Even with all the excitement around the now decades-old modern Hemi, there’s still a spot under many a Mopar hoods for a good ol’ small block. Luckily, the aftermarket still supports our favorite, high-revving little engines that could. And, thanks to Hughes Engines, any 273, 318, 360, 5.2, or 5.9 can get a well-deserved breath of fresh air with their Magnum heads (P/N MAG 5259).

First and foremost, know this: these aren’t your grandad’s refurbished OEM heads. Instead, these are brand-new castings to replace the crack-prone factory pieces through the latest casting and machining methods.

Right out of the box, they’re stacked with new valves and Hughes’ high-lift spring kit (P/N 1199) that’s good for camshafts with up to 0.570” lift. As an added bonus, the exhaust valves are stainless steel to handle the heat of a hopped-up small block.

Options include a double spring kit (P/N 1129) along with stamped or roller rockers to run the valves. Paired with your preferred Hughes-supplied intake manifold such as the FI AirGap (P/N 5409), these heads would really hit home on a newer 5.9 Magnum-equipped pickup truck.

Keep in mind that old-school LA engines will require some updates and/or modifications to run the newer Magnum heads. Rocker arm oiling and intake manifold bolt patterns are just a couple of the considerations. Of course, the team at Hughes can answer any of your Magnum matters at (309) 745-9558.