What to do with original 361?

[Nate S]

The original engine in my ‘64 Sport Fury was a 361. 80000 miles, re-ringed by Chrysler under warranty at 40k (1967). Ran well, 9:1 2 barrel. After swapping it for a 426-S it’s sitting in my garage looking for meaning in life. Debating what to do with it. Can’t imagine the car is worth any more with it than without, sorta don’t care.

Does anyone even want a 361? Was thinking about breaking it up. Crank is almost certainly pristine, same with rods. Maybe worth $225 and $100? 516 heads had a valve job about 10k ago, maybe worth $100? Already stole the oil pan for the Fury,

Anyway, looking for opinions. Is it pure sacrilege to dump the original engine in a car I have the window sticker for?

 

[toolmanmike]

Save it or sell it. Put it on a dolly and roll it under the bench. You never know but the next owner may want it. Otherwise start a sale ad here and someone will want it. They are good engines. Not as snappy as a 383 but they can be made to be.

 

[rarefish]

My 64 Belvedere Wagon had it's original 361 in it when I bought it back in 1998 at Carlisle.
The wagon now sports a 440 in it.
I traded the complete 361 minus the exhaust manifolds, oil pan and the 2 bbl carb to a friend for a 440 crank.
There are times when I think I should have kept the the 361.

 

[moparedtn]

Yes, these cars are always worth more with the original engines.

 

[moparnutcase]

Keep it for the next owner, he may want to go back to original.

 

[Ron H]

Agree keep it if you have room to stow it. If you do decide to sell the SF someday yeah, the buyer might be all in on wanting that motor and maybe get you extra cash. Meantime someone might want that motor and offer you a decent price for it who knows?

 

[matthon]

I can certainly understand keeping it, if you are going to return it to stock, or sell it, or hand it down some day.

Otherwise I don't see the benefit in saving it for the next guy.

 

[R413]

Funny 361 story.

I heard about a 493 strokeR engine for sale with a 4 speed Still bolted to it.

So I get the info and head over there, it was a complete engine with lots of dirt and surface rust. This looks like it was sitting for 20 years. I clean off the top ID pad and it is a 361 with a manual 3 speed! This old timer was talking it,up real good, all the power, best parts, etc.

I politely declined and left quickly. LOL

I’d keep that original engine to your 64.

 

[POMONAMISSEL]

never get rid of any original block or heads . just put them in the back of everything so there out of sight , out of mind . and if you ever want it back , its right there for the $$$$$$$ .

 

[Nate S]

Seems like the consensus is “hang on to it”. I need to find a spot but I think I’ll do that. I really appreciate everyone’s opinions. A friend is giving me a couple 440’s I guess the spot I find will need to be big enough for all three.

 

[Bb70charger500]

Well..... I myself would let it go! Its a 361 much like a car with a 318 nobody is going to be looking for the org Motor! I've said this before it's not a hemi car or a 440 6 PAC or..... Its a affordable car that's had a great upgrade ! No sense in storing this motor! If you sell they probably won't want it then you have it sitting around or by the time you are going to need it it would need a rebuild and not worth rebuilding that motor!
I bought 2 361's for a 64 Newport I had one was a pull out of a truck the other was completely rebuilt from a 66 charger (pullys and brackets robbed from it) got both motors for $200 took everything needed from junkyard eng got looking nice put on rebuilt motor never installed into car I sold car (was a 361 car) told guy the motor came with it he said nahhh I got a 440 didn't want to move it .
Eventually I gave it away at the local swap meet next year later guy was trying to give it back !
No one wants a 361

 

[moparedtn]

Well..... I myself would let it go! Its a 361 much like a car with a 318 nobody is going to be looking for the org Motor! I've said this before it's not a hemi car or a 440 6 PAC or..... Its a affordable car that's had a great upgrade ! No sense in storing this motor! If you sell they probably won't want it then you have it sitting around or by the time you are going to need it it would need a rebuild and not worth rebuilding that motor!
I bought 2 361's for a 64 Newport I had one was a pull out of a truck the other was completely rebuilt from a 66 charger (pullys and brackets robbed from it) got both motors for $200 took everything needed from junkyard eng got looking nice put on rebuilt motor never installed into car I sold car (was a 361 car) told guy the motor came with it he said nahhh I got a 440 didn't want to move it .
Eventually I gave it away at the local swap meet next year later guy was trying to give it back !
No one wants a 361

Actually, from crunching numbers on three classic car valuation sites (like Hagerty and American Collectible), having the numbers-matching 361 is worth approx. another $9k to the cars' value.
Personal subjectivity on the "worthiness" of a 361 aside, it is worth more with the original engine.

 

[Bb70charger500]

Not to start a fight let those sites buy the cars ! In a real market it's worthless. Those sites are just to get insurance rates higher and to Inflate the market ! Those sites are a joke . For someone that's been buying and selling cars for many years I will say again if it's a cheaper car and the org Motor was the basic one the value will always be higher with a bigger motor!

 

[moparedtn]

Not to start a fight let those sites buy the cars ! In a real market it's worthless. Those sites are just to get insurance rates higher and to Inflate the market ! Those sites are a joke . For someone that's been buying and selling cars for many years I will say again if it's a cheaper car and the org Motor was the basic one the value will always be higher with a bigger motor!

"Those sites" compiles numbers from actual sales, so I reckon there's at least some credibility to them.
I don't think of a Sport Fury as a "cheaper car", either - but yes, the same model with the 426 shows considerably
higher value than the 361, same as the 361 shows higher value than the 318 for the same model.

 

[Bb70charger500]

I sold an all org one owner sport fury convertible valuation was near 20k
I had it listed for a long time no interest dropped price a bit here and there! Nothing! I had multiple cash offers of 8-10k I said no way well after almost a year I finally sold it for $9500 I'd be curious if they updated there valuation s ! highly doubtful as they would not make as much charging higher rates for more expensive cars !
Its a money grab and people fall for it ! Maybe one of them sold for $20k once after someone pulled out the junk stock Motor and put in a 440!

I own a 64 Chrysler 300k convertible the classic car insurance company clams it's a $100000 car! Wow really !!!! That's funny I payed $17k for it! I've been offered alot for it but not $100k I've seen others asking the $80-100k range and it's been forsale for years! Hmm wonder where they got that number from!?!?!? The insurance company is a scam you can't go off there values !

Back to the op's issue if you got room keep it if not send it on its way to make room for the 440's your getting!

 

[Darter6]

If you were closer I'd take it off your hands.
As far as saving it my buddy saved the 361 out of his 64 Fury for over 40 years.
When he sold the car the new owner didn't want it. I scraped everything but the short block for my project.
It only had 34,000 miles on it.

 

[1967coronet]

Not to start a fight let those sites buy the cars ! In a real market it's worthless. Those sites are just to get insurance rates higher and to Inflate the market ! Those sites are a joke . For someone that's been buying and selling cars for many years I will say again if it's a cheaper car and the org Motor was the basic one the value will always be higher with a bigger motor!

Worthless ?????????????? Somebody grease up the paddles and shock me back. B Mopar V8 , what are we talking here 20 cubes , same basic diff as 426 wedge and 440 does that make the 426 worthless ? dollar for dollar that 361 can pull the same numbers as a 383 and run just as well.
They not building anymore of these big block wedges........... save every one of them.

 

[moparnutcase]

Value or not, some people just like original. I for one would never buy a butchered car(motor swap,etc.). Just MY preference, to each their own.

 

[khryslerkid]

Put it on a dolly and roll it under the bench. You never know but the next owner may want it.

That's what I did with mine. The reason I transplanted the 440 into the car in the first place was to have a little fun without hurting the original 361. Everything that I did to this car I had it in mind to be able to return things back factory original if need be. There's not one item on this car that can't be changed back to the way it was from the factory.

I found this dolly at a yard sale for a couple of bucks. Four pieces of angle iron and it's under the welding table.

 

[rolling_Thunder]

I'm pretty much in the same boat with my 64 Polara... mine was originally a 383-2 and it's still sitting in the engine bay like a lump -- the 440 block is coming back from the machinist soon so I'll probably pull the 383 and store it somewhere...