Who out there has rebuilt a 360?

My 79 cherokee has the 360 w/the #1 con rod (drivers side) went through the oil pan so Im wondering is there another place other than PAW or Summit that has complete rebuild kits,(pistons/con rods) the whole 9 yrds. Im new to the 360s and am looking in another direction.  

what a co-inky-dink! I saw a AMC 360 with trans on Craigslist this morning.   I would call Jeg's too. Flatlander Racing specializes in the Kenosha power. I have dealt with them. i've also seen a SouthTexas sumthin or other that sells Javelin/AMX stuff...might be worth googlin'  

Personally the only "kit" I would buy for a rebuild is gaskets. The rest I would get as needed and sized as needed. Kits were great for old tractors that had sleeved cylinders and you replaced sleeves and pistons and such and had a "new" motor.  

you can by these "kits" as a package deal and specify what size ya need as far as bearings, rings, pistons, etc. a one size fits all kit would be a waste of $$. when i rebuild an engine it is completely new except for the block. I will if i can reuse the crank and heads depending on the application. but everything gets at least rehabbed.  

Yes but no. Best rebuild are when you take the time to get right parts as need and of the quality needed for task and kits are not going to let yo select brands as needed for different parts.  

thanks for the other aves... seein how the rain is staying around I have yet to take the 360 out of the cher and tear it down. Im gonna try this weekend ( I know I keep saying that but the weather suks)and gonna pull the heads off to see if the #1 piston/con rod that broke hit the head, if thats the case then im going w/either my 350 or a 6.2 if I can find one...  

NO, the best rebuilds are complete rebuilds not bandaids on broken rods. I say again, when I rebuild engines, which i do very frequently, i don't put worn out used parts in my new engine. rebuild not repair. i'm not gonna put a new valve train in a motor and leave the bottom end alone because it's "ok". And, yes, both summit and jeg's will let me mix and match as needed. when i build an engine it's not "for now" it's "for the long term".  

thats what i did w/my 350 core for 100$...tore it down and the pistons were good for what i was doing and the crank was good too. no spun bearings on the cam or crank.stuffed new cam, lifters, high performance oil pump, the thinnest head gaskets they make (sorry forgot what thickness. then put new external on,W.P., starter edelbrock performer intake and carb,w/headers and HEI set up on it and ran it close to two yrs w/absolutly NO problems in durability,performace or reliabilty...not bad for my first engine...so now its time to tackle the "OTHER" brand and see what i can ***
OH yeah and I dont peice anything together thats the heart of anything!  

I hope ya get to use that 360. i'm a big believer in keeping it pure. if it's a jeep/amc it gets a AMC/jeep engine, if it's mopar it gets a mopar engine, etc. that's just me.  

i got a kit from summit 2 years ago had only one problem the cam bearings i needed wrer diffrent everything else worked fine that was 2 years ago and the truck still runs great  

yeah fatguy...id like to keep it too for the fact that everything is there and hopefully just have to replace parts internally instead hunting down heads,intake,carb,exhaust,hei,oil pan...etc.   so we'll see this weekend.   if it dont rain!  

fatguy4X4:
I hope ya get to use that 360. i'm a big believer in keeping it pure. if it's a jeep/amc it gets a AMC/jeep engine, if it's mopar it gets a mopar engine, etc. that's just me.

Yes a Jeep is not a Jeep with a Chevy motor. I do not care who says what on this or their logic. Once you transplant a motor in there that was never remotely ever used in a Jeep it is no longer one. Same with Chevies, Fords and Dodges. Keep a Jeep, AMC/Jeep powered and take some pride in its roots.  

yes a jeep is not a jeep w/a diff engine BUT how can you say that when my cherokee came w/a GM t400?
So I say my jeep is not a jeep, its a MUTT w/a ford ignition box and there stupid idea of putting the distributor in the front so its the first thing that gets wet, a GM t400 trans and AMC 360.now if i decide to put my 350 in its still a mutt and not a jeep or a MEEP if you will...  

NOw if came w/all jeep/amc parts then i would try and keep it original in that sense but its coubbled together w/other companies parts...  

keithpapa:
NOw if came w/all jeep/amc parts then i would try and keep it original in that sense but its coubbled together w/other companies parts...

I think you miss the point here. Jeep used some GM parts under contract from GM but the THM 400 they used would not bolt in a Chevy because it has a AMC bellhousing on it and the tail shaft was unique to AMC app's then too so they really were AMC parts made by someone for them. Also when Jeep used a 225 V6 in 60's and early 70 they called it a Buick V6 but it really was not because Kiaser bought all the rights to engine from GM and GM had to buy engine rights back from AMC in mid 70's and then morphed it into a 231/3.8. So what I am saying is parts that were in it from factory are Jeep parts so to speak. Today as much as 70 percent of some new Detroit cars parts are not even made by Detroit so then are they still GM, Ford or Dodge?