1978 Dodge Magnum XE 360-2 5.9L V8

Summary:

The True Dodge Magnum!

Faults:

Not much for being 30 years old. I replaced the belts, hoses, and tires. I had the car repainted a few years back. Motor all original with original transmission. The Magnum came with all the service notes from new.

General Comments:

Has to be the “best looking” Magnum on the road today. Don't know why Dodge makes no reference to this classic Magnum when advertising the new Magnum. Kyle Petty made a name for himself early on while driving a Magnum. Dodge sold over 80K of these classics in two years while there was a fuel crisis going on. Not bad really. Search this car online and you will see what all the fuss is about.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th September, 2007

12th Sep 2007, 21:16

Yeah, these were pretty cool, among the last of the full-size, rear wheel drive, V-8, 2-door sport sedans from Dodge. The muscle cars were gone, but these Magnums, the Cordobas, and the Chargers were still decent cars. It was downhill for Mopar after that.

1978 Dodge Magnum 360 2 barrel V8

Summary:

It is better than any new Ford or Chevy

Faults:

The only thing that ever went wrong with it, is that it broke down in the cold once in Kansas on a vacation.

General Comments:

It was the best car we had. It was super fast, and handled on rails like a Nissan 350 Z. We sold it 4 months ago to a guy and he wrecked it the first week he had it. We wish we would have kept it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th October, 2005

20th Oct 2005, 07:27

There is no way a heavy old tank like a '78 Magnum, in stock form would handle like a 350Z.

Not no way, not no how.

1978 Dodge Magnum 318 aluminum heads

Faults:

A tiny coolant hose had failed, picked one up at a small auto parts store and was told that particular shape and type of hose only fit 1978 magnum's, no other car. What luck!

Lean Burn system failed causing exhaust to leak into the cab. Fixed it by sealing off the lean burn system with JBWeld.

Consumed oil.

Low oil pressure.

Very cold natured, difficult to start in the morning.

General Comments:

This was a real beast of a car, my friends even named it "The Beast". I purchased this car because I was in an accident with a financed car and was fighting with the insurance company and needed SOME form of transportation for the time being. I saw an add in the paper for this car and 2 hours and $250.00 later I was driving it home with stinky exhaust filling the cab. I pinched some metal hoses and sealed them with JBWeld and no more exhaust. The car still ran as if nothing had been changed.

This car was old, poorly maintained, beat up, and ugly as sin. I even put a plastic toy from Taco Bell on the hood with a bolt to act as a hood ornament. It was a Goosebumps figurine of a hamster throwing up and the vomit glowed in the dark. Hilarious, yet fitting for the looks and sound of this car.

I added over 100,000 miles to this car with low oil pressure and oil consumption going the whole time. In the morning it would retain pressure, but after about 30 minutes the pressure would drop almost to nothing and the engine would clang, rattle, knock, and make other ungodly sounds, but the car would not die. It just wouldn't.

An example of this was while sitting at a red light, I noticed a tornado approaching (yes I'm serious). While out of the path of the tornado, I used it as an excuse to drive the Magnum down the road as fast as I could (like other people were trying to do). So, with no oil pressure, the engine rattling, and the whole thing wanting to come apart with almost 300,000 miles on it and an exhaust system that was JB Welded shut, I buried the 110 mph speedometer and it kept accelerating.

This car had numerous minor problems, but it always ran. It ate tires, oil, gas all the time, but would never leave me stuck.

I drove it daily until the time came where I had acquired two newer vehicles. I tried to sell the car, but nobody wanted it, so I let the oil level get down to about one quart, the coolant to be extremely low, and drove the car as hard as I could with no oil, running all the way over to H (Hot) on the temp gauge, and it would not die. Afterwards, I found a guy with a junkyard that offered me $50.00 for it and I sold it to him and he drove it off down the road.

Excellent reliability and dependability. They don't make them like this anymore. Get one!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st June, 2005

2nd Jun 2005, 14:39

I'm not sure as to why this listed the car as a 1977, it's a 1978 Magnum.

25th Jan 2006, 17:34

The year of manufacture was 77 but it was a 78 model, carsurvey listed the year model by year of manufacture which isn't correct.

24th May 2011, 22:26

Man what a story :). I guess you didn't feel like parting it out, Magnum owners are dying for parts.

I intend to bring a 78 Magnum over to Israel yet not sure if the Agency here will give me permission. It would make the Dodge dealership here a fantastic promo!

1978 Dodge Magnum XE 360

Summary:

Cool

Faults:

Power steering valve body, cooling system and rear seal.

General Comments:

If you're into these big Mopars you love them passionately. If not then you just don't "get it".

I had a 1975 Cordoba years ago and loved it. I am very excited to have the next best thing, my 78 Magnum. It has the 360 but has a Carter AFB instead of the 2 barrel it came with, the lean burn junk was taken off and replaced with a electronic ignition, it has a Edelbrock performer intake manifold and dual exhausts with dual cats! She runs like my Cordoba never did. I love this car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 10th July, 2003

22nd Oct 2005, 21:32

Mopar makes a Kit to replace the lean burn on your ride its under 200.00 and its in the mopar performancebook

GO MPOAR!