Ya these 304/360/401s were a bit starved for oil. I remember doing these tricks to the oil passages in the pump and timing cover as well. Don't remember doing it at the block though. Seemed to help. I loved my moderately built 360 in my J10 Jeep truck. Decent torque. AMC isn't as bad as people think. You can make these motors move and they have a a great sound. Always thought it was better to build these motors instead of transplanting something else. Glad to see the AMC 360 getting some love.
AAhhh, gotta love these guys. I HAVE had American Motors since 1980. HAVE a 360 V-8 1970 Ambassador SST. AN OLD GUY I knew when I was at NAS, Jacksonville for 3 years. He a n.v d several men taught me just how to work and do Everything I just saw on THIS VIDEO. Wow, Man These guys know their stuff. I still have the Dog Leg shaped exhaust head ports (Original) factory heads. OH YOU BET I have collections of parts for The M-12 & M-11 and the 727 Shift Command Transmissions.. Those T-10 4 speeds are great for the AMCs also. I have Two of the 1970 AMC SST Ambassadors. THE 360 V8, is highly competitive. So is my 390 V8. They are Right about that OIL PRESSURE Problem. THEY ARE SHOWING THE EXACT CORRECT Way to do the AMC Engines. The 401 from 1971 doesn't have those problems. Especially the 401 matador police vehicles. Bought the whole car to get that engine and Tranny and Dana rearend.. These Videos are Dead on Balls Accurate. Great Video. I fell for AMC long AGO. Sure theres the OH, MY Car this, my truck that. Till I bring That hyped up 1970 with 476 horse power Ambassador. Then it's DAMN!! I'VE had great teachers along the way. Good to see A Garage that does a great bang up Job..THIS may be and older video but is still relevant to this day. SURE there's OTHER WAYS to fix the oiling problems in these 304, 343, 360, 390, engines HOWEVER, this video shows a less difficult way to save the Engine. Always make sure that YOUR ENGINE, has a larger oil pan with at least AN extra Quart so if you get higher oil pressure the pick up won't pull air causing parts to starve for oil when there's higher rpms. Never rush a job like this.
I've got a 71 Javelin SST with one of these engines in it, and it is such a joy to drive. The sound of this engine just makes my heart skip a beat every time I start it up. Beautiful engine and a beautiful machine overall
Most people overlook International Travelalls they used 401s for a few years. I bought one cheap that way all the weird international crap camouflaged it and my friend who owned the junkyard didn't recognize it till it was loaded in my trailer and paid for. Best $150 engine I ever bought that was early 90s.
AMC engines really don't get enough love. They're solid little V8s. There is quite a bit of aftermarket support for them. Motor trend built a 440 cube AMC stroker a while back, that was a stout engine combination. One of my favorites, but I like obscure things
I dont know how many times I see people deburring their block after it comes back from the machine shop. Deburring etc should be done before it goes to machine as they will hot tank and wash the block, removing all foreign material.
Great video, lot’s of great tips! I had four two-seat AMX’s, all 390 cars. Those 390’s are now really hard to get & $$! I see a 360 in my future. Thanks!
Biggest problem with burning up distributor gears is poorly made parts of today. Lots of the cams and timing sets have the oil passages misaligned at the interface. I've had to weld up cam sprockets and re-locate the oil passage so the distributor gear gets oil fed as intended. Oil pump/front cover normally benefit a lot from some good old blueprinting by hand. Amc always made a great engine but you really do want a real engine builder with some knowledge of them and not just your Chevy guy cousin.
I have a complete 360 and a 401 short block sitting in my garage, along with a 71 AMC Javelin a friend left me when he committed suicide just over 2 years ago. Sure miss you Trevor, one day I'll make you proud and have that Jav screaming with the 401
The AMC/JEEP 360 is a great, reliable engine, (ive put mine thru hell tbh) but please remember that ALL AMC 390 and 401 engines have factory FORGED crankshafts and rods. 360, 343, 304 and 290 engines use cast cranks and rods...any is as good as any ford, mopar or chevy engine, but the real 390 and 401 AMC engines are by far the most desirable for serious upgrades
When I heard solid flat tappet I picked 450hp @ 65-6700rpm. I was 27hp down. Sounds like an industrial sewing machine doing those rpm too. What a thing.
Its the heads aftermarket heads mainly. That and engine management. The regular CI heads flow pretty well but the factory just did not have the cash to produce special versions. Plus every head they produced 290s through 401s was machined on the same equipment. The same with the intake manifolds that were done in house. All of the blocks used in dedicated race programs from 1970 on were the Specual Service Block. Basically a 390 casting with the cylinder bores cast for 360. Heavier cylinder walls. The blocks were machined in house except for the bores. The bores may have been bored 4.080. Plus the main webs were much heavier allowing 4 bolt mains to be used.
@@mpetersen6 factory heads could have easly matched these eddys .not even fully ported they prob flow around 275 so no its not mostly the heads factory headed amc 360s regerally made around 475 @6500 and 401 520@6500 with mild 275 cfm heads
Earlier AMC’s used an obsolete V8. Their motto prior to the Gen 2, (290, 343 and 390 engines) and taller deck gen 3 engines, (304, 360 and 401) which shared block design but had a higher deck to accommodate a longer stroke and Dogleg heads which flowed 50% more than the Gen 2’s square port heads made them a mean contender, was the only race we’re interested in is the human race. I guess they had to catch up to the younger part of the human race!
love these amc motors ,had one in a pro street vx carlton i built here in the uk in the 90s i didnt pick an amc its just what i had at the time ,picked up a lot of parts on a trip to la ,great motor great times !!!!!!! loved the video
360 inch motors and smaller have less meat in the main webbing, so it can’t rev like a 390 or 401 with enough meat to use four bolt mains. So I would keep a 360 at 6500 or lower. 390’s scream. They’ll run 10’s with relative ease. 401’s had lower compression, but now you can find higher compression pistons. They should scream too!
You can easily build a 12.0:1 AMC 401/390 with flat top pistons... with a little research and a little ingenuity... with a forged bottom end You got the making for a runner....
Well, there's a reason so many people do LS swaps today. After all they are as common as dirt. Its always interesting to just what can be done with "off brand" motors. Most of the oiling system mods trace back to the TransAm race motor program at Traco. The previous Gen1 AMC V-8 actually had a better oiling system with the crank having priority and the pump inside the sump. Pretty lousy heads though. Theres somebody on the 'net doing a Gen1 327 bored and stroke to over 440 cubes iirc. But that's a whole different block. Supposedly there was a 460ish version under development that got axed around 71 or 72. But that could be rumor. Anybody involved is likely gone by now. Of course the big problem with building an "off brand" or orphan motor is aftermarket support. There are only so many intakes or head options available. No aftermarket parts supplier is going to put the effort into producing those parts unless they have a reasonable assurance they are going to make some profit on it.
Did AMC ever make a forged crankshaft for the 360 ? I really like Your build ! Have You thought of doing an EFI comparison on that engine Pro 4 system , Holley or Atomic systems ? I think that would be awesome . Thank You . 🇺🇲🇵🇷🦊👍
The Gen-1 AMC V8's (250/287/327) all used forged cranks, as did AMC sixes of the '50s and early '60s. In the Gen-2 and -3 series, only the 390 and 401 had forged cranks.
I'm running the ProFlo4 on my 360 in a CJ7. It's a great set up and worth the investment, as it includes the intake, throttle body, distributor, and Bluetooth ECU
The 360 is NOT a small block! It is actually known as a tall deck same as 401. The earlier generation 290-343 were short deck, but still not a small block!
It was characterized by NHRA as small blk ,uses small block rules ,and whenever I ever seen one compared on car magazines it was listed as small block.find any list of small block/big block it's under small block but you are kinda right as the bore spacing is the same as mopar big block ,but the deck height is small block territory, in the org advertisements ,it was called a combination of both by AMC ,and could be called a mid-block. The first gen amc were called big blocks even though they only had 327 c.i and the Studebaker was also a big block , but in most comparisons by hot rod magazines at the time it was listed as small block
I had a 80's Wagoner, 360 ran good, but after coming down an off ramp, lifters would knock, took it apart and found two different heads!, one head had 2.02 valves one had 1.60s, I thought I was screwed, but Valley Head Service was able to put the 2.02s in the other head, and match them up. Ran awesome!
I seriously doubt the horsepower numbers the factory put out were accurate. Those engines made a lot more horsepower but insurance companies increased rates for higher horsepower numbers so amc lied about the true numbers.
I bought a SC360 in 1971. Used Hooker headers with 2.5" glass packs. Too little back pressure and 72 degrees overlap killed the exhaust valves. Went to 1972 cam with only 42 degrees overlap. Saved the valves. Added a Holley 3 barrel ,added capacitor ignition and dyno engine. 275 hp with 410 torque. The longer stroke was great for torque building. Car was real sleeper . Should have kept it longer then I did.
Or getting a baffle under the intake to keep the PCV Valve from sucking up oil is a common oversight. Now you know. So, find one before you fire up the engine. Now lots of guys pass on the 304 for the bigger 360, and given the 304’s dinky bores of 3.75” compared to the 360’s 4.08” bores it’s no wonder why. But the factory advised that the 304 could be punched out to 3,875”. The same as a 283 and 307 Chevy, and larger than a Pontiac 350 that sees a little more love. I don’t know what the width of the Edelbrock heads are though, and if the valves are placed in the center of the bore like a Small Block Mopar for better breathing or if they shoved to one side like the Small Block Chevy. If centered and the combustion chambers are narrow enough, the Eddy Heads could be used without notching the block.if not, we’ll have you Machinest notch your block. You should see approximately the same hp per cubic inch as the 360. Something to think about anyway, and if anybody had tried this I’d like to know!
Interesting. They spent a fortune on an AMC 304 for that eyesore AMC and ma de e 330hp. Less was spent here and made 477HP with a 360. Me thinks someone missed the mark on the 302.
Also the AMC 304 had shorty headers as well and the Aluminium heads on it weren't ported and polished as well they're were all stock cast. With some porting and polishing combined with Longtube headers I bet that AMC 304 would probably make just well over 400 HP.
That motor would be awesome in a spirit gt,with the turbothrust wheels and fat Goodyear eagle 1'S. Also it would be cool to see amx 343 build all the old timer in Kenosha would swear they were serious fun.
A 343 build would look almost identical, but the 343 was only built for three years, '67-'69. The 360 had the same bore, but slightly more stroke and deck height, larger-diameter head bolts, and improved heads with better exhaust flow. With a little machining, a 343 block can use the 360 crank, heads and head bolts. You'd wind up with the same engine, but the casting would still say "343" if you crawled underneath the car and looked.
I'm looking into purchasing an AMC Rambler Ambassador with a 327ci V8, it's not nearly as talked about as the other AMC V8's, but I'm curious to see how much power I can safely get out of it, maybe build a bit of a sleeper out of it. If not, probably would upgrade to a 390 or a 401, or go Mopar.
Naaah. Put a blower on it and stick it in an Ambassador. Fool the hell out of everybody. Hell if you're looking for an AMC 360, the Ambassador is where you'll find one.
@@ladamyre1 Can't argue with that. I was an AMC fan from an early age. Uncle Drag raced a '72 Gemlin. Papaw had an Ambassador for a Beach car to pull his 19' Coachman. Cousin had a Gremlin X. So did my Football Coach. Another Cousin worked for AMC in Greensboro. Pop had a Rambler. Great Uncle had an Eagle. NOT the Eagle brand Chrysler created with Mitsubishi. I could still kick myself for listening to my X-wife and letting a Black on Black,One owner Gremlin X with 40k miles for $1000 slip through my fingers. Still have a recipe for a couple of AMCes rattling around in my head.
@@coache1nine most people don't know the Gremlin was the very first car to be mandated by the sanctioning body to run a restrictor plate. Those straight 6's had so much more torque than the 4 bangers in their class, they just pulled out of the corners without having to carry the same RPMs.
@@SGTJDerek I know about that straight 6. I had a 68 Rambler American with the 232. That think was a tank with plenty of torque and smooth as silk at 75mph
I'm 61, in 1984 had a 1972 Javelin with 360 auto. Sweet running motor. God I miss the good old days. I've owned 34 vehicles. 6 new ones. Never had a blown motor . Engines were so Simplistic back then. I pity todays mechanics working on todays high tech, high dollar Disposable Trash.
Wiah i could have to know how to do this with my amc 360 in my wagoneer... its in need of seals everywhrre.. intake.. exhaust.. oil pump.. oil pan.. rear main.. timing cover they all leak.... helppp lol
I still believe that the AMC 343 was a far better engine. I say that with no disrespect to the 360. I had the 343 engine in the 1968 AMX It was bought new in September 1968. The 343 has a slightly shorter stroke at 3.28 in. and a little higher compression ratio at 10.2 with 280 horse. If one was even lucky enough to have had the early 1971 360 before the compression drop you got 290 horse. With that said, the smoged out engines after early 71 had even less horsepower than stated. If one had the manual transmission equiped 360, the air injection alone took away any benifit that the dog leg heads and free flow exhaust gave. The big issue was, AMC staying with the type one cam for the 360, that cam came with the 343 and 290 engines since 1966. It had a mild .426 lift with 266 duration. in September 1969 for the 1970 390 and later 401 engines, the type 2 cam or what was then refered to as, the white stripe cam was used. It had a higher lift of .458 with more duration of 296 and 302. Why AMC did not use this cam in the 360 is anybodies guess. In closing, my 343 engine had a cam change to the white stripe cam in 1971. In addition to an Edlebrock R4B intake, larger Carter 9625 carb, a rear gear change from the 3.15 for the auto, to the dealer 3.73. Finally a set of Cyclone headers through a full 2 1/2 in. exhaust. With serious traction issues, on E 70 X 14 in. tires, a best 1/4 mile time of 12.89 was recorded for the automatic equiped AMX. The little 343 engine had to be making 325 to 335 horse while shifting at 5,300 rpm limit for the iron rod and crank engine. There are still more than a few 343 engines out there as I would do it again. Only this time put a 343 in a 77 or 78 AMX, what a sleeper it would make.
I have a AMC AMX 390. It has been some time since its rebuild. +15 years. I would like to blue print the engine like you have done for this 360. I live in San Diego, whom would you recommend?
Didnt catch what cam grind was used...anyone? THe .904 lifter bores on these hardly calls for a roller Love a chance to build a 401 and port the heads/intake myself to see what it could do Had no idea late 80s they could be this stout when I owned a 71 SST 401 Jav. Paid 400...those days are gone
I’m very low income and in very much need to rebuild my motor in my 86’ Ford F150 302 fuel injected motor I could do it myself if I had the very income I need $2500. I only get $1140 month. Help!!!
14:13 i’m calling bullshit you cannot buy those heads for the price it would cost you to rework the old heads unless the old heads were cracked and y’all might’ve got those cylinder heads cheap but that’s about $2500 worth of heads just off the top of my head
I had one of those in my full sized Cherokee Chief S. I installed a mild cam, 4 barrel intake and carb and Hooker headers. Never thought it was lacking on power and drove it to 380,000 miles. Still ran when I sold it after buying a newer box Cherokee XJ
Everything I have read on straightening crankshaft is that hammering is the best option by far. To use force to "bend" it back is never a good option. I guess it's too much to expect people to have skills rather than take shortcuts
stripping timing gears? you are running too much oil pressure, when the oil pump is rebuilt you receive a new oil pressure regulator spring, cut two rings off the spring with a grinder and oil pressure should be 45 psi, no need for a cam button
Good points on the front of engine oiling plug, very helpful. The lifter Vally is not as glorified as you think! It takes pressure from the front of engine, causes a lower pressure at lower RPM, and possible starving condition. The oil feed line you used is way too large diameter. An 1/8th is max and well enough for a street daily driver and 99% of AMC V8's out there. Unless they are HIGH HP set up and RPM. The cam button Is NOT needed on basic flat lifters DUE to their angle on each of the 16 cam lobes PUSH the cam back constantly!! You forgot to properly inform ppl about this, making this another stupid misinformation YT! The button is great for a roller cam but 100% NOT needed for flat lifter type cams. Roller cam on AMC can use a special built retainer plate like all other engines do!
wow great old time crank champion well done = i invested in a super top quality crank for my engine - forged nitrited x drilled and chamfered oil holes !
The AMC V8s had bore spacing almost identical to the Mopar big-blocks, but with internal crank clearances like a small block, limiting max stroke. So they were technically neither. All Gen-2/3 AMC V8s had the same exterior dimensions.
Some timing cam gear manufacturers cause problems that were never a problem from AMC. I ran into serious distributor drive gear wear with a new cam gear. After discussing it with my Australian AMC performance engine builder, I removed the other timing set and installed the Rollmaster p/n CS7110 and the problem was cure. This set also allows minor timing offsets. As recommended, I went with the +2 degree setting. The engine now starts easier than ever. So rather than having to do bandaid distributor drive oiling mods, just get the right timing gear set.
My 71 javelin has the 360......I wish I had the 401 but no luck when I bought the car a couple years ago I I took it how it was it might not be the 401 but at least it's not one of the six cylinders! So not exactly what I wanted but I'm happy anyway
This rebuild was awesome. I'm curious what it could with fuel injection. I saw an SJ Cherokee with this engine pull 72 hp on a chassis dyno one time. Unfortunately they swapped in a boring Vortec instead of a rebuild.
The most important link that was not posted in the description. The parts list lol www.powernationtv.com/episode/HP2012-04/amc-other-engine-build-up#parts
Nice work man!. What an odd motor! Meaning , Ford Clevo oiling, with mains, from outa a lifter gallery. Buick, BB Mopar and Ozzy Holden 308, that have , an external oil pump. Front dizzy, to make it different from a Mopar SB 360. And lots of power.
Ya these 304/360/401s were a bit starved for oil. I remember doing these tricks to the oil passages in the pump and timing cover as well. Don't remember doing it at the block though. Seemed to help. I loved my moderately built 360 in my J10 Jeep truck. Decent torque. AMC isn't as bad as people think. You can make these motors move and they have a a great sound. Always thought it was better to build these motors instead of transplanting something else. Glad to see the AMC 360 getting some love.
Had one in a 76 Cherokee. It was indestructible
If you don't mind me asking, What kind of transmission do you have? Is it a manual transmission? Thanks.
@MrElPoderozo1 I don't have the truck anymore unfortunately but it was an auto 727 torque flight
@@elev8j10 ok, thank you for answering.👍🏽
I love how excited and passionate homeboy is about that old AMC engine. He put so much detail into it and knows his shit.
I love the way a 360 sounds. I put one in my old Jeepster Commando. Dual exhaust. It roared like a lion. Fantastic tone
AAhhh, gotta love these guys. I HAVE had American Motors since 1980. HAVE a 360 V-8 1970 Ambassador SST. AN OLD GUY I knew when I was at NAS, Jacksonville for 3 years. He a n.v d several men taught me just how to work and do Everything I just saw on THIS VIDEO. Wow, Man These guys know their stuff. I still have the Dog Leg shaped exhaust head ports (Original) factory heads. OH YOU BET I have collections of parts for The M-12 & M-11 and the 727 Shift Command Transmissions.. Those T-10 4 speeds are great for the AMCs also. I have Two of the 1970 AMC SST Ambassadors. THE 360 V8, is highly competitive. So is my 390 V8. They are Right about that OIL PRESSURE Problem. THEY ARE SHOWING THE EXACT CORRECT Way to do the AMC Engines. The 401 from 1971 doesn't have those problems. Especially the 401 matador police vehicles. Bought the whole car to get that engine and Tranny and Dana rearend.. These Videos are Dead on Balls Accurate. Great Video. I fell for AMC long AGO. Sure theres the OH, MY Car this, my truck that. Till I bring That hyped up 1970 with 476 horse power Ambassador. Then it's DAMN!! I'VE had great teachers along the way. Good to see A Garage that does a great bang up Job..THIS may be and older video but is still relevant to this day. SURE there's OTHER WAYS to fix the oiling problems in these 304, 343, 360, 390, engines HOWEVER, this video shows a less difficult way to save the Engine. Always make sure that YOUR ENGINE, has a larger oil pan with at least AN extra Quart so if you get higher oil pressure the pick up won't pull air causing parts to starve for oil when there's higher rpms. Never rush a job like this.
I've got a 71 Javelin SST with one of these engines in it, and it is such a joy to drive. The sound of this engine just makes my heart skip a beat every time I start it up. Beautiful engine and a beautiful machine overall
Thanks for sharing your knowledge Mr.Elmore, you will be missed.
Love the AMC 360 i have in my 1977 cj7.
With some porting and polishing to Eldbrock Aluminium heads and man that beefed up AMC 360 will make well over 500 HP.
agreed
I have a 73 Javelin 360 in need of rebuild, would love to have something like this
Guess i'm lucky to still have a 360 and 401 stored for some project.
I really wished you would have painted that block another color besides black.
What would one make with a mild cam intake with 600cfm carb with stock heads?
Can I have that engine for my AMX?
i have a 77 Hornet amx 38,000 miles
You guys should do an international 392
The 360 AMC was a very stout and often overlooked motor. It was no slouch.
No doubt, they were great street engines. Very reliable and make good power and they still don't cost a fortune.
Most people overlook International Travelalls they used 401s for a few years. I bought one cheap that way all the weird international crap camouflaged it and my friend who owned the junkyard didn't recognize it till it was loaded in my trailer and paid for. Best $150 engine I ever bought that was early 90s.
AMC engines really don't get enough love. They're solid little V8s. There is quite a bit of aftermarket support for them. Motor trend built a 440 cube AMC stroker a while back, that was a stout engine combination. One of my favorites, but I like obscure things
me to ,chevys are a belly button engine everyone has one !!!!
that motor trend 440 made 589 lb of torque!!!!
This is by far the best episode you guys ever had
Awesome build guys, this engine would be a great swap for AMX or a Javelin.
Put it into a Gremlin with a Ford 9 inch in back.
@@blackfender100 Sounds awesome
Everyone forgets the rambler rogue... cool little cars!💯😎👍
@@blackfender100 why not a pacerX?!...
@@blackfender100 That’s exactly what my 74 has.
I've always liked AMC and thought that that brand was under-rated
Sadly Mitt Romney's Family killed AMC
Amen. Jeeps , cars, trucks man I wish they were still around. Great vehicles and designers
@@genestarwind4610Why's that?
@@genestarwind4610 Huh now? George Romney left AMC in 1962. The AMC company was sold to Chrysler in 1987. Please elaborate how he "killed" AMC?
I dont know how many times I see people deburring their block after it comes back from the machine shop. Deburring etc should be done before it goes to machine as they will hot tank and wash the block, removing all foreign material.
Yes, AMC was definitely a giant killer
Great video, lot’s of great tips! I had four two-seat AMX’s, all 390 cars. Those 390’s are now really hard to get & $$! I see a 360 in my future. Thanks!
Biggest problem with burning up distributor gears is poorly made parts of today. Lots of the cams and timing sets have the oil passages misaligned at the interface. I've had to weld up cam sprockets and re-locate the oil passage so the distributor gear gets oil fed as intended. Oil pump/front cover normally benefit a lot from some good old blueprinting by hand. Amc always made a great engine but you really do want a real engine builder with some knowledge of them and not just your Chevy guy cousin.
I have a complete 360 and a 401 short block sitting in my garage, along with a 71 AMC Javelin a friend left me when he committed suicide just over 2 years ago. Sure miss you Trevor, one day I'll make you proud and have that Jav screaming with the 401
You gotta do a massive burnout in his honor
That just what you do
@@thatbuelldude189 that and some drifting for sure. Wish I wouldve never sold my 1125R
@@bassranger1054 get another buell
I will never get rid of my M2 or Blast
@@thatbuelldude189 I plan on it, think my next one will be an XB12. Have a 1982 FLH and a 2020 Triumph Street Triple RS I'm riding now
@@bassranger1054 if you like carbs get a S1 Or M2
Or Early S3
If you like efi get a X1 XB or later S3 or S3T
Would be awesome is the description had part numbers. Thanks for a amc engine video.
The AMC/JEEP 360 is a great, reliable engine, (ive put mine thru hell tbh) but please remember that ALL AMC 390 and 401 engines have factory FORGED crankshafts and rods. 360, 343, 304 and 290 engines use cast cranks and rods...any is as good as any ford, mopar or chevy engine, but the real 390 and 401 AMC engines are by far the most desirable for serious upgrades
The amount of hp that was pulled out of this engine astonishes me
When I heard solid flat tappet I picked 450hp @ 65-6700rpm. I was 27hp down. Sounds like an industrial sewing machine doing those rpm too. What a thing.
Heck yea.
That dude builds good engines. They did a bunch of oddball ones.
Its the heads aftermarket heads mainly. That and engine management. The regular CI heads flow pretty well but the factory just did not have the cash to produce special versions. Plus every head they produced 290s through 401s was machined on the same equipment. The same with the intake manifolds that were done in house. All of the blocks used in dedicated race programs from 1970 on were the Specual Service Block. Basically a 390 casting with the cylinder bores cast for 360. Heavier cylinder walls. The blocks were machined in house except for the bores. The bores may have been bored 4.080. Plus the main webs were much heavier allowing 4 bolt mains to be used.
@@mpetersen6 factory heads could have easly matched these eddys .not even fully ported they prob flow around 275 so no its not mostly the heads factory headed amc 360s regerally made around 475 @6500 and 401 520@6500 with mild 275 cfm heads
Heck yeah, show us more of the AMC monsters. Thanks for the video.
Earlier AMC’s used an obsolete V8. Their motto prior to the Gen 2, (290, 343 and 390 engines) and taller deck gen 3 engines, (304, 360 and 401) which shared block design but had a higher deck to accommodate a longer stroke and Dogleg heads which flowed 50% more than the Gen 2’s square port heads made them a mean contender, was the only race we’re interested in is the human race. I guess they had to catch up to the younger part of the human race!
i miss mine 1974 jeep wagoneer with a 360 and a turbo 400 trans behind it
Awesome to see old AMC engines being resurrected and respected ❤
I’m subscribed
love these amc motors ,had one in a pro street vx carlton i built here in the uk in the 90s i didnt pick an amc its just what i had at the time ,picked up a lot of parts on a trip to la ,great motor great times !!!!!!! loved the video
360 inch motors and smaller have less meat in the main webbing, so it can’t rev like a 390 or 401 with enough meat to use four bolt mains. So I would keep a 360 at 6500 or lower. 390’s scream. They’ll run 10’s with relative ease. 401’s had lower compression, but now you can find higher compression pistons. They should scream too!
You can easily build a 12.0:1 AMC 401/390 with flat top pistons... with a little research and a little ingenuity... with a forged bottom end You got the making for a runner....
Well, there's a reason so many people do LS swaps today. After all they are as common as dirt.
Its always interesting to just what can be done with "off brand" motors. Most of the oiling system mods trace back to the TransAm race motor program at Traco. The previous Gen1 AMC V-8 actually had a better oiling system with the crank having priority and the pump inside the sump. Pretty lousy heads though. Theres somebody on the 'net doing a Gen1 327 bored and stroke to over 440 cubes iirc. But that's a whole different block. Supposedly there was a 460ish version under development that got axed around 71 or 72. But that could be rumor. Anybody involved is likely gone by now.
Of course the big problem with building an "off brand" or orphan motor is aftermarket support. There are only so many intakes or head options available. No aftermarket parts supplier is going to put the effort into producing those parts unless they have a reasonable assurance they are going to make some profit on it.
Just bought an all original 50k mile complete 401 from a 77 Waggy. I cant wait to tear into it. Cranks over, too. Talk about a good deal.
Great build, now come to my house and do it to my 360!
Awesome 👍 job guys ,....great to see AMC Video BUILDS 😎🤙
Always love AMC engines they seem to run but not a big power producers without some work
Did AMC ever make a forged crankshaft for the 360 ? I really like Your build ! Have You thought of doing an EFI comparison on that engine
Pro 4 system , Holley or Atomic systems ? I think that would be awesome . Thank You . 🇺🇲🇵🇷🦊👍
The Gen-1 AMC V8's (250/287/327) all used forged cranks, as did AMC sixes of the '50s and early '60s. In the Gen-2 and -3 series, only the 390 and 401 had forged cranks.
Nodular iron only. They are good to 600hp though
Over 600+HP easy , it's the rpm that kills them. Below 7rpm your good. Crank starts to walk around 7500rpm. Stay below that.
I'm running the ProFlo4 on my 360 in a CJ7. It's a great set up and worth the investment, as it includes the intake, throttle body, distributor, and Bluetooth ECU
The 360 is NOT a small block! It is actually known as a tall deck same as 401. The earlier generation 290-343 were short deck, but still not a small block!
Wish chevy would done that...share common blocks.
It was characterized by NHRA as small blk ,uses small block rules ,and whenever I ever seen one compared on car magazines it was listed as small block.find any list of small block/big block it's under small block but you are kinda right as the bore spacing is the same as mopar big block ,but the deck height is small block territory, in the org advertisements ,it was called a combination of both by AMC ,and could be called a mid-block. The first gen amc were called big blocks even though they only had 327 c.i and the Studebaker was also a big block , but in most comparisons by hot rod magazines at the time it was listed as small block
My dad and me rebuilt 1 in a 73 j4000 long time ago to me . I really miss those times
I have a amc 290. That needs to be done. I'm wanting to do it myself. This is a good video to see what I have to do.
Great job guys, love to learn more about non mainstream motors!!
I had a 80's Wagoner, 360 ran good, but after coming down an off ramp, lifters would knock, took it apart and found two different heads!, one head had 2.02 valves one had 1.60s, I thought I was screwed, but Valley Head Service was able to put the 2.02s in the other head, and match them up. Ran awesome!
Grew up a few miles from VHS. Been around a long time!
Loved this episode. Where’d the old man go?
I seriously doubt the horsepower numbers the factory put out were accurate. Those engines made a lot more horsepower but insurance companies increased rates for higher horsepower numbers so amc lied about the true numbers.
Might explain why they went from 300hp nearly to 145hp on later years lol not just emission and compression bs
@@jeepsblackpowderandlights4305 Well, milder camshafts and how they measured the engine's output, thankfully they no longer use SAE gross,
That will make a Gremlin do wheelies! 😀😃🙂🙃😊
I bought a SC360 in 1971. Used Hooker headers with 2.5" glass packs. Too little back pressure and 72 degrees overlap killed the exhaust valves. Went to 1972 cam with only 42 degrees overlap. Saved the valves. Added a Holley 3 barrel ,added capacitor ignition and dyno engine. 275 hp with 410 torque. The longer stroke was great for torque building. Car was real sleeper . Should have kept it longer then I did.
how about building a Gen. 1 Hemi?
More like this. Less new crap!
Or getting a baffle under the intake to keep the PCV Valve from sucking up oil is a common oversight. Now you know. So, find one before you fire up the engine. Now lots of guys pass on the 304 for the bigger 360, and given the 304’s dinky bores of 3.75” compared to the 360’s 4.08” bores it’s no wonder why. But the factory advised that the 304 could be punched out to 3,875”. The same as a 283 and 307 Chevy, and larger than a Pontiac 350 that sees a little more love. I don’t know what the width of the Edelbrock heads are though, and if the valves are placed in the center of the bore like a Small Block Mopar for better breathing or if they shoved to one side like the Small Block Chevy. If centered and the combustion chambers are narrow enough, the Eddy Heads could be used without notching the block.if not, we’ll have you Machinest notch your block. You should see approximately the same hp per cubic inch as the 360. Something to think about anyway, and if anybody had tried this I’d like to know!
One o' these days, it'd be cool to see a Studebaker V8 build. Just sayin'.
Interesting. They spent a fortune on an AMC 304 for that eyesore AMC and ma de e 330hp. Less was spent here and made 477HP with a 360. Me thinks someone missed the mark on the 302.
i think the 477 was the torque.
@@jordanwiley4582 they said they beat the base hp of 295 by almost 200.
agreed
Also the AMC 304 had shorty headers as well and the Aluminium heads on it weren't ported and polished as well they're were all stock cast. With some porting and polishing combined with Longtube headers I bet that AMC 304 would probably make just well over 400 HP.
@@jordanwiley4582 No right at the end at 17:24 he says factory HP was 295 and we've almost beaten that by 200 OWTTE.
That motor would be awesome in a spirit gt,with the turbothrust wheels and fat Goodyear eagle 1'S. Also it would be cool to see amx 343 build all the old timer in Kenosha would swear they were serious fun.
A 343 build would look almost identical, but the 343 was only built for three years, '67-'69. The 360 had the same bore, but slightly more stroke and deck height, larger-diameter head bolts, and improved heads with better exhaust flow. With a little machining, a 343 block can use the 360 crank, heads and head bolts. You'd wind up with the same engine, but the casting would still say "343" if you crawled underneath the car and looked.
I'm looking into purchasing an AMC Rambler Ambassador with a 327ci V8, it's not nearly as talked about as the other AMC V8's, but I'm curious to see how much power I can safely get out of it, maybe build a bit of a sleeper out of it. If not, probably would upgrade to a 390 or a 401, or go Mopar.
That would be Hella fun in a Gremlin😁. Ya gonna go Oddball, might as well go Full Oddball.
Or maybe a Hornet.
Naaah. Put a blower on it and stick it in an Ambassador. Fool the hell out of everybody.
Hell if you're looking for an AMC 360, the Ambassador is where you'll find one.
@@ladamyre1 Can't argue with that.
I was an AMC fan from an early age. Uncle Drag raced a '72 Gemlin. Papaw had an Ambassador for a Beach car to pull his 19' Coachman. Cousin had a Gremlin X. So did my Football Coach. Another Cousin worked for AMC in Greensboro. Pop had a Rambler. Great Uncle had an Eagle. NOT the Eagle brand Chrysler created with Mitsubishi. I could still kick myself for listening to my X-wife and letting a Black on Black,One owner Gremlin X with 40k miles for $1000 slip through my fingers. Still have a recipe for a couple of AMCes rattling around in my head.
A guy in my neighborhood had a Gremlin with a 304. That thing was crazy
@@coache1nine most people don't know the Gremlin was the very first car to be mandated by the sanctioning body to run a restrictor plate. Those straight 6's had so much more torque than the 4 bangers in their class, they just pulled out of the corners without having to carry the same RPMs.
@@SGTJDerek I know about that straight 6. I had a 68 Rambler American with the 232. That think was a tank with plenty of torque and smooth as silk at 75mph
Nice. I'd love to find and build one of those for my '86 AMC Eagle.
HOWdy PWRN, ...
Thank YOU for the AMC V-8 Content
COOP ...
the WiSeNhEiMeR from Richmond, INDIANA
...
I'm 61, in 1984 had a 1972 Javelin with 360 auto. Sweet running motor. God I miss the good old days. I've owned 34 vehicles. 6 new ones. Never had a blown motor . Engines were so Simplistic back then. I pity todays mechanics working on todays high tech, high dollar Disposable Trash.
Wiah i could have to know how to do this with my amc 360 in my wagoneer... its in need of seals everywhrre.. intake.. exhaust.. oil pump.. oil pan.. rear main.. timing cover they all leak.... helppp lol
I still believe that the AMC 343 was a far better engine. I say that with no disrespect to the 360. I had the 343 engine in the 1968 AMX It was bought new in September 1968. The 343 has a slightly shorter stroke at 3.28 in. and a little higher compression ratio at 10.2 with 280 horse. If one was even lucky enough to have had the early 1971 360 before the compression drop you got 290 horse. With that said, the smoged out engines after early 71 had even less horsepower than stated. If one had the manual transmission equiped 360, the air injection alone took away any benifit that the dog leg heads and free flow exhaust gave. The big issue was, AMC staying with the type one cam for the 360, that cam came with the 343 and 290 engines since 1966. It had a mild .426 lift with 266 duration. in September 1969 for the 1970 390 and later 401 engines, the type 2 cam or what was then refered to as, the white stripe cam was used. It had a higher lift of .458 with more duration of 296 and 302. Why AMC did not use this cam in the 360 is anybodies guess. In closing, my 343 engine had a cam change to the white stripe cam in 1971. In addition to an Edlebrock R4B intake, larger Carter 9625 carb, a rear gear change from the 3.15 for the auto, to the dealer 3.73. Finally a set of Cyclone headers through a full 2 1/2 in. exhaust. With serious traction issues, on E 70 X 14 in. tires, a best 1/4 mile time of 12.89 was recorded for the automatic equiped AMX. The little 343 engine had to be making 325 to 335 horse while shifting at 5,300 rpm limit for the iron rod and crank engine. There are still more than a few 343 engines out there as I would do it again. Only this time put a 343 in a 77 or 78 AMX, what a sleeper it would make.
Drop that in my 74 Gremlin pleeeze!
I have a AMC AMX 390. It has been some time since its rebuild. +15 years. I would like to blue print the engine like you have done for this 360. I live in San Diego, whom would you recommend?
Didnt catch what cam grind was used...anyone?
THe .904 lifter bores on these hardly calls for a roller
Love a chance to build a 401 and port the heads/intake myself to see what it could do
Had no idea late 80s they could be this stout when I owned a 71 SST 401 Jav. Paid 400...those days are gone
I’m very low income and in very much need to rebuild my motor in my 86’ Ford F150 302 fuel injected motor I could do it myself if I had the very income I need $2500. I only get $1140 month. Help!!!
14:13 i’m calling bullshit you cannot buy those heads for the price it would cost you to rework the old heads unless the old heads were cracked and y’all might’ve got those cylinder heads cheap but that’s about $2500 worth of heads just off the top of my head
I have a 79 jeep j10 and I'm about to swap the 258 in mine for the amc 360 I picked up for $100.00 dollars
I had one of those in my full sized Cherokee Chief S. I installed a mild cam, 4 barrel intake and carb and Hooker headers. Never thought it was lacking on power and drove it to 380,000 miles. Still ran when I sold it after buying a newer box Cherokee XJ
Everything I have read on straightening crankshaft is that hammering is the best option by far. To use force to "bend" it back is never a good option.
I guess it's too much to expect people to have skills rather than take shortcuts
There’s an amx sitting out in the street just rotting away. Soo want to have it.
No wonder good/reputable machine shops aren't cheap. Lot goes on in there that can make a project car come crashing down and turn into a money pit.
stripping timing gears? you are running too much oil pressure, when the oil pump is rebuilt you receive a new oil pressure regulator spring, cut two rings off the spring with a grinder and oil pressure should be 45 psi, no need for a cam button
Good points on the front of engine oiling plug, very helpful. The lifter Vally is not as glorified as you think!
It takes pressure from the front of engine, causes a lower pressure at lower RPM, and possible starving condition. The oil feed line you used is way too large diameter. An 1/8th is max and well enough for a street daily driver and 99% of AMC V8's out there. Unless they are HIGH HP set up and RPM.
The cam button Is NOT needed on basic flat lifters DUE to their angle on each of the 16 cam lobes PUSH the cam back constantly!!
You forgot to properly inform ppl about this, making this another stupid misinformation YT!
The button is great for a roller cam but 100% NOT needed for flat lifter type cams. Roller cam on AMC can use a special built retainer plate like all other engines do!
wow great old time crank champion well done = i invested in a super top quality crank for my engine - forged nitrited x drilled and chamfered oil holes !
Just bought an 1968 AMX with the 343. Great video !
$6500 is the cost of a mild stock headed AMC 360 . Who are these guys trying to fool ?
Glad I watched this, I need a cam button.
I need that motor.
nice build gave one of those summit carbs works real good after re jetting picked up 3 tenths of a second in 1/8 mile
Those are pretty good preadbore carbs. Had one on my 67 El in the 90s performed great never needed adjusting
AMC much like Buick and Pontiac don't have "small block s"
Buick certainly did have a small block family, 215 to 350 and all the v6 versions.
The AMC V8s had bore spacing almost identical to the Mopar big-blocks, but with internal crank clearances like a small block, limiting max stroke. So they were technically neither. All Gen-2/3 AMC V8s had the same exterior dimensions.
AMC 360 Rules. I ❤️ my 1979 Waggy.
Again, AMC didn't have small blocks
Lastima que no se traduce al castellano..............!!
That dude loves his job and it shows.
they just barely scratch the surface on what that 360 can do
Nice , who could build me this exact engine.
anyone have a build sheet on this motor?
Some timing cam gear manufacturers cause problems that were never a problem from AMC. I ran into serious distributor drive gear wear with a new cam gear. After discussing it with my Australian AMC performance engine builder, I removed the other timing set and installed the Rollmaster p/n CS7110 and the problem was cure. This set also allows minor timing offsets. As recommended, I went with the +2 degree setting. The engine now starts easier than ever. So rather than having to do bandaid distributor drive oiling mods, just get the right timing gear set.
My 71 javelin has the 360......I wish I had the 401 but no luck when I bought the car a couple years ago I I took it how it was it might not be the 401 but at least it's not one of the six cylinders! So not exactly what I wanted but I'm happy anyway
What cam did you guys use?
This rebuild was awesome. I'm curious what it could with fuel injection. I saw an SJ Cherokee with this engine pull 72 hp on a chassis dyno one time. Unfortunately they swapped in a boring Vortec instead of a rebuild.
The most important link that was not posted in the description. The parts list lol www.powernationtv.com/episode/HP2012-04/amc-other-engine-build-up#parts
Nice work man!. What an odd motor! Meaning , Ford Clevo oiling, with mains, from outa a lifter gallery. Buick, BB Mopar and Ozzy Holden 308, that have , an external oil pump. Front dizzy, to make it different from a Mopar SB 360. And lots of power.
That’s a major up grade! I want one of them for my 1977 Jeep J10 plz 👍
cam specs?
RIP Joe Elmore
Fire gravel voice