encyclopedia · engine

360 LA-series V8

1971-and-on LA small-block. 360 cubic inches; standard or optional across most B-body, E-body, and truck lines through the malaise era and beyond.

The 360 is the largest of the LA small blocks, introduced for 1971 to fill the gap between the 318 and the soon-to-be-rationalized big-block lineup. Period 1971 rating: 255 hp gross / 175 hp net (the year SAE net ratings were standardized). It became one of the longest-lived V8s in Chrysler history, soldiering through to the late 1990s in Magnum form behind multi-port injection.

For plenum decode purposes, the 360 shows up in 1971-on Coronet, Charger, and 'Cuda/Challenger sheets where the 340 had previously lived; on B-body trucks; and in late-spec 1974 cars where Net ratings make the on-paper power look small but the engine itself remained robust.

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