I said;
AFAIK; Magnum truck engine mounts are different from LA engine car mounts.
That might slow you down some.
Assuming you already have a 318;
the power difference in the 5.2, over the 318, is in the compression ratio, the better heads, and the bigger cam. The short blocks are similar enough that you could call them the same except your 318 already fits in your car.
If you were to pump up the Scr on your 318 and install the Magnum heads and upcam, then you would have the same or similar output as the Magnum. You just wouldn't get the roller cam, which IMO, in NOT a big deal.
and then I talked about gears and stuff ..................
but thank you for this; I wasn't sure about his 83
- All Magnum motors have the LA mounting ears cast into the block, for the entire production run.
Which is why I said this
"AFAIK; Magnum truck engine mounts are different from LA engine car mounts.
That
might slow you down some."
So now; AFAIK, all Magnum motors have the LA mounting ears cast into the block, for the entire production run. Good to know