so this is the first mopar ive had to do and im confused on things,doing a cam swap and changing this in the car from the old 318. supposed to be a 79 360 (its out on a engine stand) questions: theres 3 marks on the dampener,2 are half marks and 1 is a full mark-wich do i use to time it and find tdc? weres the rotor point at tdc? (havint trouble finding tdc cause all the marks and i dont know were the rotor points) how do i adjust the valves and whats the lash? also heard its supposed to be timed at 16 degrees before or after but the marker only goes to 10?
i have a 360 I'm putting in my car ,I only have one mark on my damper so I can't help you out there ....if you look on the block and the base of the dist.there should be a mark on each one, those two marks are what you line up to get an idea where the timing of the dist. should be and as you know a mopar small block has a dist gear that stays in the engine and the dist is slotted so it will be right in or 180 out ..as for the valves they are non-adjustable ,the rocker assembley is a one piece rail that bolts to the top of the head .............I don't use a timing light I set mine by ear but I thought a stock mopar small block was set @ 8 degrees advanced but don't quoite me
im assuming the one mark thats all the way cut in the dampener is the one i use, the other 2 are just cut in half the length of the dampener. but im assuming. okay i got ya on the rockers,thats cool and easy. ill have to look at the dist. i dont remember seing any marks. maybe this one is a little dofferent since its so new. i found one 02 sensor on the old exaust on this motor. i kinda thought that was the timing to,but like i said im a todler at mopar so.. also how do i deal with the dist gear?
If your dampner has a short, then long, then short mark, the the long mark is TDC. There is no valve lash (unless someone changed rockers) If everything is reasonably close to oem then the rotor will point toward #1 hole. Timing varied a bit by year-make-model. Put it where it starts easy and doesn't rattle at part throttle. .
yes thats EXACTLY what the marks look like 73RR to short and one long. yes the motor right now is 100% stock. just changing intake and cam.i havnt took it apart yet...im scared haha # one is driver side front of car right? i heard the order is like sbc on these
Just a "tip", the 360" Mopars are dependently balanced, you cannot use the pieces from the 318 even though they are physically the same! This includes both the damper and the flywheel/flexplate! This type swap usually requires a "B&M" flexplate, assuming it's an automatic! Thanks, Gary in N.Y. P.S. The back end of the crank was dependent on the weights (welded) on the convertors for the automatic cars or a propietary (360" only) flywheel for the "sticks"!! Be careful!!
With a stock dizzy, you DO NOT want to set initial at 16* because is typically has about 26 to 28* of mechanical advance built in and when it pulls full advance at 3000 to 3500 rpm you are going to have 44 to 46* of timing advance, way too much for that engine. You can cause major damage. Mopars only like 34 to 36* of timing under full load. You have to recurve that dizzy to have 16* initial if not you will have to set it at 34* at full advance and let the initial be what it is. I recurve all my distributors when ever I change a cam to anything other that stock, thats the only way you will have good idle with the right vacuum , good throttle response and overall good performance. If not the engine is not going to respond the way you expect it to.
Sounds like you are a newbie on the Mopars.Invest in a motor manual of some sort and stop working blind! What about lifters with the cam? Are you replacing the timing gear set? Need to know torque specs! Questions on your ignition would have also been answered. Money would be well spent!! Good luck.
A 79 360 was likely a "lean burn" ignition system. Does you dist have a vacuum advance canister? If not, you have a lean burn dist and it has no way to advance the timing, timing advancement was done by the computer on the air cleaner. That would also be why the timing was to be set @16 degrees. Your current dist (without and advance canister) only distributes the spark to the given plug wires at the set advance. The electronics inside only tell the computer when the rotor reaches a terminal. You need to buy either a Mopar performance ignition kit that has the dist, the spark control box and wiring, or an aftermarket ignition system of your choice. While your 360 is on the stand, do yourself a favor and check the condition of the crank and bearings (its not unusual for motors with over 100K to need the crank turned), as those are about the weakest areas on a 360. Welcome to the land of Mopar, don't be afraid, they are tough motors. Gene
To the poster that said im a newb at mopaRs....uhm yeah.i said that a bunch of times! Im more of a model a hotrod guy. If they are sbc's with weird rockers it should be a breez for me! But some things i dont get. Can i use the torque converter that was on the 360 then?looks like the same trannys, Also the lean burn thing,can i use the dist from the 318?the 360 doesnt have the vacuum pod i dont think.but the 318 does Also is there a short water pump for 360? The 318 has a shorter one iland i wanted to use the crank pully and steering pump from the 318 so i need a shorter 360 pump
Yes you can use a short water pump but it will be a cast unit. You have to ask for one from a 68 or older dodge like out of a charger. PM me and ill try to help as much as i can. Most of my engine experience is in mopars.
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