A 318 is a 5.2. one is measured in cubic inches the other in liters. The difference is between the LA engines and the magnum engines. Yes some of the LA engines were part of the Lean Burn years.

 

5.2 = 318.  Differences start with the heads during the Magnum years (92 up) and other accomodations for fuel injection.  Lean Burn was just the ignition and feedback carburetor, but the engine/heads have no diffrence with LB or not.

 

If they are both LA series engines then it's the same engine.  Magnum series engines '92 and later 318/5.2L and '93 and later 360/5.9L are a little different and considered a different "family" due to numerous changes.  The easiest way to tell the difference is all LA engines have 5 bolt valve covers and all Magnum engines have 10 bolt valve covers.

 

not sure if mine was an LA..it didn't have the cumbersome boxy crap in front of the carb. It was an old 1984 5.2 liter government motor pool truck, aka..base model. had emissions once but not anymore. so I guess more specifically what my question is, is there a difference between a 318 or 318 LA? secondly, my engine type is " T ". would LA parts..intake and 4bbl carb bolt to a non-LA engine..if there is a diff.?

 

You have a LA engine. the T is in your vin which tells what engine is in your truck (318 360 440 ect). I'm not sure what year the Lean Burn came out but it was all carb and ignition stuff.

 

  Thanks much guys and gals,

    BBRC

 

lean burn started in cars in 77 at least for the /6. I'm not sure for the v8's

 

I remember seeing Lean burn for the first time in '78. It was in my step father's Dodge Magnum. For the V8s it had to be around the late 70s for sure

Ed

 

theres a318s and la318s, non la engine would probably be a big block(B, RB), or magnums.

and i dont think magnum parts are interchangeable with out modifications

i think lean burn started in '76

 

The last "A" engine was the '66 318 Polysphere, AKA big block or wide block 318, both are wrong however as the block was just heavier than the LA, which stands for "light A".

 

The polyshphere 318 started in the early 50s right? Then went to 64. Then the 273 went in as the light V8 performer until 67 when the 318 LA engine came out. The 273 had snaprings and revved faster. The 318 had a larger bore and used pressed fitting for the pistons.

I have two of the 1967 318s. One on the side of my house with a very large and heavy iron bellhousing and huge starter still attached and one in my 66 Barracuda.

The LA 318 went from 67-87ish mainly untouched within the block. The difference being some head and intake differences. The big thing there is the open chamber vs closed chamber heads. The close chambered heads came out later in the years. I swear ive seen them in late 80s carberated trucks but I think they were mainly in the throttle body injected (TBI) 318s which were 88-91.

In 88 the TBI blocks came out. They had bosses in the lifter valleys so a bracket could be put in that held the roller lifters in lifter bores. The engines had a roller camshaft since it was now fuel injected, with the goal of less friction equals better economy. 88-91 blocks will work with all 67-87 heads as well as the 88-91 heads being snatched up as they are closed chambered. You get a little better compression, but the valve sizes are pretty flimsy. 1.88 and 1.66 i believe. That is the stock size for most 318s and you will need to start a whole nuther post on the benefits as to which valve size is better.

in 92 the 318 went to the Magnum style block. the heads are different as well as the block. Youll need another expert there. Thats all I know.

If you need a donor block you are good grabbing a block date coded 1967-1991 from any chrysler product. The engine size is cast on the left side of the block under the exhaust manifold on the block wall. Look between the mounting surface of the exhaust manifold and the oil pan. It will say 318 in raised numbering... well its not letters The date code is stamped on the left front head pad I believe. You need to get a book on what the codes are. I cant remember or someone can chime in.

Lean burn was a smog set up that tried to computer control your carbeurator. Google leanburnectomy.

It had nothing really to do with the block or heads. It was a way to reduce emissions. What effected the heads of the engines is the air pumps where fresh air is pumped into the exhaust. its supposed to complete the burn within the exhaust system so the exhaust is cleaner when it comes out the tailpipe. There is 4 holes that are under each exhaust port and there is one big hole on the back of your exhaust manifold for a crossover that goes to the air pump... I could be wrong right now I swear I remember a line going down to the exahust pipe also...

Lean burn wont effect your block and heads. It will effect your ignition and your carburateur should you choose to hook it up. On cars it was a box hung off the air cleaner. On the trucks it was a little black box that was right behind the battery on the drivers fender. Easy to spot... hated by all.

RCC Lean burn help
Orange box install

 

The polyshphere 318 started in the early 50s right? Then went to 64. Then the 273 went in as the light V8 performer until 67 when the......

well i was close

 

The 318 was born in 1957 in the Plymouth Fury.

 

well i was close

Yeah! I only know about the little 273 an how it replaced the big 318 and then how it was replaced by the LA 318 due to my owning an early A body Plymouth.

Those polyspheres were huge lookin, I saw one in a 60s Belvedere and thought it was a big block for sure. Could not figure out why the distributor was in the back.

 

The 318 was born in 1957 in the Plymouth Fury.

Okay, my dad bought a 57 Savoy with a v-8. Did it have a 318 or something else? My brother had a 58 with 2 4bbls that sat outside the heads. It was impressive.

 

There was a lot of engine options then. Check out http://www.allpar.com/mopar.html for different engine options in the 50s

Also check out this at the AllPar site.

series V8 engines (277, 301, 303, 313, 318 poly, 326)

Also to the original poster

http://www.allpar.com/mopar/318.html

 

Okay, my dad bought a 57 Savoy with a v-8. Did it have a 318 or something else? My brother had a 58 with 2 4bbls that sat outside the heads. It was impressive.

The '57 Savoy had the new for '57 301 Plymouth.

Your brothers car must have had a 350 with a '60-64 Cross Ram intake like this one on it.

 

And the new torsion aire suspension!

http://www.allpar.com/cars/plymouth/savoy.html

1957 Engine information

V-8 buyers (Plymouth would also sell a higher percentage of V-8 cars in 1957 than Chevrolet or Ford) could choose between the 277 cid engine, which now developed 197 hp, an additional 10 hp over 1956 thanks to a different camshaft and carburetor, or the Fury 301. The 277 was available only in the Plaza. The Fury 301 was the standard V-8 in Belvederes and Savoys and optional in the Plaza. Looking much like the later 318, the 301 made a one-year-only appearance in 1957. The 301 was based on the 318 block, but had the same 3-1/8 inch stroke as the 277 (the 301's bore was bigger, though). Like the Plaza's 277, the 301 could be had with dual exhaust.
P-30 (Straight Six) P-31: 277 V8 P-31: 301 V8 P-31: 318 V8
Taxable HP 25.4 45 48.9 48.9
Gross Brake Horsepower 132 @ 3,600 197 @ 4,400 215 @ 4,400 290
Torque 205 @ 1,600 270 @ 2,400 285 @ 2,800
Bore x Stroke 3.25 x 4 5/8 3.75 x 3.125 3 29/32 x 3.125 3 29/32 x 3 5/16
Compression 8:1 8:1 8.5:1 9.25:1
Compression pressure 120-150 psi 125-165 psi
Max variation
between cylinders 10 psi 15 psi
Cylinder numbering
from front of engine 1-2-3-4-5-6 left, 1-3-5-7; right, 2-4-6-8
Firing order 1-5-3-6-2-4 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2
Connecting rod bearings Replaceable steel backed babbit; desired clearance, .0005 to .0015 inch
Main bearings Replaceable steel backed babbit; 4 on six, 5 on V8;
.0005 to .0015 inch clearance desired; 2.5 inch diameter (nominal)

Pumping out 215hp in standard form, an additional $36.20 would add a Fury 301 Quad package consisting of a four-barrel carburetor, special distributor, and dual exhausts, raising horsepower to 235 at 4400 rpm. Adding some confusion to this engine was the use of the term "Fury." The Fury 301 V-8 could be had in all car lines except the Fury itself, which came with the 318 as its only powerplant.
The Fury V-800 engine option, which could be had in any body style, added $245 to the price of the car. Unlike "power packages" offered by Chevrolet, Ford, or even Dodge, the buyer got more than just a hot engine; the package including a heavy-duty transmission (either manual or TorqueFlite), heavy-duty torsion bars, springs, shocks, and 14x6 inch wheels. Plymouth also offered an "uninstalled engine high-performance package" for 277 and 303 engines-what some considered to be an update for last year's Fury. Retailing for $243.45, this package included a dual-quad intake manifold with carburetors, linkage, air cleaners, special tappets and camshaft, gaskets, and a hand choke.

 

Okay, my dad bought a 57 Savoy with a v-8. Did it have a 318 or something else? My brother had a 58 with 2 4bbls that sat outside the heads. It was impressive.

The '58 had a 350 inch B-motor available in it, they came with either a single four barrel or a two four-barrel setup on a conventional log-type manifold. The long ram manifolds didn't show up til the '60 model year but they could be bolted up to any big block engine.