Are the PRE Magnum roller engines worth building ?

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rustytoolss

rustytoolss

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As the Title says. Are the 1985-1989 pre magnum roller 318s worth using for a daily driver ? Is that whole factory roller cam of much benefit ? Or just find an old non roller engine/ or maybe a 318 Magnum ? Talk to me.
 
the roller LA engines also have the desirable 302 casting heads; swirl port design. there one of the better years of smog engines to build

but I've heard only the 2 barrel ones got the 302 heads, the 318-4 and the 360 had different heads
 
66plyValiant said:
the roller LA engines also have the desirable 302 casting heads; swirl port design. there one of the better years of smog engines to build

but I've heard only the 2 barrel ones got the 302 heads, the 318-4 and the 360 had different heads
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I get that about the 302 heads. But does the factory roller cam/ and block have any real benefit ? or just grab the heads ?
 
grab the heads and send all the short blocks to me so I can dispose of them for you.
 
Well, think about it for a second. The regular engines have Hyd. Cams. So swapping over is costly with the lifter expense. Then again, you may also want to move away from the factory lifters or you have none and may need to purchase new ones.

The blocks also have something the Magnums do not have and that would be a oiling hole to the heads to oil the rocker shafts. magnums do not have this provision. You'll have to (pay someone) drill the passages out. It is unmarked.

The heads are OK and fine. 302 or the 308. IMO, there a decent OE head not to go bonkers for. Nor any OE head.

In short, your answer is YES
 
rumblefish360 said:
The heads are OK and fine. 302 or the 308. IMO, there a decent OE head not to go bonkers for. Nor any OE head.
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Boy, been wantin to say something like that on all these 308 threads lately but didn't wanna cause WWIII. I cannot agree more.
 
Well, for an OE head, stock or ported, there not to bad. I just would t purchase the head to use on a new build, stock or ported but I would use them if they came with the engine and fit the build plan, stock or ported.

The hard part is the price vs. performance game. The build and wallet dictate this, or the want. I myself have a set of 308 heads awaiting a street bound 360 in my Magnum.

To help put things in perspective, I have a Edel. Top end on my '73 Cuda's 360 W/a 4spd & 4.10's with a 248* solid cam

I'll be hunting down a set of W2's for the next 360 which be a roller cam set up. In a lightened Duster. 727, 4.88's

While you can get the 308's to perform and even go fast, there is a point where you just say enough is enough and you step up for more flow for the game at hand.
 
rumblefish360 said:
Well, think about it for a second. The regular engines have Hyd. Cams. So swapping over is costly with the lifter expense. Then again, you may also want to move away from the factory lifters or you have none and may need to purchase new ones.

The blocks also have something the Magnums do not have and that would be a oiling hole to the heads to oil the rocker shafts. magnums do not have this provision. You'll have to (pay someone) drill the passages out. It is unmarked.

The heads are OK and fine. 302 or the 308. IMO, there a decent OE head not to go bonkers for. Nor any OE head.

In short, your answer is YES
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See here is my deal. I have a 1966 273 that needs rebuilt. And if there is a cylinder ridge well I'm not dumping bucks into this 273. So I'm looking for options. I will need to find a replacement engine if the 273 is worn out. My overall plan is for GOOD MILEAGE.
So that's were the questions about 85-89 roller 318s comes from. But that being said, there are cost involved. And since this is a budget build. 318 parts are somewhat cheaper.
I'm not looking for lumpy cams....smooth idle& high vacuum is what I want.
If an older engine would be the better choice OK,..But if a pre magnum roller 318 fits the bill of mileage/ power/torque (in stock form) just looking for input to guide me. As for the 318 magnum maybe. The cost of an edelbrock magnum intake $$$. This is a daily driver 1966 Dodge A100 pickup. They weigh about 3000lbs , not sure of the gear ratio yet. It is 727 auto.
The 273 make peak torque at 1600 rpm/ but an A100 is like driving a box car, so extra cubes and more torque may provide better mileage. I do have an Eldebrock 2176 performer intake and plan to do the GM HEI also.
 
Fwiw,you can use the Professional Products Crosswind,as well. Some horror stories about casting problems,didn't turn up on mine.Much cheaper used,one just sold here 150 shipped. A smaller intake,than the RPM Air Gap,more velocity.
 
rustytoolss said:
See here is my deal. I have a 1966 273 that needs rebuilt. And if there is a cylinder ridge well I'm not dumping bucks into this 273. So I'm looking for options. I will need to find a replacement engine if the 273 is worn out. My overall plan is for GOOD MILEAGE.
So that's were the questions about 85-89 roller 318s comes from. But that being said, there are cost involved. And since this is a budget build. 318 parts are somewhat cheaper.
I'm not looking for lumpy cams....smooth idle& high vacuum is what I want.
If an older engine would be the better choice OK,..But if a pre magnum roller 318 fits the bill of mileage/ power/torque (in stock form) just looking for input to guide me. As for the 318 magnum maybe. The cost of an edelbrock magnum intake $$$. This is a daily driver 1966 Dodge A100 pickup. They weigh about 3000lbs , not sure of the gear ratio yet. It is 727 auto.
The 273 make peak torque at 1600 rpm/ but an A100 is like driving a box car, so extra cubes and more torque may provide better mileage. I do have an Eldebrock 2176 performer intake and plan to do the GM HEI also.
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If you were looking for a budget engine to rebuild for a daily driver (good mileage smooth idle) . Would you seek out an OLD mid 70s 318/ or a pre magnum roller 318/ or would a 318 magnum be the way to go. Mind you its a budget driver mileage build with 87 octane gas to be used.
 
The idea that a 318 is cheaper to build is mostly untrue since at least in a performance arena, pistons cost more and everything else is the same as any other small block.

If you could find a low mileage running engine from the junk yard, that would be then gone to get. I would not try to find a Magnum engine myself due to the added cost of an intake since you allready have one for a regular LA engine. Which would swap right in no problem.
 
I'd much rather have a LA roller block or a magnum ANY time.
 
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