Chrysler LA Engine

Chrysler LA Engine

The LA engines are a family of pushrod OHV 90° V-block gasoline engines built by Chrysler Corporation and factory-installed in passenger vehicles, trucks and vans, commercial vehicles, marine and industrial applications from 1964 through 2003. The combustion chambers are wedge-shaped, rather than the polyspherical combustion chambers in the predecessor A engine or the hemispherical chambers in the Chrysler Hemi engine. All are cast iron, except for the Viper V10, which is aluminum. LA engines have the same 4.46-inch (113 mm) bore spacing as the A engines.

LA engines were made at Chrysler's Mound Road Engine plant in Detroit, Michigan as well as plants in Canada and Mexico. The "L" in "LA" stands for light, as the older "A" engine was nearly 50 pounds heavier. Willem Weertman, who later became Chief Engineer – Engine Design and Development, was in charge of the conversion. The basic design of the LA engine would go unchanged through the development of the Magnum upgrade and into the 21st Century, although the finer details were changed to create a more powerful, efficient and modern powerplant.