What horsepower are you looking for??? Benefits of each .....
Magnum - the magnum comes with roller cam (friendly for todays oils), lighter rotating assembly and better heads. Heads are more prone to cracking, but the cracks don't seem to interfere with the running of the engine. We see alot of these out there way over 200,*** miles and running good, including mine at 233,*** and runs perfect. Typically speaking, you can throw a 4bbl and headers on a 360 mag out of a Ram and you have 300 hp without taking anything apart. Add a better cam and EQ heads, you can get around 400 hp.
LA - from the factory has tougher rocker arm set up. Way more intake choices, meaning better deals on 2nd hand parts. More off the shelf cams available. LA 360's had roller cams from 89-91 (maybe 1988 also?). All LA's come with the mechanical fuel pump eccentric. Even the worst 360 smog heads had plenty of potential, especially when fitted with larger valves and ported. Shares more parts with 318/340's.
Off the top of my head thoughts..... and both are readily available for cheap (under 400 bucks complete and running). You decide.... neither are a bad choice.
