I am looking to purchase a Dodge Ramcharger and/or Plymouth Trailduster as a project vehicle, I'm hoping I will be able to find one that was originally fitted with a 360 CI engine. I'm wondering how difficult would it be to drop the more modern 5.9 L Magnum into it. This is all very hypothetical and I'm hoping for advice before I even decide to start. If anyone has any experience about doing swaps of this type input is beyond appreciated; however I have absolutely no desire to do a diesel conversion whatsoever.

 

There are a few members on here who have a lot of great exp with this swap. PK1 is one that comes to mind.

 

Hard? Nope. Not even close to difficult. Dimensionally the specs are identical. If you want to keep your drive train as is and reuse the intake you will need to TIG the intake bolt holes and drill them vertically as the magnum heads have a different bolt angle. A high school shop kid can do this and you re drill with an intake gasket as a template. The balance is different between the magnum and LA so use a weighted TC for a magnum. You can reuse the serpentine belt and all the the accessories but will need to adapt or have made hoses to your PS pump. The AC will work just use the right oil and freon charge for singe air units. Durangos had rear air and take much more oil and freon. Compressors are the same on all. Just more hose. Exhaust will bolt up. Oil pressure sending unit is next to the dizzy so use the one you have and get an adapter if thread count is off. Your water temp will be the same since its the same intake.

This is for a long block swap if you get a 360 in your project vehicle.

If you do a carb and headers the stock magnum truck motor is the 300HP crate motor mopar sells but it has a dual plane intake and headers. Same truck cam. And they make dual plane drilled for the magnum heads.

If you want to keep the factory fuel injection just buy a wrecked durango or ram. 03 Durangos had rear disks and bigger front brakes too. That would be my choice as a donor for this application.

Good luck! I love the old ram charger. Good looking rides.

 

Thanks for the info, this project is still a distance away; but this information has given me even more motivation to get the ball rolling. Just on a side note; just in case I would find an old 318 fitted Ram Charger(because in my area they are a lot more common) would it be worth it to up size to the 5.9 Magnum, or would it be better to just go with a 5.2 Magnum?

 

If all you are looking for is a long block swap then stay 318. A great motor. Built better and with more cubes than that Ford 5.0 and that little 5.0 is worshiped for some reason? If you like the way it buttons up and gives you reliability you can always pull it and do a 390 stroker in the 318 block. With the velocity of the magnum heads and a 390 stroke she will be a torque beast.

Im not discouraging you from a 360. I have one and am doing another stroker soon. Excellent motor. But my experience is that the little pieces add up big time when changing cubes to other than designed applications. And if you look at your price sheet when done its creeps in the 4 digit numbers for small stuff. Think outside the motor too, as in donor vehicle:

On the last one I did I salvaged and reused two fuse boxes, entire front accessory belt system and accessories and updated headlights etc... Including AC, PS, And recovered the front seats that were heated with lumbar. do the math on that? Sold the hood, tires, rims, fender and intake, radiator, rear end. Donor vehicle was free when I balanced the sheet with reused parts vs "would have had to buy" plus what I sold.

You may want to consider the durango as the seats are excellent and the rear bench might fit too.

www.carparts.com is a junkyard search engine, check them out. On the notes you may see, "still in vehicle" I look at those first if you want a donor.

Best of luck on the project!

 

They are very similar motors 318 magnum or 360 magnum your choice, it doesn't matter if it had a 318/or 360 LA originally Just need the correct converter for the balance factor. Depending on what you are going to do It is my understanding you can swap the front (Timing cover and WP) and use the LA accessories

 

I note there has not been any recent comments on this thread so I thought I would share a swap that I've just completed. Originally a 318 swapped to a 5.7 Hemi

 

Nice Job !!!!

 

Thanks Bob

 

Hutcla, are you on RCC too? I think i just saw that rig yesterday.

 

Yes I am also on RRC

 

To do a easy swap in a 78-down with A/C you use a Professional Products Crosswinds Intake
To do 79-80 you use the A/C compressor & hoses from a 78- down

 

To do the rest it's easier to use the Edelbrock Performer RPM with the stock Magnum serpentine drive
In doing so you have to use 92-9? Compressor & lines from a 92-93 Truck with a Mag motor
Dakota stuff can be made to use here also
If you use a water pump that the pulley bolts on (92-95 Mag)

You can get a real under drive pulley kit that uses a belt for a 92-96 Dakota

Here's how it looks If you buy all the right stuff you can still use your cruise if you have it

 

The Edelbrock is the closest thing that I've found but they didn't plan for all the use of this manifold
Long bolts with spacers to make two brackets bolt up

The heater hose was put directly under the A/C compressor
The pic shows where I put it

The Crosswinds needs no mods to fit all the A/C brackets or anything & it's made in China