150 HP LA 318 - vs - 230 HP Magnum 318

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bighammer

bighammer

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Do those numbers sound right?

I looked on Wikepedia, it says the LA 318 is 150 horse power. The Magnum 318 is stated to have 230 horse power.

Since I am in the market for an engine swap, I am considering the Magnum 318, since I have not yet located a 360. (And I have found a couple 318's)

Seems like a decent upgrade, although not as much horsepower as the 360 swap, I would think it would be a noticeable improvement over my tired LA 318.

BTW, the Magnum 360 is rated at 250 horsepower.

What thinks you?

Mark
 
Magnum motors are great upgrades over the la motors IMHO. Roller cam, better heads, and its a bolt in deal. Plus there's tons of them out there.
 
Also the Magnum 318 has the roller cam, just like the Mag 360; just thought I would mention that in case anybody wondered about it.
 
That's what they are rated, I think the extra 80hp come from better flowing heads and exhaust, but think the difference would shrink if you put the same carb, intake and exhaust on both of them.
 
My buddy had a 94 Ram with the 5.2 then traded up to a 97 with the 5.9, told me the 360 sucked a lot more gas, in his opinion it wasn't worth the 20 more horsepower
 
The HP ratings will vary a lot through our the years for the 318. Research the issue.

Reguardless, grab the computer if you can. If your not running a computer, just straight engine muscle, a Magnum engine has a lot of good advantages over the LA. Though I'm not a big fan if the heads, they can do well for a street machine build.

Roller cam, sweeeeeeet! Swap it out and add rollers.
 
Low tension rings,lighter reciprocating assembly,near a true 9 to 1 compression.Fuel injection helps blocks maintain,with less wear.Did a Magnum 360 swap last year,neat engines.Watch for the infamous cracked head situation.Speed parts do get pricey,budget accordingly.
 
MoparMagic1992 said:
My buddy had a 94 Ram with the 5.2 then traded up to a 97 with the 5.9, told me the 360 sucked a lot more gas, in his opinion it wasn't worth the 20 more horsepower
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My 5.9 Jeep gets 11-13 mpg but I do drive it like I stole it, $120 tank get me 3 weeks of driving.
 
It's a much better technologically designed engine. But - it also uses the lower parasitic loss alternator, P/S pump, etc and has much better exh manifolding - all of which is included on the tests. So a "230hp Magnum" when outfitted with the older accessories and LA manifolding will probably make about 200hp. Still a big improvement from the LA 318, but not quite as delivered in a Ram. With manual steering, an RPM intake, and a cheap set of headers it's closer to the 230-240hp mark.
 
I hate "ratings"......its BS.....150hp is not what a stock 318 Longblock is capable of....its how it came STOCK....2bbl, smog pump, single exhaust system through a catalytic convertor.

I would OPINIONate, that a UNCORKED OE 318 Longblock with a double roller timing chain, Aluminum dual plane intake, a edelbrock 1406 600cfm carb, some headers and a Distributor Recurved.....would boost up the power from 150....to 275ish hp....without so much as a cam swap....stock cam.

LA 318's are screamers.....they just need a good Carb, Intake, Headers, and supporting mods....compression is overrated, unless your RACIN'


I wouldnt go MAGNUM 318 unless there were NO LA v-8 engines to be found anywhere......then I would do it, only reluctantly.

There are benefits to each Longblock.....but Magnums are a crapshoot.

Good luck
 
Prine said:
I hate "ratings"......its BS.....150hp is not what a stock 318 Longblock is capable of....its how it came STOCK....2bbl, smog pump, single exhaust system through a catalytic convertor.

I would OPINIONate, that a UNCORKED OE 318 Longblock with a double roller timing chain, Aluminum dual plane intake, a edelbrock 1406 600cfm carb, some headers and a Distributor Recurved.....would boost up the power from 150....to 275ish hp....without so much as a cam swap....stock cam.

LA 318's are screamers.....they just need a good Carb, Intake, Headers, and supporting mods....compression is overrated, unless your RACIN'


I wouldnt go MAGNUM 318 unless there were NO LA v-8 engines to be found anywhere......then I would do it, only reluctantly.

There are benefits to each Longblock.....but Magnums are a crapshoot.

Good luck
Click to expand...

This guy has no idea.... I will take a Magnum over a LA any day. Actually in a matter of fact I am thats why my truck is getting a maggie not the LA that I already own.

LA 318's had HORRIBLE cams they make even the magnum cam look good in comparison. Stock LA 318 heads unless you had a certain year flow like crap and you can't just throw on a set of 360 heads. Throw in the fact that as long as they were somewhat taken care of you can take a magnum apart at over 100k and it will still look like a new engine. How can you not like the magnums.
 
sure.....I have No Idea.

Say What You Want....you obviously already have.

Magnums are junk....good for a boat anchor, IMO.
The LA went unchanged from 65-92 because it was designed right, and never crapped out till the 318 Nylon timing gear broke....because it was designed that way.
And Ma' used Moly rings in the 80's LA's.....so their bores are still good at 100k too...

MAGNUMS have Different Intake bolt holes, different valve covers, different valvetrain, different timing cover....and their computer controlled OEM.

Sure, anyone can slap one together, and slip it into an Abody if they are determined enough.....but they are different than a good ole LA.....and with different comes NEW problems.

My advice, and the advice I offer to people who post questions like the OP asked.....is Honest, and valuable to a guy who doesnt have alot of money, and cant afford to make costly mistakes.

You need to get a clue there 64drtgt.......the valve covers and the roller cam, and the pedestal mounted rockers dont make them Better,.....it makes them different, and more complicated when your trying to Frankestein a car together.
 
Just my two cents but i like the late la motors roller cam and swirl port heads but still an la so parts are cheap easy to find. My gf Jeep is a 318 magnum with 200k haven't had to change but the little things like a water pump since it was new but it is more of a pain have to order allot of the parts and they cost more also this is just cause it has the efi on it but makes it way harder to work on and figure out what is wrong I'm trying to get her to go carb lol
 
If you want to notice a difference from what you have now get a 360/5.9. What you'll notice is the extra torque at all RPMs. The LA 360 (pre- '93) would be a bit more straight forward of a swap. The Magnums are great and I love them but I'm a keep it simple kinda guy.

Don't worry about the big difference in peak HP numbers, it is only rated at a specific RPM. You will NOT notice a 25% difference in performance between an LA318 & a 5.2L Magnum if they have similiar intake and exhaust.

So my advice is keep looking for a LA 360.
 
Prine said:
sure.....I have No Idea.

Say What You Want....you obviously already have.

Magnums are junk....good for a boat anchor, IMO.
The LA went unchanged from 65-92 because it was designed right, and never crapped out till the 318 Nylon timing gear broke....because it was designed that way.
And Ma' used Moly rings in the 80's LA's.....so their bores are still good at 100k too...

MAGNUMS have Different Intake bolt holes, different valve covers, different valvetrain, different timing cover....and their computer controlled OEM.

Sure, anyone can slap one together, and slip it into an Abody if they are determined enough.....but they are different than a good ole LA.....and with different comes NEW problems.

My advice, and the advice I offer to people who post questions like the OP asked.....is Honest, and valuable to a guy who doesnt have alot of money, and cant afford to make costly mistakes.

You need to get a clue there 64drtgt.......the valve covers and the roller cam, and the pedestal mounted rockers dont make them Better,.....it makes them different, and more complicated when your trying to Frankestein a car together.
Click to expand...

Sure the intakes are diffrent but for a few dollars more you can buy an intake that will fit a magnum and a LA there is one of your problems solved.
LA valve covers WILL fit a magnum and not leak if you use LA gaskets.
Magnum heads other than the cracking issue flow better have bigger valves and are generally a better head in stock trim than LA. Sure they stayed the same from 65-92 and mopar took that into consideration and only changed things that was less that optimal with they designed the magnum. Roller cams are more expensive to buy in but in the long run they pay for them selfs no special oils and they dont wear the same ways as the old cams. The timing cover bolts right on from a LA and with a hughes adapter allows you to run a mech fuel pump.

If your broke like me and need to find a reliable engine to plop in something a magnum is the way to go I can almost bet anyone of us can go to a local yard and find a semi low mileage maggie throw a few hundred dollars worth of parts on it and have a engine that will run circles around your LA with a carb and headers.
 
The bench racing is ON.
:)

So how do you know to walk away from a Magnum with cracked heads? Are they always the kiss of death and require replacement?
 
64drtGt said:
find a semi low mileage maggie throw a few hundred dollars worth of parts on it and have a engine that will run circles around your LA with a carb and headers.
Click to expand...

Not getting in your argument because I like both motors lol but I have a91 la 360 and would take that challenge I have walked away from a few nice magnums and a really nice 5'9 Cummings. Everything is stock on mine but carb and intake dual exhaust 727 motor home tranny and the small sure grip rear
 
Roller LA 318 vs 5.2L Magnum short blocks are basically the same, LA 318 heads are good for about 325hp where Magnums can do 425hp with reasonable cam and CR but fully ported they are about the same. And with this cracked head thing isn't a little over blown if most Magnums are cracked but still run fine does it really matter? plus I hear 302 heads have same problem.
 
1997 magnum is suppost to be rated for 270 HP, a few upgrades and you have a low budget 300 HP engine
 
ok this is something I should have asked along time ago and is relevant or I wouldn't post it on your thread. What I heard was hp ratings use to be at the rear wheels and the newer cars are all off the motor so the hp ratings are not a great comparison is this true?
 
No - the ratings are both net hp - which means in the exact package they are installed in the vehicle with. So and LA 318 would have a single air pump, 2bbl, with the complete air cleaner asembly, all emissions on and functional, alternator, P/S pump, etc, with the factory manifolds and the factory exh to the cat convertor. The old ratings were gross hp - which means the engine with factory manifolds (no pipes) the mechanical fuel pump and a belt driving the water pump.
 
That could be the reason the 1968 la 318 2barrel carb. has 230hp at 4400 rmp and the 1976 360 4 barrel carb. has 220hp at 4400 rpm or could be due to the pollution crap on the newer engine.
 
I have had a stock 230 hp LA motor in my 68 Barracuda and a stock 230 HP magnum 5.2 in a 93 Dakota 2wd RCSB. Now the 68 was the old rating w/o accessories but I would say the Dakota was quite a bit quicker. Then again it had 3.90 gears compared to the Barracuda's 2.9ish although that is somewhat offset by the taller tires on the Dakota. The Dakota went 14.9 @ 92 mph in the 1/4 at sears point when it was new and I don't have access to a drag strip to test the Barracuda but I would say it's more like a 16 sec car... soon to be remedied by a new 360!
 
Do the heads on the 5.2 Mag have the same problem as the 5.9 Mag as far as cracking goes? Or are they the same heads?

Mark
 
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