Roller cam - Magnum

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Moparbaker

Moparbaker

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I have 3 318's, 2 from -89 roller cams in cars & 1 solid from -77 sitting & while I was cleaning the roller lifters in one a guy said roller cam engines are Magnum engines... That pussled me as I never though so, what's the correct answer?
 
The 89's are basically LA's with the magnum roller cam setup (great block) and still had the LA shaft oiling system.
 
Also the LA roller cams are more sought after as they have a longer snout to mount a fuel pump cam to. They can be reground for mild performance.
 
On the roller cam engines, double check for the block having a hole to feed oil up to the heads. Magnum’s sometimes have this provision. In the lather years after initial production, the oil hole is not there. The early year Magnums have the oiling hole in the block.
 
The two '89 318s are LA roller motors. The last year for the LA 318 was 1991, after that they were replaced by the 5.2 Magnums. The last year for LA 360 was 1992, after that they used the 5.9 Magnum.
In their original configuration, the easy at-a-glance ways to tell are:
1.) LA rollers have TBI injection manifolds, Magnums have the "beer keg" EFI manifold (Okay, there were some early 318 rollers that had 2 bbl. feedback carbs in Fifth Avenues and the like, but the majority were truck TBIs).
2.) Count the valve cover bolts per side. 5=LA, 10=Magnum.
3.) Motor mount bosses: LAs had the typical "ear mount" bosses at the front of the block. Magnums had the ears and mid-block flat mounting lugs.
4.) Serpentine accessory drive=Magnum. V-belts=LA.
There's lots of other little differences, but if you're walking past a stack of motors in the boneyard or looking at blurry pics on CL/Marketplace, this will tell you at a glance.
 
mod5v said:
Also the LA roller cams are more sought after as they have a longer snout to mount a fuel pump cam to. They can be reground for mild performance.
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had bullet cams Bullet Cams Master List regrind an LA 318 cam for me, LA roller shortblock with original lifters, magnum heads, I think Hughes 1110 springs, and RPM air gap. 600CFM edelbrock AFB, hedman headers. intake lobe was their HR259/316, I think the exhaust was HR265/320 on the factory cam's LSA (IIRC, 112*, installed it at 106 ICL)....that motor ran REAL strong, as strong as the motor it replaced, a 360 with the same intake/cam/headers with a comp XE262, but got 5MPG better fuel economy.
 
michiganpat said:
had bullet cams Bullet Cams Master List regrind an LA 318 cam for me, LA roller shortblock with original lifters, magnum heads, I think Hughes 1110 springs, and RPM air gap. 600CFM edelbrock AFB, hedman headers. intake lobe was their HR259/316, I think the exhaust was HR265/320 on the factory cam's LSA (IIRC, 112*, installed it at 106 ICL)....that motor ran REAL strong, as strong as the motor it replaced, a 360 with the same intake/cam/headers with a comp XE262, but got 5MPG better fuel economy.
Click to expand...

hang on... a 318 that ran as good as a 360? This can't be soo..... i am told they are boat anchors :)
 
273 said:
Sound like a UTG watching 318 lover propaganda :)
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Don't be jealous.... someone has to hold all the secrets to mopar goodness and god made it him... well.. mopar goodness and the smell of a old ashtray
 
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