RE: tell me about the 361 please

[Dan McCormack <mcwheels@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Naw rip out that 318 Poly and put a big block in it and then send me all 
those poly parts you haven't installed yet for the 64 Belvedere wagon 
I'm buying. Seriously I guess I'm from the "If it ain't broke don't fix 
it school too" I have a friend with a 66 Charger who decided to have his 
318 poly built to the specs in that Rodney Dangerfield article rather 
than putting in a big block. There's not enough room here to explain all 
the problems he ran into and all the custom parts he had to have made 
and for what he spent getting everything solved I think he could have 
put in two 440's. But the thing runs like a bear, sounds like a big 
block and stops people dead in thier tracks when they walk by his open 
hood at a show or cruise.

However there's nothing wrong with a 361. It's the original Mopar big 
block B engine. (Well sort of. The original was actually a 350 one year 
only motor in the 58 Fury) I've had several of them. I think the best 
one was the 61 Plymouth 2 dr sedan police pursuit car I owned. It had a 
Commando 395 (that's a 361 4 bbl. which was rated at 395 ft. lbs of 
torque) and a stick on the column and something like a 2.43 rear end. 
You could floor it and side step the clutch and it wouldn't spin a tire 
but one night I had it up to about 105 in second gear and it was still 
climbing. I have no doubt it could have probably buried that 150 mph 
certified speedo in 3rd gear but I wasn't quite drunk enough to find 
out.

Dan


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