LA heads on Magnum block??

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dartsport74

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I have a 94' magnum block and knowing the problems with the magnum heads I wanted to use my LA J code heads, I know the oiling is different but have heard early magnumm block had the LA style oiling left intact can anyone confirm this or know if this combo will work??
 
A thread about a week ago or so discussed this and i believe the issue is oiling to the valvetrain.
 
I have a 94' magnum block and knowing the problems with the magnum heads I wanted to use my LA J code heads, I know the oiling is different but have heard early magnumm block had the LA style oiling left intact can anyone confirm this or know if this combo will work??

what really matters is whether the block you have has the oiling left intact .....

does your block have the heads off?

correct..getting oil to the shaft rockers is the problem...
 
well the oil comes off the cam journal which the cam feeds every time the 3 holes align, which in a running engine is like a rapid fire,almost constant really...

There is a way to tap into the the lifter galley and run hard line [brake line] up between the push rod area and then tap into the side of the rocker stand that normally feeds the shaft.

you can always plug the hole later if you change the heads to something else.

just a thought..
 
With the cost of Magnum type replacement heads like the EQs IMO, just get a set of EQ Magnums....
 
The early magnum blocks had the oiling provision still intact for LA oiling. How early and how to look to identify, don't know.
 
I remember reading something about drilling the corresponding hole from the deck to the can journals. Course that's a long hole to drill, but it can be done.
 
Curious: Does a Magnum use the same cam bearings as an LA block?
 
Curious: Does a Magnum use the same cam bearings as an LA block?

yes i have LA heads on my magnum 408 its a 95 model block post up a pic of your deck and i can tell you if yours has the oiling provisions or not other than the oiling thing it is a direct bolt on just have to get custom length push rods i have done this exact thing and it makes great power and driveability i love my hydralic roller
 
Thanks 1qwikScamp ill work on getting a picture uploaded I would greatly appreciate the help and thank you to everyone else who has responded so far
 
you could tap into the sender port at the rear of the block then T & plumb to both heads & drill horizontally into the rear end of the heads then drill down at an angle up top from the threads in the rear pedestal(s) to plumb em that way. It'd be full time oiling as opposed to cam timed oiling so figure out what size orifice you'd need for the right amount of flow. I do have a set of bare EQ's (LA pattern) from Eric Haugland in Las Vegas, reasonable price/nice heads/good guy to deal with.
 
Just this week I successfully drilled the oil feed passages from the cam journals to the deck on a 96 5.9 magnum block. A good friend built a fixture (using one of his LA blocks) that bolts to the deck and has a drill bushing at the proper angle. Went slow with lots of lube and the drill came through the oil holes in the cam bearings. This 96 block had LA cam bearings in it for some reason? My only concern was the drill might "walk" and the drill would punch through in the wrong spot. worked perfect on both sides.
 
I used to do that but today I'd external lube the shafts for main oiling reasons

I worked on a big block that was done to once. Someone had knocked a cam bearing in wrong and evidently didn't want to re do it. Wasn't getting oil to one side......BUT they teed off the oil pressure gauge hole and went to BOTH valve covers with stupid spray bars. It worked.....but was really Fred Flintstone stuff. I tore it all back apart and fixed it correctly. People do some weird stuff sometimes.
 
Rusty that's what happens when you get chev people working on mopars! My brother had a guy that came to him that had a big block reconed by a chev guy and it had oiling issues and the chev guy told him these mopars are boat anchors and didn't want to do anything about it. my brother pulled it down and found none of the cam bearings that the guy had installed had any of the oil holes lined up. My brother just put new cam bearings in it and big end and mains as well and reassembled it and all was good. That's why you don't let those chevy guys anywhere near a mopar!
 
All it takes is the correct LA rockers that allow pushrod oiling. No crazy machining or mods necessary.
 
Just this week I successfully drilled the oil feed passages from the cam journals to the deck on a 96 5.9 magnum block. A good friend built a fixture (using one of his LA blocks) that bolts to the deck and has a drill bushing at the proper angle. Went slow with lots of lube and the drill came through the oil holes in the cam bearings. This 96 block had LA cam bearings in it for some reason? My only concern was the drill might "walk" and the drill would punch through in the wrong spot. worked perfect on both sides.

Any chance you could get a picture of that fixture? I have an idea how to do it, but a proven method would be better.
 
Ah sorry, I was in Columbus for a couple of years I'm not in Indiana anymore. Just never bothered to update my location.
 
Just this week I successfully drilled the oil feed passages from the cam journals to the deck on a 96 5.9 magnum block. A good friend built a fixture (using one of his LA blocks) that bolts to the deck and has a drill bushing at the proper angle. Went slow with lots of lube and the drill came through the oil holes in the cam bearings. This 96 block had LA cam bearings in it for some reason? My only concern was the drill might "walk" and the drill would punch through in the wrong spot. worked perfect on both sides.
Would you be able to do this if I brought a Magnum block to you?
 
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