318 rebuild for d200

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Xshadow363

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Hey guys. I'm new to the forum and in need of advice. I acquired a 1976 Dodge D200 recently with stock 318 in it and I'm fixing to do a tear down on the engine. This is gonna be a $1500 budget build. I need some advice on beefing up the motor. Nothing too crazy, just enough to cruise at highway speed. I know I'm gonna need new heads for it as well as new intake manifold. I'd love some recommendation.
 
650 cfm 4 barrel
Re-ring the pistons
Duel exhaust
Mild cam
Headers depending on what heads you get.... I'd just get the stock heads worked over.....

Jeff
 
Hey guys. I'm new to the forum and in need of advice. I acquired a 1976 Dodge D200 recently with stock 318 in it and I'm fixing to do a tear down on the engine. This is gonna be a $1500 budget build. I need some advice on beefing up the motor. Nothing too crazy, just enough to cruise at highway speed. I know I'm gonna need new heads for it as well as new intake manifold. I'd love some recommendation.


Start with a refresh kit from Mancini Racing, I would recommend going with either of the 'B" kits that have main & rod bearings, moly rings, and a complete gasket kit for around $205 and go from there...

Engine Rebuild Kits


Get an old set of 66 - 67 273/318 heads that end in casting number 920, they will bump up the compression on a 318 about .5 point... Have them refreshed with hardened exhaust seats and I would recommend a little porting and putting 360 valves in them (1.88" intake and 1.6" exhaust)... A 340/360 head would flow better, but you would loose .5 compression point with the increased combustion chamber and will end up around 7.5 on a stock 318 of that vintage with the larger port heads...

Get a good double roller timing chain, like this one:

Edelbrock


For an intake, I would go with the Edelbrock SP2P or the Offenhauser dual port dual plane... They are perfect intakes for a truck or van as they have great low and mid range torque and grunt, are good up to 5000 RPM, and will give good throttle response and fuel economy...

Then for a carb, I would go with the Holley 600 vacuum secondary with an electric choke, I've used this one for decades on daily drivers and it works great:

Holley 4160 Aluminum Street Carburetor


Then if you have any money left over in the budget, look into a cam about a stock 340 cam or slightly bigger, and then throw in a set of Rhoades variable duration lifters to get the maximum benefit from the SP2P or dual port dual plane and really get some good low and mid range grunt for powering that van...


Rhoades lifters:

Rhoads Lifters


Articles, read the second one for the best explanation of how they work...

Articles


Part numbers:

Part Numbers


Of course you will need dual exhaust... 2 1/4" or 2 1/2" max with a nice set of low restriction turbo mufflers...
 
Just be careful not to kill low end torque means it's in a D200.
  • As mentioned, consider the 5.9 magnum. Many good running ones can be bought for 150-350. Just add 4bbl intake/carb and headers. With no cam work or rebuild you'd be way under the 1500 budget and have a nice pickup in torque and horsepower.
  • If you are going to do the 318 regardless, I would consider magnum heads/rockers. You'd need pushrods and lifters that oil through. All of this is relatively inexpensive and offers great gain over stock 318 heads.
 
Just be careful not to kill low end torque means it's in a D200.
  • As mentioned, consider the 5.9 magnum. Many good running ones can be bought for 150-350. Just add 4bbl intake/carb and headers. With no cam work or rebuild you'd be way under the 1500 budget and have a nice pickup in torque and horsepower.
  • If you are going to do the 318 regardless, I would consider magnum heads/rockers. You'd need pushrods and lifters that oil through. All of this is relatively inexpensive and offers great gain over stock 318 heads.
Good info from the budget king above... A good j-yard 5.9 Magnum is the only thing so listed far that will meet the budget. And it will indeed run a lot better. I'd personally stick with the EFI setup, but either will work. The carbed setup is easier in some ways to manage and work on, but the EFI is better on fuel and engine durability. There is a subforum on FABO on the Magnum swaps IIRC.

And I don't have any thing against the 318 at all, it is just a lo-compression smog era slug that needs a lot of changes to be peppy.
 
Nice looking truck! Even a 318 Magnum isn't bad, and if you have auto or hydraulic clutch on the column you can run the magnum exhaust manifold or shorty header on the left and right both (magnum exit interferes with a clutch Z-Bar). Ohio is long way off, but Hellrats has a good deal on a magnum drivetrain.
[FOR SALE] - 1995 Dakota V8 Magnum Drive Train (Complete Truck)
 
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No, those are fast burn 302 (and I think 741 or 742 head castings) where an LA roller cam thing from 1986-1992. But the Magnum heads (which are identical between 5.2 & 5.9, about 60-62 cc's usually) are also prone to cracking, too.
 
I did the tear down on my engine and the block looks to be solid so I'm just gonna stick with the 318. I ran into a little problem when taking valve springs off. The outer port where the spring sits is cracked. I was wondering if anyone had the same problem. Do I need to get a new set of heads or is this something that could be repaired?

IMG-0119.jpg
 
I'm fixing to do a tear down on the engine
a $1500 budget build.
just enough to cruise at highway speed

do yourself some favors.
#1) listen to Wyrmryder
The Magnums already have all the good stuff on them, and are engineered to friggen work! Smoggerteens are engineered to ...... I'm thinkin' ............. ok, yeah, I think I got it; out power a slanty.
#2) But if you just have to stick with the LA, then,
pay attention; the following (#3) recommendation is the most important part of my post, so much so that if; the engine is not burning oil, still making 10psi oil pressure at idle and over 30psi at 3000rpm, and still making 130ish psi, then other than a reseal and timing chain, maybe an oilpump and I-shaft; skip work on the engine until #3 is done.
#3) Get a tight 2800TC, a SG, ~15x8" street tires for performance driving, or whatever if a hiway cruiser.
Gear it for your intended cruising speed =1800 to 2400MAXIMUM rpm,( 1800 for fuel economy/ up to 2400 for performance) then figure out how to give her the timing she will be craving; we can help you with that.
#4 but if the engine is tired, then,during the build;
boost the LA's crappy compression; use Moly-Plasma rings,and a solid lifter 210ish@.050 or less cam. Do not skimp on the foundation, or you will be disappointed.
#5) if you have enough money, go Magnum heads and related gear
#6) Forget everything else.


If you run out of money,and I assume you will, then you can ;
reuse the 2bbl heads,
reuse the 2bbl topend,
use a large pipe single exhaust to the muffler,with Magnum-sized logs, or a cut and re-purposed Y-pipe with second matching-sized pipe, and any crap mufflers that will last just long-enough until you have money for headers,

In the order that I would install optional stuff after the engine is built,are ;
headers and dual exhaust
a 4bbl system.
Magnum heads, and related gear
by this time the trans may have puked or is about to, so start saving.

oops, I see I'm late to the party.....
 
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I did the tear down on my engine and the block looks to be solid so I'm just gonna stick with the 318. I ran into a little problem when taking valve springs off. The outer port where the spring sits is cracked. I was wondering if anyone had the same problem. Do I need to get a new set of heads or is this something that could be repaired?

View attachment 1715537127
For your application, it doesn't matter to the guide, but if it extends into where the seal clamps, then I suppose you could have a leaker.
The machine shop will check the guides for wear, and tell you what needs to be done.
 
I did the tear down on my engine and the block looks to be solid so I'm just gonna stick with the 318. I ran into a little problem when taking valve springs off. The outer port where the spring sits is cracked. I was wondering if anyone had the same problem. Do I need to get a new set of heads or is this something that could be repaired?

View attachment 1715537127
Very probably not any problem. A new valve guide insert was installed at some point and the remaining meat in the guide boss cracked. Probably can be left as is, but ask the shop. Were there rotators under the exhaust valve springs?
 
I just did something similar for my ramcharger. I used a 89 TBI 318. Has the roller cam, #302 heads and pistons that are slightly higher in the hole. I added a spreadbore intake and a 650 carb on top. I did a 318willrun port job on the heads with a good valve job. Other than the head work, it's a stock rebuild. I will say it has a lot more power than the 318 2bbl it replaced.
 
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