Smallish roller cam for DD 318LA

63dartman said
You said your block is an "85"? I thought the roller blocks came about a few years later. I could be wrong though.

I scrapped an October-December 1984 318 with 302s and the drilled holes for the spiders- but being a truck motor it had a flat tappet in it. '85 is when that all started, and the late '84 builds could have it if they didn't all. Truck and cop car 318s had flat tappet cams in roller blocks until the trucks got TBI- weird since they quit making 4bbl truck motors when the roller motors came out.

rustytoolss said
I should have given more information.
1985 318 roller block, with 302 heads, stock compression, stock bore stroke(engine will get a stock rebuild)
Electronic ignition with adjustable vac advance.
Edelbrock performer intake & Edelbrock performer carb 600 cfm
727 automatic stock low stall converter.
3.23 rearend ratio
Dual exhaust 2.25 W/ dynomax type mufflers
As for what I want...I would like to install a roller (since I've got a roller block). But the OEM replacement cams are not much to talk about. So I was wanted a roller that was something in the lines of the 340 type cam(but in a roller) if possible.
It's a driver, just looking for some modest low/mid range power improvement.
Why roller?? I don't want to fight motor oil issues, anymore.
Plain and simple stockish 318, looking for a somewhat larger roller cam than OEM replacement. Not looking to be the fastest, just an upgrade, that's all.

The big place you'll want to gain is in the mid-range. Worth keeping in mind that "upper-end" in these motors starts in the low 4000s- if it's all stock that's where it's laying over.

If you're rebuilding the 318 upgrading from the 302s to something better would be a sound idea. The valve springs stock are basically all tailor fit to the what the OE engine was built for- few times will you change cams and not need to change the springs in any of the motors. A pretty much E48 style build with roller cam and some additional improvements would make a very good DD motor.