360/300 magnum Questions/suggestions

Easiest way to tell if it's really a Magnum motor is to:

1.) Look at the intake bolts. If they go in straight up and down in the head it's a Magnum.
2.) Look at the side of the block. Magnum blocks retain the LA mounting lugs on the side, but also have lugs (3) in the middle that the LA blocks do not have.
3.) It'll say if it's a 318 or 360 on the side of the block, I believe on the driver's side under the head. If you can't see the markings on the side of the block, you can compare the LA motor mount lugs on the side of the block. If the driver's side lugs are closer together than the passenger side, it's a 360.


Don't know how to turn it into a 380 hp version, but I don't know if I'd want it anyway. Single plane intake and a big cam? I'd think a Magnum 360 with an Air-Gap dual plane, Comp XR274HR-10 cam, headers, and a 750 carb would beat it almost every way. The heads would need the valve guides cut down (or run the high clearance retainers from Hughes Engines) to keep the retainers from hitting the valve seals (high lift, .538/.534) , but that's not hard if you're already doing a cam swap.