Quote:

---

I have all the stuff here I am about to do the Magnum head swap on my 83 D 250 with a 318;
if AT ALL possible I REFUSE to buy China made $#!T
Here's what I did, and it will allow you to run ANY LA intake, so you don't need the special Magnum intake throttle brackets, etc. I had my magnum heads redrilled to the LA intake pattern; same hole location different angle. There are some of them where the threads are thin on 1 side of the hole but using magnum gaskets and the Magnum spec of 12 ft lb instead of the LA 45 ft lb (I think the threads will "pull out" before I get there, and that gargantuan torque is mot needed on an alum intake even on a completely-LA engine.)
I think if I were to do anything different, (I may return the heads for this mod before I swap them in) I would go a lil BIGGER so I could install a Thread insert (Heli coil, etc) in the heads. (Hughes may include this in their job I am not sure) I am using the stock LA spec 3/8-16 intake bolts instead of the Magnum 5/16-18.

Set an LA intake gasket on top of a Magnum head, center-up the ports and you will see the bolt holes are in the same place. I sent an LA intake gasket with the heads to the machine shop so they had a "guide".

I have never seen a set done by Hughes but they modify heads this way quite often for $80. Cheap.
I had mine done by a local job-shop (non automotive) machine shop for a lil less.
But add that to a readily available LA intake (there were a few even at the "all-Chevy" swap I went to yesterday) 2 seperate sellers had LA engine Performers for $50 and $75. The $50 one was grungey the $75 one had been nicely cleaned up.

But this would definitely be a better budget way of having your Magnum heads (cake) and better choice of intake, for a more reasonable price (eating cake too)

I am using the thinner 0.028" head gasket from Mopar Perf and I have their push rods here too; from the stories I hear about pushrods I hope that does not bite me. Everything I hear, says that you need pushrods 0.025" longer than MP's conversion ones. The "normal head gasket is 0.042", so I am hoping that the difference between the thin ones and the thick ones, make up the difference in the push rods working or not. My Magnum heads wound up not needing a "clean up" milling.

On pushrods I have also read that Summit and others, have the 7.650" ones they are a standard pushrod for some engine I am not sure what. (use the "buyer's guide" section where they list each P/N pushrod by length diameter end-type, etc.in the back of the book. IIRC, that length pushrod is a standard length for some Ford motor.

My wife is taking a week off work next week so I will have my "window" to do the head swap, and have a vehicle here to drive during the swap.

---