im building up a new engine for my truck. goin 408. some of the stuff that i look at ask me whether its a small block LA or a small block magnum. i know i have the magnum but my question is the difference between the two. what things differ from the LA to the Magnum?

 

Only differences I know of are that the heads are different and the magnum is fuel injected. Not sure about anything else but I'm sure there are other things

 

The Magnum is esstentially a somewhat "modernized" version of the old LA series.

A quick google search will tell you the differences

 

Top end oiling is different and motor mounts are different, among other things.

 

This book will answer all your questions..

http://www.amazon.com/Build-Big-Inch.../dp/193249457X

I got this book and it opened my eyes to the possibility's are engine have..

There are a lot of differences between LA and Magnum.

 

How are you getting to a 408? Stroking a 360?

I'm only curious because I have a complete donor 360 on a stand ready for a rebuild to go in my 1998 Durango and I've been contemplating what direction I want to go with it.

 

Yep, increased stroke, bore the cylinders, and you end up with a 408. There are kits available to do so. (crank, connecting rods, pistons and pins, etc.) Not an inexpensive endeavor though....

 

i went onto hughes engines this morning and saw that i could even go to 426. can i really go that big? im gettin a fully assembled engine for $150 plus i got some extra money to play with. would the extra CI's be worth the little extra money?

 

A stroker is a stroker ... it doesn't cost that much more (or less) to vary displacement once you bite the stroker bullet. Basically you buy the same parts while a few details vary. A new custom ground crank crank is a new custom ground crank. Find out if there are extra steps (eg block machining and clearancing) that the usual stroker motors might not require.

 

The kits with more than a 4" stroke seem to be quite a bit more expensive, at least in my experience. That might be because the block needs more machining/clearancing done to it. With a 4" stroke clearancing requirements are minimal, from what I've read.