Help me please tryin to beef up 318

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73schwinger

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Hey please feel free to say anything you'd like I'm new to this type of stuff okay so this is what I've got going I've got a 1973 dart swinger with a 318 in it the motor was rebuilt 3-5 years ago I want to beef it up so I've bought a Holley 650cfm 4bbl carb an eldelbrock performance intake and a set of 1973-1974 360 heads and I'm in the process of buying new headers and a cam so my question is what do I need to do to the heads? I've heard they need to be milled but how much what other work needs to be done before I do that please leave me any information you have this car is my little hot rod my great grandpa gave me before he passed and I'm a senior in high school now and I want all the motor work finished by prom this in April 2016
 
Instead of getting compression by milling the heads, then having to mill the intake, then dealing with push rod length...

Put a set of 10.5 compression pistons in it, then with the 360 heads you will end up around 9.2 compression. Then you will be able to get the most out of the intake, carb, and headers. And not deal with milling the heads, intake, and custom push rods...

I've done this on a daily driver with great success.

Welcome to FABO...
 
^^What KK said. Wise words.
But you're not saying where yours is deficient. There's a bewildering amount of mods you can do, that will affect your teener in different ways.
So, Are you going racing? Or do you just need a bit more Giddy-up off the line? Do you need to tow something heavy? Are you trying to keep up to somebody? Are you looking for bragging rights? How much money do you have to spend in total, cuz some/lots of mods don't end with the engine. How much of the work do you anticipate to be doing yourself, and do you have a weaterproof place to do the work? Are you thinking of buying tools? And so many other questions.....
 
I'm really just looking to make my car the fastest in the parking lot the fastest car ive see that is the "fastest" is a Fox body mustang with a 5.0 in it
 
So that would be 60fts, and first gear only then?
And you want to humiliate the ford guy?
With a 73 Dart and a teener?
And you are still in school?

What did this guy do to you?
Seems to me .... well never mind.
You are gonna need to do some suspension work first. You can beef the heck out of that teener, but if you can't stick it, it'll be a waste of money.
Next question is what are you prepared to give up? And is this a one-time schooling you want to put down?
To do this you just need some ft.pounds.You can do it with motor, or you can do it with torque multiplication. But above all you will need suspension mods. That Foxbody is waaay ahead of the Dart in that department.
 
No way would I put the 360 heads on.
 
Just stick the 360 heads on the teen go somewhat mild with the cam. Big cams bleed off compression and 360 heads on a 318 lower the compression ratio a bunch.


I have a 318 stock short block with stock 360 heads, 340 spec camshaft, torker II intake, edelbrock 600 cfm carb, cheap flowtech headers, Lightweight distributor advance springs and an orange box.

It runs very well and didn't cost me much at all and it runs on low octane gas. One thing with this build is you need a lot of timing, most high performance engine builds run around 36 degrees total timing but since this is so low compression it likes somewhere around 40 total. Lightweight advance springs also helped ALOT with the low to mid range power.
 
RustyRatRod said:
No way would I put the 360 heads on.
Click to expand...

I have to agree with Rusty, knowing what you are trying to do here. Those heads will do absolutely nothing for you in this scenario.
Well not exactly absolutely nothing. But without a budget it might as well be. The rear suspension, traction aides, gears, and a TC, will suck up quite a bit of coin. Then we move to the front....Then.........
 
Look at the post count. The op is a young gun that needs help. We were all there at one time!
 
So who here is not giving him help? What's the problem?
 
You can mill the heads .040 total (2 cuts) then mill the intake face of the head .038 (another 2 cuts). that should get you down to 65 cc chambers. Go conservative on the cam, stock 340 or 268 duration, around .470 lift and matching springs. Get rid of the Performer intake and get a stock 340 intake or large port (340 or 360) aftermarket intake manifold. You will need to adjust the throttle cable so it completely opens the carb. Adjust or get a new auto trans kickdown to work with the 4 barrel carb. Timing is everything, start at 10 BTDC and work your way up from there till it runs best or pings, then back it off. Do a search here on how to time your car.
 
Well now it's time for someone who knows how to 60ft to check in.
That would not be me, cuz I'm at 2.0 or so. Maybe this summer I'll do something. But I kinda like blowing away the tires . And I'm not crazy about spending a bunch on that aspect. Maybe Caltracs and Monos. I could probably do that. But my 3.55s would have to go.And with them my touring ability. Then I might want to stick in my A999. But then I'd be looking at a hi-stall. And bolt on my 325s....And round and round it goes.
See what I mean about stuff leading to other stuff.
I built my car to make ME smile. I could care less how fast it is, or isn't, or how quick it moves out, or what the guy in the next lane is spewing. Sometimes I feel like the bull in the glassware shop. I just love charging.
 
The 360 heads will lower your compression down into the 7s because those heads have bigger chambers than the 318 heads.

You cannot make up 2 compression points with a .040" cut. Ain't happenin. About .0067" equals 1cc on a 340/360 head. About 6ccs equals one compression point. So that means you will have about an .080" cut on the heads to equal two compression points. So all that work on the 360 heads is really useless, IMO, because a machine shop will charge a pretty penny for a cut that big, since most shops will have to make multiple cuts.

Don't forget then you will also need to cut the intake a similar massive amount to match the heads, so even more money there.

IMO the best thing to do is stick with the 318 heads. Do a mild build on the engine. Use the thin head gaskets from Mr Gasket. I think they are like .025".

Pick out a cam on a wide center line around 112 to 114 and no more than 220 @ .050 duration and you should have a really peppy little 318.

Or, you can spend a pile of cash milling metal off.
 
RustyRatRod said:
The 360 heads will lower your compression down into the 7s because those heads have bigger chambers than the 318 heads.

You cannot make up 2 compression points with a .040" cut. Ain't happenin. About .0067" equals 1cc on a 340/360 head. About 6ccs equals one compression point. So that means you will have about an .080" cut on the heads to equal two compression points. So all that work on the 360 heads is really useless, IMO, because a machine shop will charge a pretty penny for a cut that big, since most shops will have to make multiple cuts.

Don't forget then you will also need to cut the intake a similar massive amount to match the heads, so even more money there.

IMO the best thing to do is stick with the 318 heads. Do a mild build on the engine. Use the thin head gaskets from Mr Gasket. I think they are like .025".

Pick out a cam on a wide center line around 112 to 114 and no more than 220 @ .050 duration and you should have a really peppy little 318.

Or, you can spend a pile of cash milling metal off.
Click to expand...


He could just get a set of 10.5 compression pistons for the 318, which will then end up at 9.2 when installed in a 318 with 360 heads....
 
krazykuda said:
He could just get a set of 10.5 compression pistons for the 318, which will then end up at 9.2 when installed in a 318 with 360 heads....
Click to expand...

High compression pistons for a 318 are expensive.
 
Im pretty sure OP does not want to pull engine. Just a top end refresh.
 
I agree on not using the 360 heads.And not just because of compression woes,but also because of port size and velocity.360 heads wont work well without a hi stall torque converter and steep gears,as air flow wont really move until high rpms. Your 318 will work much better with a high velocity magnum style head,like an eq or the "302" casting. And as always your best and cheapest increase in acceleration is rear gears.Something like 3:55 is a nice compromise set,which will give you a big pickup in performance without being horrible on the highway.Do you have any idea what gear set you currently have? Im going to hazzard a guess and say given the year and not being a performance optioned Dart,it most likely has a highway gear set like 2:73.
 
I thought he just wanted to send a ford boy back to the drawing board, in the parking lot? Not TO the parking lot, but ON the parking lot.

Re post #4

I guess I read it wrong.......... crap

But if you want the "FASTEST CAR IN THE PARKING LOT", you are gonna need a wheelbarrow full of green. And at your age: 17ish, I didn't read it that way.
 
AJ/FormS said:
I thought he just wanted to send a ford boy back to the drawing board, in the parking lot?

Re post #4

I guess I read it wrong.......... crap
Click to expand...

Those fox body mustangs can be QUICK! :burnout:MT
 
My son was interested in my S a few years ago.And he explained to me why. I told him to go get one of those, ptoi Mustangs, ptoi, or a SuperMoto bike. At his income level, that fox woulda bin a bargain. He chose the Bike. He's still alive today, having mastered; wheelies, catwalks,powerslides, and oh Lordie;stoppies. He just turned 31 in August.
 
I just go to a small town high school where it's either lifted trucks or fast cars I mean my budget would be about 200$ a month and I plan to keep this car and I've always wanted to turn it into a badness hot rod to begin with and I want to smoke any car that wants to line up with me on the street so a street rod car I was hoping to get around 300-350hp by the time I graduated
 
My grandpa did a bunch of work before he passed he put in a mini tub with a custom 8 3/4 rear end just so me and him could smoke the tires when ever we wanted
He also did something with a custom 4 speed trans with a b&m slap shifter I just want to make this car a badness street rod
 
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