Small or Big block?

[Carmine]

I would think the most cost effective way to solve your issue would be to have someone install a stroker small block (using a 360 as a base). Build a nice 727 Trans to go behind it. Put the whole thing into an shabby-but-solid $2500 80s Dodge Truck and ship the whole shebang down under. Swap the engine Trans and sell the truck as a runner. A decent American pick up should be pretty useful for hauling kangaroos and shrimp for the barbie.

That way, instead of getting hammered on a bunch of individual exotic engine parts and learning-as-you go, and getting machine work from some bloke who's never seen a Mopar small block; you just pay duty on an ol' $2500 pick-em-up.

 

[PontiacJim]

Thanks Pontiac Jim, I have rebuilt and modified many engines, including Jag, Triumph, Coventry Climax, early GM sixes, Peugot but never any Yankee V8 Iron. Hence my post to do the research you suggest.
As you know it not hard to get ripped off by an engine builder on price and/or workmanship,... and I have had my share !!
I.E Faulty bore liners, cams with mismatching lobes,blocks machined incorrectly, sub quality pistons fitted etc.
I will check out the books you recommend,
R

OK, now I have a better picture. I think the books I cited will be helpful. The key to any build is matching the parts and not buying what you don't need - bigger or shinier is not always better. Shoot for something in the 300-325HP range for something streetable and dependable. Like most all engines, head flow and correct cam selection is the key to horsepower.

Once you have an idea of what you think you want, the next step would be to find a good reputable engine machine shop and discuss your build with him as well as pricing. Most will give you some suggestions, but be leery if the guy starts saying you need a roller cam, aluminum heads, or other high dollar parts really not needed for your build. Some shops seem to think "race engine" in every build they do and don't know what "street engine" means.

 

[MoPar Maniac]

Whats wrong with roller cams? They are OEM on pretty much everything these days.

 

[Dodgy Dick]

Hey Carmine, You made me laugh, y'ere sure,..hauli'n Kangaroos and Shrimp for the Barby,?? WOT!!
But I "Gotcha" We dont call them Shrimps we call'em PRAWNS !!
Paul Hogan (alias Crocodile Dundee) only referred to "Shrimps" in his Aussie commercial cause he was sucking up to what you guys call 'em !!!
Oh and you's say Skallops and we say Skollops, you say Jelly we say Jam, she says Tomartoe Etc!
A little old Australian lady upon arriving in the Us of A for the first time says to her hubby, " Hey you know how the awful Chinese eat Dogs, well look look look at that ! they do too here pointing at a Hotdog stand, Boom boom!!

 

[65 500]

Hey Carmine, You made me laugh, y'ere sure,..hauli'n Kangaroos and Shrimp for the Barby,?? WOT!!
But I "Gotcha" We dont call them Shrimps we call'em PRAWNS !!
Paul Hogan (alias Crocodile Dundee) only referred to "Shrimps" in his Aussie commercial cause he was sucking up to what you guys call 'em !!!
Oh and you's say Skallops and we say Skollops, you say Jelly we say Jam, she says Tomartoe Etc!
A little old Australian lady upon arriving in the Us of A for the first time says to her hubby, " Hey you know how the awful Chinese eat Dogs, well look look look at that ! they do too here pointing at a Hotdog stand, Boom boom!!

Ok, what's a "tommy bar"?

 

[Carmine]

Hey Carmine, You made me laugh, y'ere sure,..hauli'n Kangaroos and Shrimp for the Barby,?? WOT!!
But I "Gotcha" We dont call them Shrimps we call'em PRAWNS !!
Paul Hogan (alias Crocodile Dundee) only referred to "Shrimps" in his Aussie commercial cause he was sucking up to what you guys call 'em !!!
Oh and you's say Skallops and we say Skollops, you say Jelly we say Jam, she says Tomartoe Etc!
A little old Australian lady upon arriving in the Us of A for the first time says to her hubby, " Hey you know how the awful Chinese eat Dogs, well look look look at that ! they do too here pointing at a Hotdog stand, Boom boom!!

I'm sure half of it's wrong, it was more/less a joke about US ideas on Aussie slang...

But my point remains, and you probably know better... if you really want to re-power that car, I'd get a recommendation for a builder in the US and have it built to your spec. Ship the power train over in something that will sell in Australia, then swap the units as engine/trans assembly.

I would think the duties on individual parts, crank, rods, intake, exhaust, etc. would add tons of cost and the trouble of finding a machine shop you could rely upon.

 

[PontiacJim]

Whats wrong with roller cams? They are OEM on pretty much everything these days.

Nothing wrong with roller cams, but you nailed it, on modern cars from the factory and set-up that way. Rollers are an un-needed expense on all but the high HP engines IF you are on a budget.

It seems many machine shops want to install rollers over flat tappets, but there is nothing wrong with flat tappet cams even though the argument will be the lack of zinc in the oil which in my opinion is a load of BS. I think machine shops are flat tappet scared because of all the scare tactic stories about cam lobes going flat due to the reformulation of oils. If this were true, thousands of vintage cars/hot rods would be found in repair shops, others would be sold for cheap because some would just want to unload them rather than do a rebuild, machine shop business would be booming, cam companies would be selling roller set-ups by the thousands, and their prices would be pennies on the dollar for any make and not just the chevys or fords.

Are there other reasons other than the lack of zinc in the oil? You bet. How about cheap made in China junk. Poor hardening of metal surfaces. Poor break-ins. Guys who put a race cam with mega lifts/super high spring pressures and then think they can drive the car thousands of miles when these kind of cams are only meant for 1/4 mile at a time and do wear out. Poor machine shop practices. Etc., etc..........

So, roller cams have their place, roller cams are expensive. Flat tappet cams work, flat tappet cams are inexpensive as compared to roller set-ups.

 

[Dobalovr]

Please pass the vegemite sandwich mate....Aussies are just Canadians with a cool accent or is it the other way around?? Commonwealth countries gotta stick together..
Have a Fosters and ring me up if you're ever in Calgary...

 

[1970cat]

Hey Carmine, You made me laugh, y'ere sure,..hauli'n Kangaroos and Shrimp for the Barby,?? WOT!!
But I "Gotcha" We dont call them Shrimps we call'em PRAWNS !!
Paul Hogan (alias Crocodile Dundee) only referred to "Shrimps" in his Aussie commercial cause he was sucking up to what you guys call 'em !!!
Oh and you's say Skallops and we say Skollops, you say Jelly we say Jam, she says Tomartoe Etc!
A little old Australian lady upon arriving in the Us of A for the first time says to her hubby, " Hey you know how the awful Chinese eat Dogs, well look look look at that ! they do too here pointing at a Hotdog stand, Boom boom!!

but jelly and jam are two different things , at least in the USA

 

[Dodgy Dick]

Hey Dobalovr, Wash your mouth out, we are unique and cannot be likened to Canadians, Pommies, Kiwis or Yankees. We are Aussies in a unique land being the biggest Island and the smallest Continent with a land mass almost as big as the United states
Buuuuttttt !!! we luv your Classic cars also having their own "uniqueness"
Hey 1970cat dont you call your stewed fruit spread Jelly, we call it Jam, to us Jelly is something wobbly you have with ice cream. Now......!!?!...?
Vegemite and Fosters...thats another story that cant be canvassed on this forum
Back to cars............!!
Looking forward to hearing back.

 

[MoPar Maniac]

Actually the lack of zinc in oil is a real issue. A friend just had an engine built and the builder didnt break in the cam properly and it ruined a cam and lifters.
Another friend builds his own race engines and used an oil which is made for a certain na$car race team and has their name on it. Every time he used their oil the cam and lifters crapped out. He went back to the oils he used previously and had no problems.
In every case there was no imported parts used.

 

[1970cat]

Hey Dobalovr, Wash your mouth out, we are unique and cannot be likened to Canadians, Pommies, Kiwis or Yankees. We are Aussies in a unique land being the biggest Island and the smallest Continent with a land mass almost as big as the United states
Buuuuttttt !!! we luv your Classic cars also having their own "uniqueness"
Hey 1970cat dont you call your stewed fruit spread Jelly, we call it Jam, to us Jelly is something wobbly you have with ice cream. Now......!!?!...?
Vegemite and Fosters...thats another story that cant be canvassed on this forum
Back to cars............!!
Looking forward to hearing back.

jam has small pieces or chunks of fruit in it, jelly does not.

 

[Dodgy Dick]

OK, I give in... your chunk free jam is called jelly ours is called Conserve, but our Jelly is wobbly stuff made with flavourings, sugar and gelatin, do you have Aeroplane Jelly there?

 

[1970cat]

gelatin here

 

[Turboomni]

I hope that Jello has some Zinc in it...

 

[Dodgy Dick]

Looks like a taillight lens ?????? of a Customline???

 

[Rhdfuryiii]

Delayed response .. but Dodgy Dick will likely need to collect as many parts from a local BB car as possible to make life easier if they want to do the conversion .. trans, mounts, brackets, etc. Trying to do this piece-by-piece is a real pain in Australia as parts are spread too thin ..

 

[shooter65]

Maybe a stupid question but I've heard on here several times that a BB and SB have different 727's. Is it a completely different trans or just the bell housing?

 

[Polara_500]

Different front on the transmission, since there isn't a separate bell housing unless you cut the case the point is moot.

 

[Slantsix]

I would go with small block and od transmission. And efi. Donor like Ram etc truck.