Pieces of steel in cylinder??

The X heads might have too much flow for a stock 318 rebuild. I'm sure others on this site have personal knowledge about this. 340 springs have higher pressures than 318 springs and are only necessary when you use a bigger cam. X heads would not have hardened seats. There are better heads out there for your engine with hardened seats.

"off topic" ? ----hell no -----

X heads are fine on a 318...

I ran a 318 with 360 heads and 2.02" intakes for many years with no problems...