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find a 383:tiptoe:
New(old) heads for engine rebuild?
- Thread starter rjstick
- Start date
theos911
Well-Known Member
And watch your mileage die
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
With Mopar small blocks, don't confuse the LA's with the Magnums.
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
I built it. Current member "Rush" now owns that car.
theos911
Well-Known Member
People will say to use Magnum heads. Don't do that unless you want to replace your valvetrain too.
rjstick
Member
Well I have a 440 and trans sitting in the garage but we were thinking of saving it for the next project...
theos911
Well-Known Member
Do you want mileage or do you want power? That will decide what you do.
rjstick
Member
We're really just enjoying the process. This convertible will likely have plenty of power with the 318 for what we will use it for. However, just knowing that it's possible to put a 440 in there makes me smile too.
theos911
Well-Known Member
If both power levels make you happy than determine which mileage level also makes you happy.
moper
Well-Known Member
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That's strong money formild 302 casting heads. I agree with the ebay fears there too. In terms of building - the 318 is a great starting point. The heads are properly sized for it although they can use slightly bigger valves and a 5 angle valve job. 340/360 intakes will botl on - but they have a severe port mismatch and unless it's all for show, you're better served to find an aftermarket 318 intake or run 340/360 heads on the 318. A great upgrade is the magnum heads as mentioned and you can get afftermarket, brand new, performance castings from Engine Quest for a couple hundred bucks each or fully assembled for $500 each. They are a great upgrade and the "changes" to run them on a non-Magnum shortblock are very minor: pushrods and lifters, and you need the stock Magnum rocker setup. All can be had inexpensively.
70NPORT
Old Man with a Hat
cheap, easy, non-temperamental motivation with a big block replacement. If you can manage to keep your foot out of it all the time (that's the hard part), gas mileage may not be unreasonable, and esp. with the right gears in the rear diff.
1Fury1
Slab Side Slacker
I recommend having a chat with Bill Richardson http://www.moparmecca.com/ He is easy to talk to and will meet you at your level. His shop just built my 318 poly into a 360 stroker. Even if you're not going to that length there may some helpful advice there for maximizing your LA with the $$ you want to spend.
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
theos911
Well-Known Member
While we are somewhat on the subject of 340 parts. Did the 340 retain the same exhaust manifold throughout its production or did it change with the 72 detuning?
rjstick
Member
a 360 stroker.
After:
View attachment 15417
View attachment 15421[/QUOTE]
Wow. Pretty. They don't look to be the same engine at all.
After:
View attachment 15417
View attachment 15421[/QUOTE]
Wow. Pretty. They don't look to be the same engine at all.
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
At least the distributor is in the right place now....
Funny looking harmonic damper, though.
Funny looking harmonic damper, though.
1Fury1
Slab Side Slacker
Yes a big block guy would say that lol. Might have saved a few bucks going that route.
A38Valiant
Member
No, they didn't. 68-70 were the "good" manifolds, although according to the Mopar Performance small block bible, Magnum exhaust manifolds flow just as well. The book states that the outlets are smaller, but the info is outdated. Early (92-93) manifolds are 1 7/8, but 95-96 360 manifolds have 2 1/4 outlets. I have the 95-96 style on my 71 Polara on an LA engine, and they fit with no issues.
1Fury1
Slab Side Slacker
No pics yet. The K member is stripped and going for powder coat next week. Body is in the shop getting the kinks out and firewall painted before it comes home for the install. New front end on the way from Firm Feel. I was so naive thinking it would be on the road this year.
70bigblockdodge
Old Man with a Hat
That poly motor is a good looking unit. I was going to mention magnum exhaust manifolds but I didn't know if they fit on c body, now I do. I wanted to do a complete magnum (5.2-5.9) and trans and ecu /efi basically the driveline from a junk late model truck but I never found a c body that some idiot stole the engine out of but haven't found that diamond in the rough yet and I have too many other things going on which is always the case.
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