & pulleys and such , so you wont have to buy any of that stuff. Now for the build . It shouldn't be that hard to reach your goal's and still keep it 100 % drivable . There's a couple of route's you can go . We can start with the top . In a daily driven truck . Definitely go with a duel plane . The carb should be about a 600 cfm . I personally like the eddies my self with an electric choke for easier starts . As for the heads . Are you planning on sticking with the LA style heads ? If so after you get your motor then see what's on there . I'd recommend a 360 swirl port head . If the motor you get doesn't already have them then you might be able to find a set in a junk yard . They came in a lot of late 80's trucks . The block it's self . I'd recommend sending it to a machine shop and have it tanked and punched out about 30 over . With that you'd need a new set of slugs , so get yourself a set of 10 or 10.5 to 1's . I'll stop here for now and next we can talk about cam choice's and other little stuff like adding a windage tray , headers and stuff like that .
 
What transmission do you currently have in your truck? I am questioning the use of the a833 overdrive unit at the power levels you are intendeding. It was ment for light duty use behind the slant 6 and 318's.
 
7mopar at the moment I have the a833 overdrive. From what I know the case is aluminum and I'm sure I'd have the 23 spline unit. But somewhere down the road I did plan on swapping that out with a cast iron a833 non OD. I was reading somewhere and people were talking about the a833's being behind hemi's. And Bear I was thinking of just getting a set of high flow edelbrock heads if funds allow.
 
After pricing some edelbrock heads I think I might just polish and port the ones that come on the engine, lol.
 
Timmy2gudd said:
After pricing some edelbrock heads I think I might just polish and port the ones that come on the engine, lol.
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I kind of thought you would change your mind once you saw what they were going for . lol Everything I'm suggesting is for a budget build and still meet your end goals . That's why I suggested the swirl port heads . You can still find them , if you look hard enough . Hell , You might even think about doing some research on a mag head swap . You'd need a totally different intake for that though , and there not cheap .
 
I may go with the magnum head conversion because I live right next door to a junkyard. And there are also lots of dodge rams around that I might be able to snatch the heads from for cheap.
 
I'm not saying don't do it because that's a "very good" swap . But If you go the Magnum head conversion rout , then just be careful because these heads were prone to crack . Also keep in mind that even though it's a bolt on swap , you'll still need a few things that wont swap from an LA block . Like intake , longer push rods , valve covers and a couple of other things that I can't think of off the top of my head .
 
If you happen to have the cast case od unit the non od gears will fit in the case. It will also have the larger front bearing and retainer. The weak link in the od transmission are the od gears. I would retain the 23 spline input shaft, clutch options are not as limited and parts are easier to come by.
 
bear said:
I'm not saying don't do it because that's a "very good" swap . But If you go the Magnum head conversion rout , then just be careful because these heads were prone to crack . Also keep in mind that even though it's a bolt on swap , you'll still need a few things that wont swap from an LA block . Like intake , longer push rods , valve covers and a couple of other things that I can't think of off the top of my head .
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I'm aware of all these things with the swap. I've also read up on a lot of people drilling the heads out so they are universal between regular LA intakes as well as magnum intakes. There was a jig that a guy would rent out for a price, but I believe somebody bought it for good and its no longer for sale. I may be able to drill the holes myself though in my shop class, but if not I bet I could have a machine shop do it for a small fee.
 
7mopar said:
If you happen to have the cast case od unit the non od gears will fit in the case. It will also have the larger front bearing and retainer. The weak link in the od transmission are the od gears. I would retain the 23 spline input shaft, clutch options are not as limited and parts are easier to come by.
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I'm sure I have the aluminum case, but I ran across an ad on Criagslist for an a833 transmission that's cast iron. Its not rebuilt or anything though so if I did buy it I would replace all the bearings, seals, and synchronizers. He's asking $500 for it. Is this is a fair price??
 
Timmy2gudd said:
I'm sure I have the aluminum case, but I ran across an ad on Criagslist for an a833 transmission that's cast iron. Its not rebuilt or anything though so if I did buy it I would replace all the bearings, seals, and synchronizers. He's asking $500 for it. Is this is a fair price??
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What's it out of ? You have to remember were your shifter location is .
 
$500 would be a good price for the A833 if the gears are in good shape. If you have to replace them you might as well spend the money on one that has already been gone threw.
 
bear said:
What's it out of ? You have to remember were your shifter location is .
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I'm not very good with transmissions so I have no clue if it would work. But the transmission is out of a 69 charger. I'd assume since its pretty much the same transmission that I could swap over my shifter linkages.
 
That would be a good strong a833 if it is. Make sure The Tail stock matches yours or you may have to cut and rebalance your driveshaft. Try to stay away from salvage yards that tell you to " go fish in the pile" There fun to walk through, but not very well kept. The 373 gears might be a bit steep without the overdrive. see if you can borrow a buddys 355 to test. Long drives out of town are a bi..ch with too steep a gear and sounds like the guys are right on track with your motor. My 82 D150 has a short tail stock , thats why I say that.
 
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