i'm sure this has been brought up before by many..

anyways i got a 01 dodge ram 360 2500 4x4 its my daily driver.. i'm in search for a new motor.

my truck has about 187xxx miles on it. and its getting tired its starting to smoke a little.(i've already replaced vavle steam seals) so i'm think the rings are worn out now... and i've also noticed it doesnt get up and go like it use to.(it has new plugs cap rotor wires t-chain in and pleinum in the last 4 months)

am i better off haveing my current motor rebuilt or ordered a new one from a company. i'm looking for a stock motor. im thinking if i have a machine shop rebuild it.

i know many of you out there have replaced/rebuilt your motors so any advice is great. id probly attempt to rebuild it my self but i work so many hours i just dont have time to do so...

 

I suggest having a local machine shop rebuild your motor. This way if there are any probs you just go down the road a few miles to deal with the issue. If you have extra money, buy a JY motor and have the shop rebuild that one.

 

And this also depends on your budget and time. I would consider the recommendation about having it done locally for the reasons zman mentioned. But I would also look into replacing heads with Odessa heads, double roller timing set, amnd make sure they address the plenum gasket issue.

 

budget is kinda whatever. i figure id have to spent around 3000 grand for a new motor or haveing one rebuilt and upgraded..

i currently have the double roller and hs 1.7 in my motor and the hughes pleinum fix kit... but id probly go with a bigger cam(a little more power and a i love that loppy idle of v8s) and stock ratio rocker arms and the hughes edlebrock air intake manifold and of corse put a new double roller on the new motor...

and i was looking in to the odessa heads already but i've been reading alot of reviews on them and ive found that most of the reviews are VERY negitive about there product and customer service... so at this point i'm probly gonna plan on sticking with stock ones or maybe looking into edlebrock heads..

i'm gonna go with what zman said i'm just gonna look around craigslist and at some of the local wrecking yards and see if i can find a used complete motor for cheap.

 

If you get a cam with a lopy idle it won't be truck anymore. It'll be a screamer. Keep in kind what you plan to use your truck for when you rebuild it.

There's tons a rebuild threads on here just a do a search and you'll get tons of ideas

 

mostly a daily driver do some towing. but a mild cam wont make it not a truck anymore... i figure if i'm gonna have a new motor installed might as well upgrade it a little bit... stock parts arent that much cheaper than mild performacne parts... well i havent looked into dodges that much but i know when my turbo eclipes motor went out. swaping out most of the parts for better higher proformance parts was only another 1500 over a stock rebuild. car went from about 215hp to 560 on 110oct fuel... but i'm not looking to get numbers like that out of my daily driver

 

A "mild" cam won't give you a lopey idle. For a truck that you tow with, you don't WANT a cam that radical. Go with a good RV cam, something with a "power band" ranging from idle to around 5K. It will be better than the stock cam, give you a nice boost in low-end to mid-range, and your truck will actually be better off for it. When you talk to whomever about cam recommendations, be SURE they are aware that you want to use the 1.7 RR's.

 

i just got new heads for my JY 360 that i built from odessa. couldnt have asked for better customer service! had my heads custom built, and shipped in 4 days.

for 720, i got brand new heads, 1 piece stock size stainless valves, and springs to handle .510" lift.

the cam i have is comp cams 20-745-9 along with hs 1.7's there is more than enough clearance for the 2.

if you look in the general discussion section you can find my thread. redneck_rams 360 build thread.

keeping the bottom end stock, and building the top end will net you around 380-390 bhp, 420-430 btq.

 

im sure i posted in before id like to do a cam with stock ratio rockers... i currently have 1.7 in my motor

 

alright i'll take a look and 380-390 is more than what i'm looking for but i'll read what you got and go from there thanks