In a message dated 7/19/05 12:45:23 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, vegadan@xxxxxxxxx writes:
I have a 77 hornet amx with a 258/4 spd. I was planning to hop up
the 6, but am now thinking of maybe switching to an 8. I'm new to
amc's, so I have the following questions:
1. Which v8 to use 290/304/360? Are they the same size phyiscally?
What years should I stay away from?
all 66-91 AMC 290,304,343,360,390 & 401 V8's are identical externally and you'd prob want the 72 and up as they used both the Mopar autos and the GM T400's so things like hi po convertors shift kits are readily available.the most common engine you'll find is the 360 as many were put in pul sized Jeeps,even the 401 and even some full sized International trucks and travelalls got 401's as well tho they called em 400's but if you see the dist. up front and cocked to the right its a AMC otherwise IHC's had their dist. up front in the middle like a Ford.I wouldn't mess with a 343 or 70-71 360 as they still used the BW autos and nothings available for those trannys hi,po wise and you must have either a adapter kit or machine the crank ends to make them usable with the Mopar autos or GM autos.Tho its worth it if you happen to find a 70 390 or 71 401 hell even a 360 as they and the 70 390 had the hi comp #319 cast heads and are highly sought after performance AMCers.
2. I know that the 6 and 8's use different front crossmembers, and
that the 8 crossmemebers are pretty expensive (from what I've seen on
ebay). Does anybody know of or make some type of adapter mount that
will mate the 8 to the 6 crossmember?
I think Doug Galvin of Galvins AMC makes a custom V8 crossmember with the mounts alls you gotta o is send in yer old one as a core Doc you have Dougs no. handy?
3. Will the 8 mate up the the 6 trans/bell housing?
I think the bellhousings are different than that of a V8
4. Is there a big weight difference between the 6 and 8.
I'm sure there is but not by much and i always say 8 cyls are better than 6 'evil grin'
5. Are there any unique headaches (like wiring, clearance issues,
etc.) with this swap that I may encounter?
as far as a V8 engine,if you don't plan on dragging it or maybe the occational drag race but mostly cruise,get them new Edelbrock shorty headers or use the stock exhaust manifolds as haders are a pain and as for wiring,i'm using my factory 6 banger wiring harness tho i'm gonna get rid of alotta crap i don't need for it i.e anything that went to the a/c,wipers only thing i need is lites,brake lites,gauge panel lites and blinkers and what ever the hi po craps hooked to.but my car will be more of a racer than a driver so it may very on how you wanna do up your wiring.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Dan
No Prob Dan,good luck with your project.please ask away if you have any more questions.
Bart
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