Hey guys,
I have a buddy that has an '89 W150 with the 360 in it with a cracked head, and we are trying to find the best route to go to get this fixed. He says that its hard to find engines for these, since its the pre-magnum model, and after looking online it looks like they are pretty tough to source. He also claims that the original heads are cast iron, and the only new heads available these days are aluminum and don't work as well (I don't know why and haven't done any research into it). Just wanted to see if anyone has had the same issue and/or how they would solve it. Is it possible to have it welded and machined? And if so, is the integrity of the head going to be the same as before? Would it be better to send it to a shop to get it fully remanufactured? Any input is highly appreciated. We are some college kids at SDSU that will be doing this in his backyard so the cheapest route is probably what we will end up going with. Thanks Fellas.

 

They made the LA engine from 1964 to 2003, Should not have any issues finding heads. You could consider putting in a magnum motor.

 

Have you checked the auto wreckers in your area? It shouldn’t be too hard to find I wouldn’t think.

 

Can try searching www.car-part.com for an engine or heads.

They are probably the '308' heads which are '88+ but also not magnum.