Power adders for my 360

[360duster74]

I have a 360 in my '74 Duster and would like to know if there are any easy or cheap power adders out there that would add just a pinch more of hp.

[TK]

4bbl carb, headers, ignition re-curve and chrome box, or a MSD, and a mild 260-268 adv duration (ish) camshaft. electric fan, and bigger accessory pulleys work too, and, depending on your engine, a thinner synthetic oil. (Windage tray if you want to pull it)

Usually, a brand new valve jog, and gasket match are the best HP gain for a high mileage motor, along with a bowl hog.

[rumblefish360]

After bolt on's like headers, carb, intake and stabbing a cam in.
The giggle gas, N02 is the easiest and most powerful add on.
The most expensive one is a permenat power adder that never needs to be refilled. Super Charger!
Bolt on a 50% increase, no problem.
250 HP stone stock to 375 - 400 HP in a day or less.

[duster360]

hp per dollar nitrous is the best deal, yes people will whine and call you names, but as long as your in front who cares. just spend alittle extra on a dedicated fuel system and it will live for a long time.

[360duster74]

Thanks guys, anyone else have anything they might want to share?

[go-fish]

Look for a dedicated power adder forum. Don't be afraid to go on www.turbomustangs.com . They have a Mopar section and are ready to answer questions. They can give guidance on superchargers as well. Centrifugal superchargers are the hot thing going these days. www.thesuperchargerstore.com helped me out. I haven’t built the engine yet so I can't give you any feedback from personal experience but I have researched a great deal. ProCharger seems to be much better than the rest. They do not require an oiling from the engine's oil system and they have been shown to last much longer without needing to be rebuilt.
I have no information on turbocharging but BIG hp #'s are out there.
So which is better? Turbos don't require engine power to run. They run off exhaust so you will need to fabricate your headers for turbocharging, there are none available through the aftermarket for Mopars.
Superchargers supply boost instantaneously and at all ranges of operation whereas a turbo must "spool" up. Turbo's require intercooling and supercharger don't, necessarily. I will be using water/methanol (windshield washer fluid) injection to cool the charge but at lower levels you can get by without any charge cooling method.
When using intercooling you must fabricate ducts to and from the intercooler which you want to locate up front, possibly having to place it in front of a portion of the radiator.
With water/methanol injection, on a supercharger, all you have to do is put a water source (5 gallon cell) in the trunk with 1 gallon washer fluid and 4 gallons of water, and route the line to an injector on the charge pipe. You won't use the water very fast at all because you use a pressure sensitive switch to gauge when you want the injection. You only need it part time at high boost levels. While cruising you won't use any.
Either way, in extreme turbo or supercharging, you want to have a forged crank and pistons that can withstand some heat, definitely not hypereutectic. They would disintegrate in a flash.
If you want moderate levels you can get by with cast crank as long as you don't go beyond the HP recommendations for a cast crank. However, as far as pistons go, you always want some good strong pistons.
Detonation is a key issue. If you are running closed combustion chambers it is all the better. If you have stock style open chambers you can compensate by using a piston designed for forced induction while utilizing open chamber heads. Detonation is something that needs to be addressed in any engine. Again this is not completely necessary with entry level power adders.
Other issues are cam selection, carbs, and compression ratio. Cams will need to have a wider lobe separation angle, LSA. With all the extra air/fuel, you need to compensate for that with the placement of the cam lobes. 114 degrees is good and 110 is acceptable.
Carburetors need to be a blow-through design or use a "carb in a box" design. The "carb in a box" is not as effective but it allows you to use a regular carb that hasn't been modified to have the charge blown through it. Or pony up the cash for fuel injection and forget about carbs.
Compression ratios do not need to be high. 9.5:1 is about as high as you want to go unless you are going for maximum effort applications.
If you have a stock engine and want to use a superchager you can do it easily with few modifications. Get a blow through carb and a P1-SC Procharger(entry level) kit, spend about four hours in your driveway with basic hand tools, and whallah!, 400-450 HP on tap any time you want to put your skinny pedal to the floor.

Hope this info helps you out.

[go-fish]

Oh, if you're happy with your power levels where they're at now but just want a little extra at the track or for fun, just buy a NOS kit. But beware of the damage you can do to your engine if it cannot handle the power that is going to be thrown at it instantaneously. You still have to have a good set up to use NOS effectively. I don't recommend doing it with out any other mods to a stock engine.

[MrChemist]

If you post your current engine/drivetrain combo in detail it would be very helpful in finding you a few extra ponies.