engine success stories

[mike gw]

OK, I am about to install my freshly rebuilt (by me) 360. This is my first AMC V8, and I am a bit nervous.
On all the forums all you find is stories of things gone horribly wrong. It makes me think that all AMC builds fail. I understand that the ones that don't are driving and not typing on the google machine, but come on...
Lets here your success stories...
I will post pics as soon as I can figure out how to make them smaller.:)

[710 Burner]

I don't have an AMC sucess story, but I think you can relax. Its a V8, not rocket science. There is really nothing all that different from any other V8.

[Ristow]

cam break ins make me nervous. not about the cam failing,i just hate sitting there with a fresh engine running at 2000 rpm out of the gate,and i'm standing there hoping i didn't forget to do something.

i just dolly'd up the 360 that came out of the '91 last year,and reinstalled it,and it runs stronger than any 360 i've had.

even though the stroker i built has a few issues,i wouldn't consider it a horror story. will be remedied in the spring.

hey,get a new fan clutch if you haven't yet. the heat of the first run always reveals a weak one.

[jaber]

360 bored .030 over, Comp cams 260h grind (rv), ignition upgrade, grooved the heads, GM TBI, and the wife has put over 60K on it and its been flawless. Runs like a new truck.

Now, if I could just afford a tranny rebuild......:banghead:

[will e]

Bought a 401 off of Ebay. Fresh rebuild, never been turned over.
Stuffed it in the waggy, had a few problems with the fuel but got it fired up and broke in no problem. Yanked it from the waggy and tossed it in the Cherokee. Still running great (but leaks oil like a mother)

Use Valvoline conventional VR something or other racing oil for break it. It has the highest zinc content.

Make sure you get the firing order right and that you are not 180 degrees off. Remember the pistions pass TDC twice for each spin of the dizzy. Make sure you are on the Compression stroke.

[Millerluck]

My first ever cam swap was a success on my '88's old 360.

$01 build was a success.

Cam swap in my daughter's 81 was a success.

Engine swap from a '77 with new cam into '89 a success.

X2....It is very nervracking breaking in a cam.

Larry

[Daddio]

As long as you prelube the oil pump and the engine has oil pressure once it fires up, it should be okay.

You may be dialing in your fuel if the TBI is new.

[sappy76]

Fresh rebuild on a 401 that the previous owner killed within the 1st 10 minutes of a rebuild. He didn't properly gap the rings and when it heated up it broke the top lan off the new Keith Black pistons. When I tore it down three pistons were heavily pitted and the rear lobes of the cam were being wiped out.

I purchased three new pistons, new cam, new rings, put in a rear oil line, honed the cylinders, rebuilt the oil pump, and ground the valves. I broke it in with Joe Gibbs break in oil running a howell TBI with a juice box upgrade on the ignition.

After over 1000 miles, everything is running great. I pulled the distributor and checked the gear and all looks good.

[jeepskater433]

engine swap from my 89 to my 87 was a complete sucess, got it running within no time, even drove it around the block, with no plates, no tags, and no hood:D, only thing that happened though was about 8 months later i thought the torque converter came loose, but now Im pretty sure its the vicous coupler in my tcase