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,
