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INTRODUCTION

Any discussion of the Chrysler/Mopar small-block V-8 engine has to start with the introduction of its ancestor, the A-engine, in 1956, but the original engine was relatively bulky and heavy. By 1962–1963 it was obvious that the compacts needed more power, so the LA-engine was created. The A-Body was the compact-size cars produced by Chrysler called Valiants and Lancers.

Equally important in the engine’s design was having less weight; after all, it was going to be installed into smaller, lighter vehicles.

A Bit of History

The new engine went into production in 1964 as the 273 LA-engine. Its name, “LA,” comes from one of its three major design parameters, lightweight A. The new engine was designed and developed under the engineering code of A828.

1965

In 1965, the 273 engine was upgraded to 235 hp with the addition of a 4-barrel carb, high-performance cam, higher compression ratio (10.5:1), and black-painted valvecovers. This high-performance package was developed under the A861 engineering code. Next was the 318 with a bigger bore (3.91). The new 318 also had hydraulic tappets and cam and stamped steel rocker arms, and it was rated at 230 hp.

The old-style 318 or the original A-engine, also called the poly-sphere engine, shares the same displacement number (318) with the new LA-engine, but the old engine’s valvecover is held on by only two screws: one on each end.

The new V-8 engine was originally referred to as the A-engine. The A-engine was the older version introduced in 1956. Over the 30 years of production, this distinction has been lost and all 1964 and newer small-blocks are now referred to as A-engines.

1968

In 1968, the performance version of the A-engine was introduced as the 340. The 340 engineering code is A105 and it features a big bore (4.04 inches), bigger valves (2.02/1.60 inches), high-flow, bigger-port cylinder heads, heavy-duty forged steel rods, beefed-up block and mains, bigger hydraulic cam, high-rise intake manifold with larger runners, high-flow exhaust manifolds, viscous fan, and windage tray. The result of all this hardware was a 275-hp rating with 340 ft-lbs of torque.

1970

The 340 6-barrel engine (called the A340) was added in 1970 in the Trans-Am cars (called Challenger T/A and AAR Cuda), which were intended for SCCA Trans-Am road racing. The 340 6-barrel engine package featured three 2-barrel Holley carbs, an aluminum high-rise intake manifold, modified cylinder heads, adjustable valve gear, and heavy-duty 340 block bulkheads for potential four-bolt mains. The engine was rated at 290 hp and 345 ft-lbs of torque. The 340 6-barrel was only produced in 1970.

1971

The final production A-engine displacement increase was introduced in 1971 as the 360 engine. The 1971 360 was built only as a 2-barrel carburetor, which continued for the first three years of production. It was introduced just prior to the new federal emissions laws of 1972, which required the use of low-octane fuel, which required lower compression ratios. The engine was originally built in Chrysler’s Windsor, Canada, engine plant.

The 1964–1967 273 LA-engine looked small, but it is actually the same size as the 340 and 360. The bigger engines got bigger air cleaners and high-rise intake manifolds that make them look bigger.

The 340 was Chrysler’s standard high-performance engine for many years. The basic parts of the 340 package were very good performance parts.

One of the higher-output crate engines, and certainly one of the largest small-blocks, was the 408-ci version with aluminum heads.

A unique crate engine was the Magnum MPI version (360 or 5.9L) with the high-flow intake manifold.

The new 360 engine featured a longer stroke (3.58 inches) at the stock deck height (no raised block), 4.00-inch bore, smaller intake valve (1.88 inches), external-balance weights at each end of the crankshaft, and cast crank with larger main bearing diameters (2.81 inches). It also included block core holes similar to the 340 lined up on the halfway point between the adjacent bores, which allows steel shot to have better aim and access to the water-jacket in the cleaning process to clean out core-sand. In addition, the main bolt spacing was increased by .31 inch. With an 8.7:1 compression ratio, the result was a 255-hp rating.

1974

From a performance standpoint, 1974 was a milestone date because the 360 replaced the 340 as the small-block performance engine. It was generally called the E58 engine option and used the 1972–1973 340 Thermo-Quad carb, 360 heads with the 1.88-inch intake valves, bigger 340 hydraulic cam, and 340 high-performance valvesprings, which resulted in a 245-hp rating with 320 ft-lbs of torque. This change took place during the first 1974–1975 gas crisis, which introduced fuel economy concerns.

1978–1985

The first 318 4-barrel engine was introduced in 1978; it used the Thermo-Quad carb. In 1981, the 318 was introduced with fuel injection in the Imperial only. This option continued through 1983. In 1985, the 318 engines were introduced with hydraulic roller tappets and roller cam with higher compression and a 140-hp (up from 130) rating.

1992–1993

The new Magnum 5.2L V-8 engine package replaced the 318 LA-engine (commonly called the A-engine) in 1992.

The new Magnum 5.9L V-8 replaced the 360 in 1993. These engines were originally placed in Dodge pickup trucks then Jeeps; rear-wheel-drive cars were added at a later date. Magnum engines had high-tech electronic fuel injection or multi-point fuel injection, hydraulic roller cams, revised valve gear for an oil-through-the-pushrod oiling system, and revised heads and valve sizes (1.92/1.625 inches).

Today

From the introduction of the LA-engine in 1964 through the end of production in the early 2000s, small-block engines were installed in many special cars, such as the 1970 Trans-Am E-Bodies, the 1978–1979 Little Red Express truck, the 1970 340 Duster/Demon, the 1974–1976 360 Dusters, the 1978 Street Kit car and Super Coupe, the 1993 and newer Dakota R/T 360, and the 1966 D-Dart.

Racing Highlights

For this book, I wanted to organize the various racing highlights into something that made sense, but I couldn’t come up with a title for each category until I settled on “Phase.” My five categories (covering 40 years!) start and stop, but there is much overlap.

Phase One

The first phase began in 1964 with the introduction of the 273 V-8 and ran through the end of 1969. During this period of time, Chrysler was heavily involved in racing big-blocks, both Hemis and wedges. The first competition for the small-block V-8 was the 1964 Mobil Gas Economy Run.

The small-block cars had many first-place finishes in A- and B-Body cars. Small-block engines continued to compete successfully in this series that ran through 1968. The engine also competed successfully in the Union Pure Race Trials. In 1966, in the inaugural SCCA Trans-Am road racing series, Bob Tullius (in a 1966 Dodge Dart) and Scott Harvey (driving Team Starfish’s 1966 Plymouth Barracuda Formula S) both competed with the 273 V-8. With the introduction of the 340 in 1968, the A-engine competed in NHRA/AHRA drag racing classes, mainly within Stock eliminator.

In 1969, Chrysler launched the P69 program, an Indy racing program that allowed a stock-block engine to compete with the racing-specific engine. The P69 program used the LA-engine block at 318 to 330 ci. Two cylinder heads were used: a modified wedge head for short tracks and a raised-port special head for speedways.

Phase Two

This could be considered the first push in small-block performance, and it begins roughly in 1970 and ends in 1971–1972. With the introduction of the 340 Duster in 1970, racing in the NHRA/AHRA Stock and Super Stock classes became more popular, led by Ed Hamburger.

In 1970, Chrysler returned to the SCCA Trans-Am series with Dan Gurney’s AAR Barracuda and Ray Caldwell’s Challenger, both with 305-ci A-engines with a Holley 4-barrel carburetor. These specs (engine size and carburetor) were dictated by the SCCA. Chrysler’s Pete Hutchinson led the Trans-Am program.

Phase Three

This phase could be titled “the refocus era” because Chrysler shifted attention in performance from big-blocks to the small-block. This was a major adjustment. This refocus started in about 1972 and went until the Loan Guarantees in 1979–1980. During this era, sanctioning bodies such as NASCAR and NHRA began handicapping the big-block engines. At first it was factoring or adding weight and restrictor plates, but it grew into actual banning of specific engines by displacement or design.

The rules adjustments led to Richard Petty and other Chrysler racers switching from big-blocks to a 355-ci small-block A-engine. Petty won NASCAR championships in 1974 and 1975 using the race-developed 355 A-engine.

These NASCAR racers originally used 340 Trans-Am blocks but an even better X-block was developed for this program, along with the W2 cast-iron oval-port high-flow cylinder head that featured oval intake ports, high-flow exhaust ports, offset intake rocker arms, rocker shaft stands and modified pedestals, and no heat crossover. Chrysler’s John Wehrly and his team developed the 355 small-block; it made more than 600 hp with a 4-barrel carburetor in the mid-1970s!

In 1974, Chrysler production switched its performance engine from the 340 4-barrel to the 360 4-barrel. To promote this new engine package, Chrysler raced 360 4-barrel A-and E-Bodies in NHRA Super Stock led by Ted Flack and Judy Lilly. These new SS cars and engines were very competitive.

In 1975, Chrysler, through the Direct Connection program, introduced a circle-track race car parts program called the Kit Car Program. A racer could buy a complete short-track race car from Chrysler in kit form, which meant you had to put it together. The engine, drivetrain, and sheet metal all came disassembled. The frame and roll cage were welded together, but everything else had to be assembled.

Although the Kit Car featured the small-block, there were many variations. The sheet metal was originally based on E-Body cars (Challenger/Barracuda), then on A-Body cars (Dart/Duster), and finally on F-Body cars (Aspen/Volare). Chrysler’s Larry Rathgeb and Bill Hancock led the Kit Car Program. Many races were won across the country.

With the success of the NHRA Super Stock program, in 1976, Chrysler moved into NHRA Modified and Gasser classes in drag racing with the W2 head and generally destroked 340s, which were slightly smaller than the earlier 305 Trans-Am package, in the 288- to 295-ci area. These classes allowed two 4-barrel carburetors on tunnel ram intake manifolds.

Also in 1976, the A-engine small-block was used in the Formula 5000 and in the 1977–1978 Can-Am series with the UOP Shadow team. Engine development was led by Bob Tarozzi.

The NHRA Modified and Gasser successes, both in horsepower and durability, led Chrysler to support a 1978 340 Arrow in NHRA Pro Stock. The 340 Arrow was built and driven by Bob Glidden and coordinated by Chrysler’s Dave Koffel. Of the nine NHRA national events in 1978, the 340 won seven of them; Glidden won the championship.

Chrysler’s Tom Hoover and John Wehrly led much of the small-block engine development in this era. Everything ended in 1979–1980 with the loan guarantees.

Phase Four

For the next 5 to 10 years, not much new happened in Chrysler’s performance arena. Therefore, it is probably correct to label this phase as “the reawakening era.” It had very humble re-beginnings, and you could say that it evolved into “the return” era.

It started very slowly in about 1988, with sprint cars and short-track circle-track racing and continued to about 1994–1995. Even before this phase started, drag racing Stock and Super Stock class activity had continued but was somewhat below the radar. In the late 1980s, Mopar Performance (the revised and renamed Direct Connection program) began working on USAC Sprint Cars and ARCA circle-track cars as hard parts development programs for the small-block.

Chrysler/Mopar’s Larry Henry and Mark Reynolds led these programs, which featured racers including Jerry Churchill, Gary Stanton, and Bob Keselowski. Gary Stanton’s USAC Sprint Car won the Silver Crown championships in 1994 and 1996, driven by Jimmy Sills. Bob Keselowski in a Chrysler LeBaron with a small-block finished second in 1992 and third in 1993 in the ARCA championships.

Dodge and Mopar Performance returned to the Trans-Am series in 1992 with the Archer Brothers with Joey Arrington engines. Mopar Performance entered the World of Outlaws winged sprint car series in early 1997, which led to Mark Kinser and the all-aluminum Mopar small-block winning the World of Outlaws championship in 1999. Engine builder Gary Stanton and Chrysler’s Lee Carducci led this sprint car engine program.

Phase Five

Chrysler returned to NASCAR racing and entered the Craftsman Truck series in 1996. Chrysler and Mopar Performance raced in this truck series consistently using Arrington small-block engines and won the championship with Bobby Hamilton in 2004 and with Ted Musgrave in 2005. The development programs to support this racing series were led by Chrysler’s John Wehrly and Ted Flack.

In about 1998, the NHRA launched the new Pro Stock Truck class that was limited to small-blocks. Mopar’s small-block was heavily involved.

The big news came in 2001, when Dodge and Chrysler returned to NASCAR Sprint Cup racing with several teams, led by Ray Evernham and his number-one driver, Bill Elliott. Team Penske ended up winning the 2012 NASCAR championship, with driver Brad Keselowski.

To race, you have to have parts. In about 2005, Mopar Performance had about 23 small-block blocks and around 30 small-block cylinder heads to service the needs of all the Mopar A-engine small-block racers and the various racing categories in which they competed. Mopar Performance/Chrysler designed and manufactured all of these hard parts; this did not include parts made by Edelbrock, Indy Heads, or B1/Brodix.

Mopar Performance had always made hard parts for off-road use. However, beginning in 1996, Mopar Performance began developing high-performance parts for the Magnum small-block engines used in Ram and Dakota trucks that were emissions–exempt as certified by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Therefore, it was legal to sell and install them on street vehicles.

The Mopar small-block had been so successful in various sprint car racing venues that Mopar Performance developed a 4-cylinder race engine (half of the Mopar small-block) for use in midgets. Jim Szilagyi coordinated this Mopar midget engine program. It was very successful in the early 2000s with several series championships using one A-engine head. It continues today through Gary Stanton Racing Engines.