360 vs 440 vs Hemi? Help!

[Evoking]

Hey guys, I need some feedback and moral support!

My new 68 charger has a 360 in it that runs and sounds great.  Have not dyno'd it but seat of pants tells me its 325-ish hp.  The American (you know bigger portions, size this and size that haha) in me says its 440 or newer Hemi or bust!  When I play out the resale value it seems directly proportionate.  A modded 360 is the cheapest and would net the lowest resale then 440, then max resale with the highest investment restomod FI Hemi.

All of that being said the 360 did feel great from a handling perspective.  Now I didn't have a 440 68 to compare it to but I can see how the steering/handling would feel better with the small block.  Also, I see some put 5.7L Hemi's.  Well the 360 is a 5.9 if you get down to it - albeit not a Hemispherical head.  Funny how when I stopped saying 360 - which sounds small after hearing 440 all the time - and just said 5.9 it doesn't seem like such a small POS engine in my head haha.  

Here are pics and a video clip.  What would you do and why?


VIDEO CLIP
https://youtu.be/ijlsdzxUWbg

[alfaitalia]

Nice car.

440.
Proper axle to stop that one wheeler squealer nonsense!!

......oh and a 8-71 to keep those new Hemis at bay!

[Evoking]

Nice car.

440.
Proper axle to stop that one wheeler squealer nonsense!!

......oh and a 8-71 to keep those new Hemis at bay!

What is 8-71?  Also it has 8 and 3/4 rear.  Is there no way to stop the one wheel spin without replacing whole rear?

[JR]

8-71 refers to the huge old school roots supercharger sticking out of the hood. (Think Fast & Furious Charger.)

You don't need to replace the entire rear end, you only need to buy a limited slip unit to install.

[70 sublime]

You keep talking about resale value like you are going to sell it
If you are going to sell it just drive it the way it is and have fun now and let the next guy change the motor if they want to
No matter what motor you have there will always be someone faster
I had a 360 in a B body before and it was great
Last Charger I drove had a worn out 440 in it
Absolutely nothing else has dual exhaust that sounds as nice as a 440 

So if you are going to sell it just keep your engine swap money and what you get out of this car and buy another Charger with a 440 already in it 

[Evoking]

Not planning to sell it any time soon.  May even keep for a very long time - who knows.  My point is that ROI on what I spend on modding or changing the engine plays at least some sort of role.  However, everything I do primarily is for MY enjoyment.  So if I add hp to the 360 its because I want it for ME.  Same for whether I swap.

I found this Hotrod article that got 438 HP from the 360!  http://www.hotrod.com/articles/hrdp-0804-small-block-mopar-engine/

They did following mods:
Comp XFI hydraulic roller cam lobes 3016/3037
Comp pushrods Comp aluminum rockers
Edelbrock Performer RPM Heads
Mopar M1 single-plane intake

Sounds tempting.  But I agree on the sound of the 440 - that big hollow lope and is probably the way I will go.

[500Jon]

Once you put a 440 in there you will stop using her after a short while!
Only get half as far on the Gas, but you will get there mighty quick!!!

Had a 440 with iron heads in my Dart with a 1050 Dominator, it did less that ONE mile to a gallon of race fuel.
Imagine if it had been in a B-Body lol...

1/2 a mile to a gallon at $15 a time...

[Evoking]

Ran into a dude with a beautiful Duster. Sounded like a big block but was a 340 wirha cam!  He told me everyone he knows with a big block overheats. Is that true?

[Dino]

Ran into a dude with a beautiful Duster. Sounded like a big block but was a 340 wirha cam!  He told me everyone he knows with a big block overheats. Is that true?

Total bs.

I run my 440 in bumper to bumper traffic when it's 90 outside with the a/c on and it never overheats. It gets hot to be sure, but never TOO hot.

[303 Mopar]

Sell the 360 and go buy a well built 440.  It will be almost a wash in cost.

[BSB67]

No one can tell you what to do here. Your three options are so divergent.  It is completely a personal preference.  Its what you want the car to be when you are done.  Get real clear on that, and your choice will become obvious.

[BSB67]

Once you put a 440 in there you will stop using her after a short while!
Only get half as far on the Gas, but you will get there mighty quick!!!

Had a 440 with iron heads in my Dart with a 1050 Dominator, it did less that ONE mile to a gallon of race fuel.

Either you had a 7.5 second/180 mph car with 1000+hp, or the tune was totally screwed up.  For what it appears the OP is looking for, a 475 hp - 440 should probably do the trick, and 12 mpg with a back yard tune would be a walk in the park.

[justcruisin]

Aggree, I get 13-14mpg out of my heavy 71 440. Runs high 12's on street rubber.

[RCCDrew]

Sounds good. Just keep the hood closed and you're all set!

[heyoldguy]

Hey guys, I need some feedback and moral support!

My new 68 charger has a 360 in it that runs and sounds great.  Have not dyno'd it but seat of pants tells me its 325-ish hp.  The American (you know bigger portions, size this and size that haha) in me says its 440 or newer Hemi or bust!  When I play out the resale value it seems directly proportionate.  A modded 360 is the cheapest and would net the lowest resale then 440, then max resale with the highest investment restomod FI Hemi.

All of that being said the 360 did feel great from a handling perspective.  Now I didn't have a 440 68 to compare it to but I can see how the steering/handling would feel better with the small block.  Also, I see some put 5.7L Hemi's.  Well the 360 is a 5.9 if you get down to it - albeit not a Hemispherical head.  Funny how when I stopped saying 360 - which sounds small after hearing 440 all the time - and just said 5.9 it doesn't seem like such a small POS engine in my head haha.  

Here are pics and a video clip.  What would you do and why?


VIDEO CLIP
https://youtu.be/ijlsdzxUWbg

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Kern Dog]

 8 3/4" axle....BY far the most common one found in these cars, AND the easiest to find parts for. The gears come out in a neat and complete section from the front. You can have a set of gears installed with a good limited slip differential and swap it out in less than 2 hours. SCORE !
I'd suggest driving the car with the existing gears to see if you like the cruising rpms as it is. Adding the "Sure Grip" LSD, you have a few ways to go. The factory had 2 types, one was rebuildable using friction plates, the other was non rebuildable "Cone" type. The aftermarket has a few designs that have their pros & cons.

[redgum78]

Nice car.

440.
Proper axle to stop that one wheeler squealer nonsense!!

......oh and a 8-71 to keep those new Hemis at bay!

What is 8-71?  Also it has 8 and 3/4 rear.  Is there no way to stop the one wheel spin without replacing whole rear?

8-71 as mentioned refers to a roots style blower. They were/are standard equipment on Detroit 2 stroke diesel engines so 8-71 actually refers to the engine itself (where as car guys tend to refer to 8-71 as the blower). The "8 denotes 8 cylinder engine and the "71" denotes 71 cubic inch per cylinder. They had heaps of configurations but they numbers always mean the same thing, 6v-96T= a V6 engine 96ci per cylinder and turbo charged (all Detroits 2 strokes have a roots blower due to the 2 stroke requirement to scavenge the cylinder but some have turbo's for extra performance).

I would leave the 360 in there 

[RCCDrew]

92 cubic inches per cylinder, not 96.

[redgum78]

92 cubic inches per cylinder, not 96.

Yep your right. Not sure what I was thinking, we have several 92 series where I work.