318 Build.. Zero Deck or Stock Deck Clearance?

IMHO.... Putting in 302's and using 526AP stockish flattop pistons puts you around 8.7 for SCR. That gives a 7.3 DCR with 256 duration cam with 112 LSA and 108 ICL; these numbers are with 1008 Felpro head gaskets. That all runs about .5-.7 point higher on SCR and DCR than a stock LA. And using the standard Felpro kit head gaskets 8553PT will only drop SCR/DCR another couple of points so are another budget thing to do. The only real compression gain here is in the heads. Not a HOT smoking engine, but better, and with a good intake and exhaust, and this modest camming, it'll be a sight better than a factory engine. (How is that for technical terminology? LOL)

With these flattop pistons, no re-balance is needed. (That point was never discussed for the KB167's listed in this threads initial build plan.) No re-balance is important for a budget IMHO. But the lift will be limited as these cheap pistons have no eyebrows. so you have to be careful with high lift cams, but something in the range of .475" lift will probably be OK; you still need to check. (Not a show topper anyway IMHO, this can be solved with patience and careful application of a Dremel, or a mill if you have access to one; there is plenty of crown material in these old designs slugs to sink a .100+" eyebrow). These pistons are still .070" or so in the hole so no quench possible, but that is the dilemma with 318's: no cheap near-zero-deck pistons are made for it.

All of your success with any fuel has a lot to do with tuning. The above assumes no real desire to spend hours and days tuning the timing; just put it together, don't work to get everything you can out of the tuning, and gives a bit of SCR/DCR room to be a bit sloppy on timing and not be too fussy on fuel. Low 7's DCR is about all I'd push with regular and be lazy about tuning. AJ has spent TONS of time on tuning and so can get 'blood out of a stone' so to speak in terms of octane versus compression ratios.