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.

I love how excited and passionate homeboy is about that old AMC engine. He put so much detail into it and knows his shit.

You guys should do an international 392

This is by far the best episode you guys ever had

The amount of hp that was pulled out of this engine astonishes me

I love the way a 360 sounds. I put one in my old Jeepster Commando. Dual exhaust. It roared like a lion. Fantastic tone

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

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 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

Would be awesome is the description had part numbers. Thanks for a amc engine video.

With some porting and polishing to Eldbrock Aluminium heads and man that beefed up AMC 360 will make well over 500 HP.

Heck yeah, show us more of the AMC monsters. Thanks for the video.

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.

The 360 AMC was a very stout and often overlooked motor. It was no slouch.

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

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

I've always liked AMC and thought that that brand was under-rated

Awesome to see old AMC engines being resurrected and respected ❤ I’m subscribed

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!

My dad and me rebuilt 1 in a 73 j4000 long time ago to me . I really miss those times

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.

Always love AMC engines they seem to run but not a big power producers without some work

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.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge Mr.Elmore, you will be missed.

Great build, now come to my house and do it to my 360!

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.

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.

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

Loved this episode. Where’d the old man go?

i miss mine 1974 jeep wagoneer with a 360 and a turbo 400 trans behind it

Awesome 👍 job guys ,....great to see AMC Video BUILDS 😎🤙

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!

AMC 360 Rules. I ❤️ my 1979 Waggy.

Awesome build guys, this engine would be a great swap for AMX or a Javelin.

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!

That dude loves his job and it shows.

This was so over my head, I loved it.

Great job guys, love to learn more about non mainstream motors!!

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.

Glad I watched this, I need a cam button.

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

Just bought an 1968 AMX with the 343. Great video !

Nice. I'd love to find and build one of those for my '86 AMC Eagle.

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.

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!

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!

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 !

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.

HOWdy PWRN, ... Thank YOU for the AMC V-8 Content COOP ... the WiSeNhEiMeR from Richmond, INDIANA ...

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.

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....

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.

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.

impressive

I have a 73 Javelin 360 in need of rebuild, would love to have something like this

That’s a major up grade! I want one of them for my 1977 Jeep J10 plz 👍

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

That will make a Gremlin do wheelies! 😀😃🙂🙃😊

how about building a Gen. 1 Hemi?

More like this. Less new crap!

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 . 🇺🇲🇵🇷🦊👍

What would one make with a mild cam intake with 600cfm carb with stock heads?

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.

I need that motor.

That would be Hella fun in a Gremlin😁. Ya gonna go Oddball, might as well go Full Oddball. Or maybe a Hornet.

One o' these days, it'd be cool to see a Studebaker V8 build. Just sayin'.

I really wished you would have painted that block another color besides black.

I wonder what a race style carb would have done to the hp, 500???

My father was an expert on the crank grinder in his machine shop. The shop went out of business after he died. I was but a wee lad in those days.

Wow.

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.

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?

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

Drop that in my 74 Gremlin pleeeze!

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.

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!

There’s an amx sitting out in the street just rotting away. Soo want to have it.

Fire gravel voice

Hey joe whatever happen to chuck Hanson the guy that used to work on project's with you ?

anyone have a build sheet on this motor?

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

Great video

I have a 400 with a 440 crank and it is 470 cubic inches. Pulls like a log truck, turns on quick and runs like hell! It’s in a 70 Cuda with 383 stickers down the side, maybe that’s why everybody thinks a 383 is so bad! It will lug and pull away at idle with no pedal!

cam specs?

Great video! I have a '78 Wagoneer with a 360 in it. It had a two barrel intake on it. I recently picked up the four barrel intake that was used from '75-'79 I believe. That intake is #3224347. I would like to use an Edelbrock 1405 on it. As I am sure you know the intake is a spread bore and this carb is a square bore. I am having a hard time finding an adapter that will work to mount that carb. Any chance you may know what I need? Thank you.

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

Can I have that engine for my AMX?

👍

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

Question: Since Chrysler bought out AMC and had a 360 engine, is there anything from theirs that will work in the AMC engine?

My AMC v8 I had in high school had the cam bolt back out and pushed the cam out the back of the block and trashed the motor

crank ,crank ' shafe

What year did this episode come out?

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 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

This would be perfect for my javelin haha

RIP Joe Elmore

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.

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