the stock magnum is still a pretty good engine as long as things are working as they should. they are rated at about 50hp more than the LA TBI 318. i don't know if it is true or not but i always found mine fun to drive. you can buy a hotwire harness for about $1000 plus pcm(not sure cost of this) which would make the engine obd2 and tune able but unless you really plan on modding it not worth the money. i think you can get 1.7 roller rockers but i think that is about the only bolt on performance upgrade that the computer might be able to live with. may also check the plenum gasket to make sure it is not leaking. as far as exhaust goes i think you need to get it running and see what you think of it. the stock setup sounds pretty good. the magnum engine definitely got a bit better and louder sound than the LA engines.

 

So I don’t think I’ve mentioned this yet, but I’m hoping to do all the work on this truck myself and kind of trial and error my way to understanding how to work on it like I’m doing with my stang. What kind of work are we talking to convert it to OBD2 with the harness and pcm? With the Hotwire harness would it just be tapping into the existing wiring harness or would it be something I’d have to replace the wiring harness entirely or something? I don’t have much electrical experience but my dad does so he usually knows his stuff when we do stuff like that on my car, is it something we could backyard mechanic our way into or is it just safer to take the hit and take that to a shop? And also it might be a good little while before I get it up and running as you can see from that picture the engine bay is a total mess and the undercarriage is even worse for wear and I’m hoping to be able to clean that all up before I go putting more parts in and all, but I plan on trying to be active in these forums and share the progress with the rest of you along the way and also ask for help because I’m more than sure I’ll need it lmao