Differences between 92 magnum and 93 on by
I have apparently one of the earliest 360 magnums. I have seen quite a few parts listings for 93-2000 magnums but not so many for 92 only. The serial numbers
On mine deciphers to 92 and I have the block where it has the oiling passages to use la heads
What’s up?
Summary of 360 Magnum block info in this link:
Sorting Out: Chrysler’s 238, 318, 360 Engines, Doug Anderson, Automotive Rebuilder, April 2000
1992
This is a transition year with a rather unusual 360 block. It looked like a Magnum on the outside with the three flat, drilled pads along with the old style ears, but it was still the early engine on the inside with the oil holes in the cam and block. It’s a 53020006 casting.
1993-’97
The 360 Magnum came out in ’93, one year after both the 238 and 318 Magnum engines were introduced. It used the 53020006 block that came with the three flat, drilled pads and the oil style ears. It still had the oil holes in both deck surfaces, but they were not used because the rockers were oiled through the pushrods.
The best guess is that they were drilled so that the block could be used as a "fits-all" replacement; the cam without the holes blocked the flow of oil topside on the Magnums. This engine had the grooved rear cap with the dowel pin as well as the recess for the o-ring. The Magnum cams all came with the short snout, but without the oil holes in the two intermediate cam journals.
The 360 Magnum pistons have a unique rectangular dish that gives a 9.1:1 compression ratio with the new chambers. The rings are a nominal 1/16", 1/16" and 3/16" wide. The crank itself was carried over from the past, but the amount of external weight used for balance is different, so both the stick flywheel and the torque convertor are different than the earlier versions.
The non-Magnum engines required 19.79 in.oz. and the Magnums need 14.65 in.oz. in order to be properly balanced. The rear seal was the same two-piece fluorocarbon design used in other Magnum engines. The 360 cams have different timing, so it’s best to keep the 318 and 360 Magnum cams separate.
That’s all there is to the 360 short blocks. They follow a pretty predictable pattern except for the oddball block in ’92.