318 combo help

With a 318 we are normally trying to figure out how to get the compression up not how to get it back down.

So from what I'm learning so far the dynamic compression ratio of this motor is really too high for pump friendly performance on the street. I need to do everything I can to get that back down as close to 8.1 as I can.

I looked at several aluminum head options and so far all options are closed chamber heads with 65 cc chambers or less. This is going in the wrong direction even with the advantage of aluminum heads. These pistons won't work with a closed chamber head as far as I know.

The iron heads on the the engine now by design are open chamber 72cc heads. According to my web research the chamber volume can vary quit a bit. I read anywhere from 70-76cc.

I think I can gain some volume by going to 2.02 valves and de-shrouding the cylinders. This would also give me the chance to do a nice port and polish and bowl work on the heads.
I could gain some more volume by running a thicker head gasket. I found a flow comparison chart that list this head stock flow and fully ported. Even ported the numbers aren't that impressive but they probably aren't too bad for a street driven 318.

The next item to look at to improve the dynamic compression ratio is the cam. Thanks to Rusty I started to look into this a little more. The important variable for dynamic compression ratio for the cam is the intake closed ABDC. Some cam grinds bleed off more cylinder pressure than others. The current cam does a decent job of bleeding off cylinder pressure but I may find another that will do better.

It looks like this "bargain" engine is turning into a little challenge to make it a pump friendly street performer.

Again thanks for the help guys. Keep the comments coming.