Help with 318 Build, please.

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Joe Ball

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I am trying to put together a nice little daily driver that I can take to the track once and a while without breaking the bank. Don't laugh but here's what I have- 1975 Dodge Dart 4 door with 318. I've put a Weiand intake and 600 Holley as well as a set of Hedman headers in it. My next step is to install a mild cam and 340 stock heads-if I can find some at a decent price. First question is which cam to go with? Next question is what would be a decent price for the heads or is there a better/comparable one at a better price? I'll be doing the cam first then heads when $ money allows. Is it worth doing the cam upgrade before I get the heads or am I not going to see the benefits until heads are installed? Thanks for the help and looking forward to seeing what ideas you come up with for me!! Please remember this is a BUDGET BUILD! You all have been great here helping so far, keep it up, please and thank you!!!
 
I have a 72 Scamp, 318. It's punched .030 over. Stock heads (I think 1.76/1.40 valves) with a 3 angle valve job. I run this Comp cam 20-222-3 - Xtreme Energy™ Hydraulic Flat Tappet Camshafts Edelbrock performer intake and 600 CFM eddy carb. Small exhaust manifolds and it runs mid to low 15s with 2.76 gears.

That cam is supposed to be the largest you can run without a stall but mine would chirp the tires when going into drive until I put in a stall lol. Look into the 302 casting heads instead of 340/360 X or J heads. You'll lose some compression on the 318 with those heads whereas the 302 have a smaller chamber. Hot Rod did a build where a 318 made about 400 crank HP with those heads. The cam I linked you to has a good lope to it.

Me personally, I would do the cam and heads at the same time since you're in there anyway. But I know how the budget thing goes, hence why I have stock heads when I pulled my engine. Good to see other guys building the teeners.
 
318willrun said:
Some tips on a budget.... Within this thread is the build thread. The build thread is very lengthy, but there are some videos and pictures towards the back of it. Cam used was not my 1st choice, but fit the budget.
"low dollar 318 hop up" - mission accomplished
Click to expand...
Definitely read this thread (above).....
It inspired me to build my 318.
Turned my 318 into a little screamer!
It's no secret that I love the 318.....great little engine no matter how many times I hear "dump it and get a 360", I'm a 318 fan for life!

Jeff
 
Off to a good start. My 318 is a lot of fun with what you mentioned (Edelbrock Performer Intake instead of Weiand) and a Voodoo Camshaft.

I would forgo the 340 stock heads in lieu of Magnum or '302 castings (see below)
[FOR SALE] - 302 small block heads

The 340 J Heads are nice, however, they have a rather large combustion chamber that will reduce your compression ratio.

Once again, try and research the Magnum Head swap (Enginequest or RHS Reproduction). Do not by a used set from the junkyard as they often are cracked.

If it is a daily driver, don't forget about the transmission! Mine is slipping quite bad, so the previous owner put all the money and time in the engine, but forgot about the daily driver part!

Last, a PST bushing kit is high on my list! I recommend this to everyone.

Aluminum radiator and 1 wire alternator upgrades are also on my recommended list. If the owner has done the Intake, Carb, Haeders and the "Extras" list above then I recommend surgery into the engine.
 
Ah I forgot about that thread. Yes, good stuff in there that I need to read back through. Don't be ashamed of the 318! Favorite thing at a cruise night after rumbling in: "That a 360?" "Nope, 318."
 
Boedighw said:
Off to a good start. My 318 is a lot of fun with what you mentioned (Edelbrock Performer Intake instead of Weiand) and a Voodoo Camshaft.

I would forgo the 340 stock heads in lieu of Magnum or '302 castings (see below)
[FOR SALE] - 302 small block heads

The 340 J Heads are nice, however, they have a rather large combustion chamber that will reduce your compression ratio.

Once again, try and research the Magnum Head swap (Enginequest or RHS Reproduction). Do not by a used set from the junkyard as they often are cracked.

If it is a daily driver, don't forget about the transmission! Mine is slipping quite bad, so the previous owner put all the money and time in the engine, but forgot about the daily driver part!

Last, a PST bushing kit is high on my list! I recommend this to everyone.

Aluminum radiator and 1 wire alternator upgrades are also on my recommended list. If the owner has done the Intake, Carb, Haeders and the "Extras" list above then I recommend surgery into the engine.
Click to expand...
He has two threads exactly the same. All else are responding to the other thread :)
 
I just build my 318 with mighty demon 650 cmf carb, weiand 8007 dual plane intake, stock 360 heads, comp cam xe 268 h flat tappet hyd. cam and kb 167 pistons.
 
Joe Ball said:
I am trying to put together a nice little daily driver that I can take to the track once and a while without breaking the bank. Don't laugh but here's what I have- 1975 Dodge Dart 4 door with 318. I've put a Weiand intake and 600 Holley as well as a set of Hedman headers. My next step is to install a mild cam and 340 stock heads-if I can find some at a decent price. First question is which can to go with? Next question is what would be a decent price for the heads or is there a better/comparable one at a better price? I'll be doing the cam first then heads when $ money allows. Is it worth doing the cam upgrade before I get the heads or am I not going to see the benefits until heads are installed? Thanks for the help and looking forward to seeing what ideas you come up with for me!! Please remember this is a BUDGET BUILD! You all have been great here helping so far, keep it up, please and thank you!!!
Click to expand...

I would do the the cam and the heads at the same time. But, you may have to change the converter and gears to get the performance you are looking for
 
get about a 270° duration cam and install a set of Rhoades lifters with it... A stock 340 cam will run nice also...
 
Hey Joe!

An easy going cam for the 318 that provides some get up and go power like KrazyKuda suggested (no Rhodes lifters needed for the low stall converter) is something like this Crane cam;
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/crn-15005/overview/make/chrysler

Upping the anti and using Rhodes lifters with at least a 10* drop due to the Rhodes lifters, I myself would do this cam from Crane:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/crn-694301/overview/make/chrysler

Since the lifters take 10*'s of duration out (or more) It will let this cam work with a stock converter. It is on the edge without being "Edgey" & without a compromise that sucks. Deiveabilty is there. More top end.

Adjust the gear ratio later on down the road.

The head issue is a catch 22. While the "302" heads work well, IMHO, they do a great job when ported. Otherwise, I wouldn't touch them
Over what ever head you have now. It is just NOT cost effective to swap the heads. The gains are just not there to justify the expense.

Talk to Ryan about these heads, flow rates, work done and expense to complete @ Shady Dell Speed Shop
 
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