Good engine swap options

Have you considered a j/y magnum swap? There are quite a few advantages to doing this. Now I know what you're thinking, "I don't want another wore out engine to replace the wore out engine I already have". Well, engine technology has come a long way since the 70's and engines do run longer. A 100k mile magnum is still in great shape with a LOT of life left in it, how many are reaching a quarter million miles or more these days? If you can find one with 50 or 60k miles, great, but don't discount the ones with some mileage on them, especially when they can be found all day for prices like this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/01-Durango-...Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item53fb7ab17c


Starting to look a little better? Now on to the advantages of a magnum. First of all, it's equipped with a roller cam. You don't have to worry about wiping a cam due to crappy oil. Just buy a new cam, install it with the recommended valve springs, and you're good to go. You can even reuse the stock lifters. Granted the cam is a bit more expensive, but the benefits of a roller cam far exceed the costs.

Another benefit of the magnum is its better seal with improved gaskets. The valve covers are the biggest improvement imo. I've had the valve covers off my heads a dozen times and still use the same gaskets, no leaks. Try that with the old LA stuff.

As for bolting one in your car, it really is quite simple. All LA accessories will bolt up (timing chain cover, water pump, alternator, power steering, etc), the trans/converter will bolt right up with 1 minor adjustment to the stock magnum flexplate, and the motor mounts are the exact same as a LA 360. Your current headers will even bolt up to it. You'd just need a car oil pan (I'm not 100% sure if your stock one will fit, maybe someone can chime in) and a magnum specific intake (Crosswind, ~$175) or possibly drill the stock heads to accept the intake you already have. That depends on your skill level though. Also, nothing says you can't keep the magnum accessories and superior serpentine belt drive if you wanted to. Up to you unless you want to keep the look.

A stock magnum with a modest cam can be very close to 400 hp, maybe more, and will have a torque curve that an LA engine would be envious of due to the roller cam. Another one of those benefits I was talking about.

So what do you think? Sounds good right? If you want to do more research on it, check out http://www.magnumswap.com for more info. It's run by a member here and has some good info on it.







My 500th FABO post :cheers: