1993 plus 360 Magnum Engines...

[toddsparker]

Hey All,

I'm looking for feedback from anyone who's installed a 360 Magnum Engine into an Dart or similar A-Body. I spun a bearing in my 79 360 motor that's installed in my 69 Dart a few weeks back and am now in a position of needing a new motor, or rebuilding this one. My current motor has all performance parts and I was quite pleased with how it performed. I want another 360, so please reserve your big block comments. There are big cost advantages to me rebuilding this motor and re-using the valve covers, intake and heads and there are also performance advantages to a magnum motor. But those come at big costs.

If anyone has already done the work and wants to comment on the performance advantages between the LA 360 and the 360 Magnum... I'd appriciate hearing from you.

Todd

 

[Rcuda2]

I have a 94 truck motor 360 on the garage floor working up parts for a future swap.
The intake bolts are at 45 degreed from older heads and would need a new intake. I thought about drilling and tapping the intake bolts to match an older intake but haven't yet. Center sump older 360 oil pan fits, Old style front cover will bolt on but camshaft doesn't have a nose long enough for the fuel pump eccentric. Distributors wil interchange. Exhaust manifolds have the same bolt pattern and will interchange. You can use 5 or 10 bolt valve covers. Ballance is different from older 360 - B&M makes a flex plate for Magnum 360.
MOPAR lists 360 Magnum crate motor with more horsepower than older 360 Commando crates.
I think an older 360 would be less expensive to build than a Magnum.

 

[lhearold]

Hey All,

I'm looking for feedback from anyone who's installed a 360 Magnum Engine into an Dart or similar A-Body. I spun a bearing in my 79 360 motor that's installed in my 69 Dart a few weeks back and am now in a position of needing a new motor, or rebuilding this one. My current motor has all performance parts and I was quite pleased with how it performed. I want another 360, so please reserve your big block comments. There are big cost advantages to me rebuilding this motor and re-using the valve covers, intake and heads and there are also performance advantages to a magnum motor. But those come at big costs.

If anyone has already done the work and wants to comment on the performance advantages between the LA 360 and the 360 Magnum... I'd appriciate hearing from you.

Todd

If you are thinking of combining parts from your old LA with the magnum, you won't be able to use any of your LA parts with the magnum except front cover, distributor, and oil pan and naturally all the external accessories. The manifold mounting is different. the magnum oils thru the pushrods rather than rocker shafts, can't put a flat tappet cam in one (that I know of). You will need the magnum harmonic balancer and whatever flexplate/flywheel you use will need to be balanced for the magnum. Now if you want to swap the whole kaboodle then its not bad. Mancini sells the M1 intake for the magnum for a couple of hundred bucks and by reusing your accessories, front cover and distributor it won't be bad. You will still need to play with the weighted flex plate issue though. Mancini also sells the snout for the cam so you can use a mechanical fuel pump with your old LA cover.

Larry

 

[dustoff440]

I did extensive research on the 360 magnum. You can use a flat tappet camshaft in the magnum. Use may use an amc or mopar(some companies have them listed under the same part number) lifter but must use longer pushrods. Comp cams offers a kit. I have read that due to valvetrain clearance issues a maximum of .500 lift cam may be used unless you are willing to machine the head. Yes you must use the 360 mag balancer ( found one for $122 that will accept old style pulleys)but can use a B and M flexplate designed to meet the 360 mags balancing situation. The non magnum oil pan will work on the magnum but you must use LA style gaskets.
Also something that I never did confirm was could you use a much lesser camshaft as the rockers are 1.6 ratio and most flat tappet camshafts are designed for a 1.5 ratio, so in effect you should be able to put a flat tappet with about .450 or .460 lift and realize the benefits of a .484 cam. Intake selection is much more limited than LA series. Better rings setup offer longer bore life.

 

[autoxcuda]

Hey All,

I'm looking for feedback from anyone who's installed a 360 Magnum Engine into an Dart or similar A-Body. I spun a bearing in my 79 360 motor that's installed in my 69 Dart a few weeks back and am now in a position of needing a new motor, or rebuilding this one. My current motor has all performance parts and I was quite pleased with how it performed. I want another 360, so please reserve your big block comments. There are big cost advantages to me rebuilding this motor and re-using the valve covers, intake and heads and there are also performance advantages to a magnum motor. But those come at big costs.

If anyone has already done the work and wants to comment on the performance advantages between the LA 360 and the 360 Magnum... I'd appriciate hearing from you.

Todd

Not quite following....Did you put in a rebuilt 79 360 a few weeks ago and it now has a spun bearing?

Do you know the size of the cam and some specs on the motor that spun the bearing. Did it have 79 smog port heads?

If you were happy with the old 360, I'm leaning toward just rebuilding it. The advantage of the magnum 360 is roller cam and slightly better flowing heads, improved combustion chamber. Those are cool, but if this is an under 400 HP street motor I don't think it's worth the effort.

With a new magnum you have the flexplate stuff to buy. And I'm not sure all your existing pulleys and accesories will bolt right back. I wonder if the vibration dampner is the same thickness. Maybe someone could chime in on that.

 

[pettybludart]

I am also contimplateing doing the swap from 77 LA 360 to 91 Magnum 360.I have a friend that offered a low mileage complete motor,with the acces.(alt,pullys,etc..)for $500.I,m not sure yet so I,ll be following closely.

 

[67Baccaruda]

360's were not magnums until 93.

If you have a 91 360 you may have a LA motor with a roller cam and 308 heads.

 

[dgc333]

I did extensive research on the 360 magnum. You can use a flat tappet camshaft in the magnum. Use may use an amc or mopar(some companies have them listed under the same part number) lifter but must use longer pushrods. Comp cams offers a kit. I have read that due to valvetrain clearance issues a maximum of .500 lift cam may be used unless you are willing to machine the head. Yes you must use the 360 mag balancer ( found one for $122 that will accept old style pulleys)but can use a B and M flexplate designed to meet the 360 mags balancing situation. The non magnum oil pan will work on the magnum but you must use LA style gaskets.
Also something that I never did confirm was could you use a much lesser camshaft as the rockers are 1.7 ratio and most flat tappet camshafts are designed for a 1.5 ratio, so in effect you should be able to put a flat tappet with about .450 or .460 lift and realize the benefits of a .500 cam. Intake selection is much more limited than LA series. Better rings setup offer longer bore life.

Just a couple of minor corrects;

The max lift without cutting the guides is .525". The magnum crate motors come .509" lift cam. I put magnum heads on an LA block and have .509/.512 lift and have clearance between the retainer and seal.

The stock rocker ratio is 1.6:1 not 1.7:1. It is a popular upgrade on magnum motors to use the 1.7 rockers from a Viper V10 motor.

 

[VitC_GTX]

I bought a '97 5.9 Magnum from a junkyard (out of a 1500 truck) with 88,000 miles. I took it down to the shortblock (left the bottom end 100% stock including the original oil pump) and installed a re-ground roller cam from Scott Brown (226/232 @ .050" .520"). I did a three angle valve job on the heads, installed new MP springs and retainers and cut the valve guides down a bit to ensure I had room. Slapped on a LA timing chain cover and Air-Gap intake with 650 carb.

Put this into my '71 Demon and it runs 12.70's in the quarter. I love this motor.

 

[mexicanator]

best thing to do is find a matching motor and trans bring all the electronics with them!this will give you the advantage you need with fuel mileage and performance.i use my gps for my speedo.then you can start making upgrades to your motor and trans. mine works well i drive it everyday its in my service truck.buy you the mopar book how to get big inches from a small block,it will give you all the differences between the la and magnum motor.