sure there was a e58 318? i thight it was a 360.
Both engines appear to have used the same "police" code.
From the
Motales.com site:
The 1978 model year brought adapters for magnetic ignition timing measurements (timing lights still worked) and a second-generation Lean Burn system. New carburetors were half a pound lighter than the previous models; they used “solid fuel” operation, meaning that a stream of fuel was fed to the primary discharged nozzles and mixed with air there, allegedly to help with lean fuel-air mixtures. A new police four-barrel was introduced, given the phase-out of the big-block engines; this was the E48 package, with high performance “J” heads, dual-pickup distributors, windage trays, and double-row timing chains. Over time the engine would be upgraded as the police put it to the test, getting better seals and valve guides. The four-barrel setup made for a fast enough police car that many Diplomat/Gran Fury-driving officers thought they had a hot 360 under the hood. (The related 360 also had an E48 package, confusing matters somewhat).
Chrysler tested customer acceptance of a 318 in a Chrysler with the 1978 Cordoba S, a lower-cost Cordoba with the smaller engine; customers must have liked it, because the 318 was standard in the 1979 Cordobas. In addition, to counter the effects of primitive emissions controls, 1979 and later California and high-altitude cars had 318s with four-barrel carburetors.
Rapid changes for the old 318
The 318’s block, cam, exhaust manifold, and rear main bearing cap were all changed to save weight for the 1980 model year. Then, starting in mid-1980 (calendar year), production moved to Mexico, making room for new four-cylinder engines at Trenton. It must have been a busy time for the engineers, especially given changes for the 1981 model year.
First, the 1981 passenger cars could no longer have the 318’s bigger brother, the 360; instead, the 318 was available with the California four-barrel carburetor setup and a new intake. These changes increased output to a healthy 165 hp and 240 lb-ft of torque. Police cars could still have the 360 all the way to 1984; and the two-barrel 318 was still available.
