I have an 85 w100 w/ a 318. Will a newer 360 magnum, more or less, be a direct bolt in. I got a motor out of a 95 B2500. I plan on building it with a mild cam, Performer intake, and Holley 750. Or should I warm over the 318. Thanks for your comments in advance

 

warm over the 318 the 360 will "bolt in" but you need a different Tqconverter because your 318 is internally balanced and the 360 is externally balanced. the magnums are MPI and your 318 is TB but the intakes won't swap. be easier and cheap if you warm over the 318 enless you want to buy a 4bbl M1 intake for the 360 and make an adapter for the TB and buy a different Tqc or the b&m flex plate with weld on weights.

 

Bah, do the effin 360. It's such a better motor to start with than a 318 with 10 more years on it.

Magnum - 1.6:1 rockers instead of 1.5, MUCH better stock heads, more cubic inches, etc.

I would recommend a Holley 600 though, the 750 is too much for a "mild" 360 imho.

Go with the magnum 360, check the heads for cracks though. If there's a problem with the heads, get a set of Heavy Duty Magnums (better for your application than the R/T heads), get the balance kit that Mopar sells for the torque converter, or better yet get a high performance TQ pre-balanced for the 360, mild cam, and the M1 4bbl intake with the Holley 600, unless you want to rig up the fuel injection. Forget making an adapter, get the right intake manifold to begin with. The Mopar piece is a good one, imho no real reason to put anything Edelbrock on the truck. I've got an edelbrock cam and intake manifold on my Ram and I think I could have done better elsewhere that isn't so blatantly "Every-man's" stuff. One part for every application?? No way. Talk to Hughes or one of the other Mopar specialists.

If you've got the coin, consider a 4" stroker kit as well.

 

My 318 has a 2Bbl., so right off, it needs to go... Thankyou for the info. Now I just found a 65 Newport w/ a 440. he, he. The body is shot, but the motor runs great. But I think i might still go with the 360. No problem with me having to change a converter, installing an intake. If thats all the differences, I think ill go for it. Thanks guys for your input

 

Yeah, that's pretty much it for the differences. The Magnum valvetrain oils through the pushrods versus an oil passage in the head (for the LA's) and the intake manifold mounting bolts are at a different angle. Otherwise pretty much everything will swap back and forth. 318 vs 360 there are other differences, such as the oil pan and related seals and whatnot due to the larger crank journals, plus the internal balance of the 318 versus external on the 360, but really there's no major obstacles. You might want to spring for a new set of motor mounts while you're pulling it out.