magnum 380hp crate motor

I would like to know if anyone has put one these into their cars and what kind of performance they have acheived.I recently stuffed one into my 74 duster along with a windage tray,quick advance springs,hooker supercompetition headers,superstock springs,shocks,etc.the car is already equipped with a 4speed 8 3/4 rear with 3.92s I should have it together in a month or so just waiting on some odds and ends.

Mike:

Check out the latest issue of Mopar Muscle magazine - front cover sez "Mopar Performance - Great Crate Engines". Several sections dealing with Mopar's crate engines including the 380 HP 360 you have. They had a '71 Demon with this motor in an feature article and had basiclly said this about performance: "With smaller exhaust system (5/8 headers through 2 1/2 pipe)and street tires the Demon ran 12.82 Right out of the box!!" Is this what you wanted to hear?

i just ordered one for our car '67 barracuda formula "s" fastback. can hardly wait to get and install this beast. that article in mopar muscle finally convinced me . keep us posted. i'll do the same.

[IRON MIKE]

Thanks for the replies guys.today i finally got my car back from the shop. New exhaust and front end work.I did get to read about the demon in Mopar Muscle.My setup is about the same 391 gears 8 3/4 super stock springs pinion snubber mopar drag shocks, eccept i got a 4 speed with a center force clutch.Now that I can finally drive it I need some advice,what kind of street tire should i buy today i decided to see what it could actually do and only at half throttle annilated the tires through 4th gear(still breaking in the clutch).The tires are 14inch BF Goodrichs.I am planning on running the car with this setup at the dragstip in the next two weeks,i will let all of you know how I do.By the way I had this motor in my brothers 4x4 truck that weighs about 5000-5500 lbs with 3.55 gears and 32 inch BF Goodrich all terains,and ran consistant 15.1s at 96 mph all night.Not bad for a tank huh!but anyways any advice you Mopar nuts have to offer would be great.

[Christopher]

If it were my car,I'd invest in some 15x8" wheels and use a 275/60/15 BF Goodrich drag radial or my favorite,the 275/60/15 M&H Racemaster.Any street tire you use is going to be boiled by that 360.

mike-what kind of starter did you use?. was there enough clearance to use the stock stater with the headers. good news...our motor arrived wednesday. now the process begins. how fast does it go?.

[The Dartman]

Being a street car racer (along with my Dad and brother), we have tried and investigated many street racing tires and this is what I've found:

Most bang for the buck:
McCreary Road Star 60's stock car tires that are DOT approved. These cost about $75 new, are street legal, and have a compound very similiar to drag tires. I've run in the low 13's with these tires with 60 foots in the 1.70's. Pros: Cheap, low 26 inch profile. Cons: Only one or two sizes (one 8.5 X 26 and only in 15's) and wear out kind of fast (if you like big hairy burnouts).

Medium Quality/Medium Price:
Mickey Thompson Sportman S/S or "I" series (same compound - different tread). These are great looking street tires in many sizes that have a "pseudo" racing compound. You should expect to run mid 12's and higher, but may lose consistancy due to the burnout being all important. My Dad runs these in his Duster at about 13.2 to 13.5 in the 1/4. Maybe available in radial? I don't know. Pros: GREAT looking tires, many sizes, reasonably long life. Cons: Sporatic traction, tread holds water from burnout.
Note: MT has a new racing tire out that I dont know much about, other than it was supposed to compete against M&H and Hoosier's top of the line stuff (check their website).

Questionable Traction/High Price
BF goodrich Drag radials are kind of a high end racing tire. Unfortunately they are priced kind of high, too. Many sizes available and they ride and handle well in an all around radial car. I've talked to a guy with a 12.20 Challenger with these tires, and he said they spun real bad. Pros: Hey, they're radials! Many sizes, too. Cons: Expensive, and the dealer recommends driving around the burnout box and not going in the water (and WHAT track is this? Water is usually everywhere wherever I go) and ANY water in the tread causes you to lose traction bigtime.

High traction/High price:
Hoosier quick time offers one of the top end street racing tires. Many sizes available and the plain tread pattern doesn't hold water like some of the above ones do. I know the least about these, but there are cars running in the 8's (or less) with these tires. Pros: Great traction, Cons: Higher Price, will wear out fast daily driving.

Best traction/Higher Price:
M&H Racemasters DOT legal street tires are the tires used in virtually all "Street Tire" drag cars. These cars run with ET's in the 7's (or below)!! Prices start at around $140 per tire and up. Pros: Can you say World Record? Cons: virtually no tread pattern, will wear out fast, higher price.

Based upon this you should be able to pick out a tire that will work for you. For the low end I would recommend the McCreary's or the MT's and for the high end I would recommend the M&H's or Hoosier's.

All this coming from a guy who currently runs a set of $40 swap meet used slicks!!

[IRON MIKE]

Toddd i used my stock starter,the clearance is tight.As far as how fast it goes,i dont know yet.I have a couple of things to do to get it ready.I have to put my driveshaft loop on my subframe connectors,new power steering pump,and different carb.I should be ready in a week or two.I can tell you,your going to love your new motor.I would put a windage tray in it before you put it in your car.Mopars 360 windage tray bolts right on.Dartman thanks for the info on the tires.I will be making a decision soon.

how much hood clearance did you have?. or did you use a hood scoop?. i don't want to cut the original hood, i'd rather go to a low profile filter element, or a dropped air cleaner base.

[IRON MIKE]

Todd I have a dart sport hood scoop and standard size air cleaner 14 inch,but it fits under my hood with a inch or two clearance.

thanks for the good news mike. ran into a friend of mine and he has helped set up a car like ours with the exact same set up. he is just as excited as we are to get the car together. any tips or problems or help i can pass on i will. he says it was A very powerful motor.

[Old hippie]

A few years back Hot Rod did a series on the " big three " crate motor shootout. This was before the mag. motor jumped up to 380 hp, was 360hp at that time. Long story short, ma mopar kicked serious hiney!!!!! This was in a 3200# duster, 4:10 gears. Ran something like 12:30s while the bowtie/blue oval stuff were in the 12:55 to 12:70 range if memory serves me right.