I have a motor question re;79 magnum xe
In the spirit of keeping it simple I will get to the question.
Last evening I purchased a 1979 magnum xe in good condition.
All the documentation said the it was an 360 motor car from the factory
with a K in the vin number.During my inspection with the seller I saw
what was actually under the hood is a 400. I knew the it was not an original
car and dealt with the rest of my transaction accordingly.
My question;
How was a 400 installed in a 360 k member ? .
Could the k frame have been changed. ?
Or was it as simple as a different motor mount issue. ?
Or was this install not physically possible at all and
in that case I now have something to worry about. ? Stash stashley3@yahoo.com
It's possible the K-frame or motor mounts were changed, it may also be possible that the 400 installs bolt-in on the 360 frame as the 400 was an option for the Magnums of this era. They may also have switched out the k-frame or motor mounts from an older 400-equipped parts car. I wouldn't worry too much about it if it runs and drives per your test-drive.
You need to look at the motor mounts. Do they look factory? If so, most likly a "K" frame swap, both bolt in. Not sure if there are adaptors for a 360 to 400?
Chrysler had a habit of dropping in swap engines IE 413 for 383, as in 66 300, they dropped some 360 for 318 in darts, and dusters, as well as 400 for 360 in 74-79 300, Cordoba, and magnums, you can find them even in chargers roadrunners, this is a fix they did if the line wan out of engine and the other is a bolt in for the car, yours would be the 26 car to be known about if the build sheet is marked as a replacement used. I would need the complete VIN as well as block casting numbers from the block and heads. from these I can chase dates and line number to dates of production. then factory dates to match date of car production. cappenning at hotmail dot com
No factory 400's for the Dodge Magnum XE/GT or Chrysler 300's/Cordoba's in 1979. 1978 was the last year for the big blocks(400ci only) in the late B-body cars. Someone swapped the engine! There are after market motor mounts that will accommodate a 400ci engine in your car but will not be perfect. For a perfect fit, an older big block K frame is needed. The biggest engine for 1979 cars was the 360ci but had different options for that size engine. 360ci 2bbl(K-code/E57)150hp/265tq, 360ci 4bbl(J-code/E56)170hp/270tq, or the 360ci 4bbl HD/HP/SHP Police(L-code/E58)195hp/280tq - Standard E58 engine / 190hp/275tq - California of High Altitude E58 Engine / and a Special Order 225hp/300tq - Special High Performance E58 with dual snorkel air cleaner. The standard 1979 360ci/E58 had the same horse power as the 1978 400ci HP/P-code engine and 20hp/20tq more than the 1978 standard 360ci/E58 with only 175hp/260tq, and the 360ci/E58 California engine even had less, 1978 160hp/265tq - California or High Altitude engine. Perry, I can understand the factory swapping a 360 for a 318 or vise-verse but not a big block for a small block??? Way more trouble to change a K frame for that?
