Magnum in early a

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Patrick

Patrick

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Have a couple of questions
1) will the stock kegger intake and throttle body clear the hood of an early a?
2) has anyone used the aftermarket procomp dual intake pattern on the magnum? Quality shoddy?
3) going to megasquirt and trying to decide whether I use the kegger (modified runners) or setup a 80s 2 bbl tbi on 4 bbl intake. Street only use
4) does the LA dizzy work on magnum engines?
Thanks
 
Need more info on what engine type? 1994 5.2 magnum? Just an example, but we need to know.
 
dartfastback,
Yes,talking about 90's vintage magnums (5.2 and 5.7) with multiport FI. Believe that externally they are pretty much the same, at least with respect to the block/intake which is the focus of my questioning.
Thanks for any info you can provide!
 
Look-up my post on test-fitting a Magnum barrel-keg on a 273. I show photos where the throttle body clears the hood. I didn't have the plastic hat then, but it is very thin and doesn't protrude past the bolt. Still there are those darn hood braces to watch. I had the later thin motor mounts on then. Now I have the original thick mounts, which my later Federal pwr steering pump needs to clear the K-frame, so engine goes up ~1".

As far as I know, the 273 block would be the same size, but don't know about motor brackets for the Magnum block. Perhaps the plane of the intake V is at a different height on a 273 than Magnum, but I doubt it.

Don't know about the distributor. I wonder myself and recall searching once. I vaguely recall that in later Magnums, the distributor became a cam sensor. If so, that would be when they added a slotted wheel ("toner ring") to the flex-plate and a crank sensor, which I have in my 2002 3.8 L, and they would have changed from a single coil to a coil-pack. I don't think the cam sensor affects spark control, only fuel injection.
 
I would doubt it, because even the single plane intake as flat as it was would barely hold an AFB and a 3" air cleaner. I managed to get a Holley Strip Dominator and a Holley 3310 under there but had to run a drop based air cleaner and I think I still wore a hole in the hood insulation with my wing nut. Those kegger intakes and throttle body have to be higher than mine.
 
Bill, i'll check out your earlier posts - thanks. I guess i'll have to compare the distributors to see if they interchange. If the kegger setup is too tall i guess i'll install a TBI unit on a performer intake instead.
 
On a similar note, may end up installing the missing tooth / EDIS system to control spark with megasquirt. What have you guys done to modify the distributor to spin the oil pump but rid of the upper section for esthetic reasons?
 
Paul,
Thanks for the good info. How's your project coming along? When are you going to fire it up? You're installing missing tooth and EDIS right? See my previous post regarding what to do with the old distributor... Thoughts?
Patrick
 
I haven't done much on the duster. Got this week off so I'm been cleaning the garage just to find to the Duster, seems to be a catch all. LOL

I modified the stock Magnum distributor with a hall effect module from an earlier distributor to handle the spark. Hoping to make the block off panel to mount the deutsch bulk head connectors in place of the old factory connectors. Still have the wiring harness to redo. Hope to fire it this year.

If you go EDIS I would just cut down an old distributor just above the upper bushing and cover it with a dust cap. Just to keep the lower shaft in place.

keep us posted,, Paul
 
I am also thinking of eventually going distributor-less (already installed 36-1 wheel and pickup). My plan is to just install a bare distributor cap for a clean look and keep a wired cap in the trunk for a roadside swap in case the spark controller fails. Even longer term, I would like to make the distributor a cam sensor to move beyond "wasted spark" mode.
 
Thanks all for the feedback. Going to get started on my EFI conversion this winter...
 
subscribed...Did the kegger clear the hood? Could you run the wheel off the balancer?
 
pishta,
haven't done the swap yet. Another member chimed in that the kegger should clear the hood but that attention needs to be placed to the mounts. I'll tackle this when the time comes. As for the missing tooth wheel, yes, plan on mounting on the balancer. The following post shows an install on a inline 6 on early a : [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgB52BBaRfg"]megasquirt EDIS 36-1 wheel on slant six - YouTube[/ame]
 
Photo of the 36-1 trigger wheel I put on my 273 crank pulley. It is fairly tight, plus secured it with a set-screw and clear paint. Made by covrman on ebay. I made a mount for both a Ford VR pickup and a Mopar Hall-effect. They mount off the lower 2 alum water pump bolts. The Ford sensor just barely fits. Not using it yet, just positioned myself for future fun.
 

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Reviving this old thread... Looked all over this site and the internet but couldn't find the answer to this question: Do i need a 360 oil pan for a 5.2L magnum in an early? And do i just use the standard 360 oil pump and screen?
 
5.2 gets a standard small block pan for an la 318. 5.9 uses la 340 360 pan . But you have to use the la pan gasket for whatever size engine and pan you have. The magnum gasket won't work.
 
340 is the same as a 273-318, only the 360 had the unique rear seal size. I like the idea of the cut down distributor, but I think a better solution would be a close fitting solid cylinder that fits in there close enough to get an O-ring in there and run it down to touch the drive gear, then bolt it down from the top. Maybe a torrington bearing on the bottom as I dont know if the cam wants to push the beveled gear oil pump shaft up or down during operation. If its down, great, if its up, youll need that support. Ill get some measurements after lunch. I have a 318 short block on the stand right now.
 
OK, get yourself a piece of 2" diameter round AL bar stock, cut it 3.50 long, get your lathe and cut a .050 deep bearing recess down to .750 id for a .078 thick torrington bearing 4XFN4 Grainger part number http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/INA-Thrust-Bearing-4XFN4?Pid=search and lay it in there with a big dab of moly grease so it sticks. . whiile you are at it, cut an O-ring groove up top about .450 under the top end Use your existing dist hold down to keep her in there (it should pop up about .250 inches, same height as a distributor base. THere you go, a semi professional designed distributor delete do-hicky. Itll keep the pump drive nice and happy without a distributor shaft keeping it in the pump body.
031612144517.jpg
delete.jpg
 
You could just install a points distributor with a bare cap. That way you could keep a cap w/ wires in the trunk to switch over in case the EDIS dies.

You could also install a Magnum distributor and use the cam sensor on it for a later upgrade. I am thinking of using an EDIS module with a simple logic circuit following it that adds in the cam sensor to decide which of the 2 cylinders to fire and then fires it with a GM LS coil (TTL in, big spark out). The EDIS would then do just the grunt work of decoding the 36-1 wheel signal. You still need another spark computer to tell EDIS the advance desired.

pistha, looking at your photo of the distributor drive gear, it looks like the shaft would be pulled down during normal engine rotation. I say that because if you rotate the shaft (cw looking down), it will push it up. By "equal and opposite reaction", if the cam is rotating it, it will pull it downward. Of course, you still need a stop to insure it stays down during engine burps and such, but maybe not a roller bearing.
 
At 4 bucks...I thought it was a good call. suppose you could do a nylon thrust button too or even a bronze bushing.
 
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