Hey everyone, I know this thread is quite old now but I figured I'd bring you all up to speed on the project. Unfortunately, I suffered a job loss, which set me back a bit but everything worked out for the best (better job now). Anyway, without sharing too much personal information, suffice it to say I haven't gotten too much further than when I originally posted this.
Here's the deal - I have a complete 360, rebuilt by Jasper. The block is dated 1985, but it came from a firetruck which had 12,000 miles. There is no way of knowing how many miles the engine has since its rebuild, but I'm guessing fewer than 12,000. The engine is complete, ready to go in the car.
I bought a parts car for all the little spare goodies, like throttle cable, linkages, radiator, V8 K frame (I'll be using Schumacher mounts for now, but if I need them for a future project I will swap K frames then).
According to the fender tag on my parts car (89 Fifth Avenue) I now have an A998 transmission, which features 4 direct clutch plates. This is one more than 904s have, and one less than 999s have. To my knowledge, Chrysler only used A999 transmissions behind 360 engines. I do not think the A998 behind my 360 will be a problem, as I've done most of my low gear burnouts and neutral drops as a teenager and have gotten most of that out of the way.
I also scored an 8 1/4 rear from the Fifth, which saves me the time and work of modifying an 8 3/4 B body axle to work. Plus, finding the rest of the parts for it. The rear gear ratio is either 2.24 or 2.45. Hoping for the latter, expecting the former. Either way, the low first gear of the A998 will help with those ridiculous ratios until I can upgrade to at least a 2.76.
Finally, I'll be using the stock 318 converter with a B&M flexplate for balancing. I will see how pleased I am with the factory converter for now, but may contact CRT to rebuild mine in the future.
This is not intended to be a drag car. My goal is a respectable daily driver with just enough torque to put a smile on my face.
I just wanted to keep you updated, so you know your time and advice hasn't been wasted. I really do appreciate the help from everyone. Wishing you all a prosperous new year. Cheers