I've seen A LOT of posts about making HP with a 318-So why is it so ???

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RAMM

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Ok so first off I'm a little amazed when reading the comments over @ Nick's garage and the Uncle Tony 318 debacle, I'm also a little despondent. As an aside: I am less than an hour away from Nick and that is why I am an observer.

So how much HP do you see the UTG/LOG/NG 318 making even when corrected? (me 255ish)

There are thousands of posts and threads all across the internet concerning the 318 and hopping them up--so why does it seem so hard?

I believe it is because nobody REALLY invests in a 'teener (stock stroke that is) . Why the HECK would they? When I say invest I mean --proper compression/pistons/porting etc...

EVERYONE usually moves to a 340 or a 360 based build--WHY? Because it makes sense.

I understand the budget angle but logic always prevails. Why pay 1-2 thirds more for a 318 specific piston when a 360 piston is available?

I happen to have a 1983 318 block on the floor and may just try and shoot myself in the foot with the following:

I am VERY tempted to make my own YOUTUBE quality video concerning the 318 and yes it will need proper machining and cleaning and some parts will cost actual money. HP goal is more than 250--lol.

What is the bare minimum that everyone wants to see?
What is the maximum everyone wants to see (machining/parts etc..)?

What say you FABO? J.Rob
 
With proper parts selection, I see no reason why a 318 couldn't reach 1 HP per square inch.
The secret is in the heads and the cam!
The lift of a stock 318 cam is .373. Yeah. The valve springs could almost be compressed by an 87 year old dude with arthritis.
The 318/5.2 Magnum was rated at 230 HP, a number that could easily be boosted with better heads and intake, headers and a decent cam.
 
Heads, cam, pistons, exhaust, fuel delivery, "used to be called" carburetion.
 
Kern Dog said:
With proper parts selection, I see no reason why a 318 couldn't reach 1 HP per square inch.
The secret is in the heads and the cam!
The lift of a stock 318 cam is .373. Yeah. The valve springs could almost be compressed by an 87 year old dude with arthritis.
The 318/5.2 Magnum was rated at 230 HP, a number that could easily be boosted with better heads and intake, headers and a decent cam.
Click to expand...

Kern Dog--you are no lurker, I cant see 318hp being the highwatermark for gurus like UTG/NG. Keep in mind I would like to keep to that kind of theme minus the dirt inclusion. J.Rob
 
Asking why build a 318 is like asking why mess with a slant six. Some folks like what they like.
 
  • 5.2 mag was 230 NET hp. Just slap a 4bbl and headers and your around 300 hp GROSS, or as the Dyno would flow.
  • I showed about 5 years ago you can throw less than 500 bucks at a 318 2bbl and run with a factory '73 340 4bbl with 3.21 gears. ET track proven results. That engine still runs great today
  • Valiantracing right here on FABO runs 11.7's with a street driven 318 with less than .500 lift. That's more than alot of built 340's, 360's, and even strokers that are here on this site.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If Mopar lovers believed in the 318 like Ford lovers like their 302 fox bodies, we'd see a lot more 318 in the 11's in street form. But, it makes sense to start with a 360 because of pricing and 42 more cubes.
 
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I am a fan of 318s I love them I have owned and driven them since I was 16 iv had some extremely stout ones and some duds! My first attempt at engine building was when I was 17/18. I got a 67 318 block out of a 4 door belvedere i left the bottom end original added 360 heads a summit cam some headers and a 340 intake. Granted looking back now I had no clue what I was doing and God only knows what all I did wrong. But I had high expectations for that engine but it was weak! I mean WEAK!! I swear my slant 6 had more pop to it haha. But it ran and I drove it for several years. I have to admit as much as I love 318s i bowed out and did the popular thing and built(ing) a 360 for my dart. After I did the pros and cons vs money the 360 was just a better bang for the buck. I still have a 318 core I plan to build someday. My expectations would be at least 300 330-350 should be obtainable with good heads. The two weak spots in a 318 are the flow and compression If I was gonna build one now I'd probably shoot for 10:1 and a set of speed master pro comp heads and good aluminum intake to match the large port heads with the same .475/.495 cam I have for my 360 project. I think that would make a solid 300 hp and a super fun street car
 
Back in the day when TRW was still a name for cams and other engine parts, a friend with a Dart Sport built a 318. He used a TRW copy of the 68 340 cam. Headers, 4bbl and 3.91's. Ran a 13.2 at Cecil Co Dragway.
 
Should be able to build a 3-350 horse teen without too many trick parts.
 
Got to be honest I started off with a 360. But found myself gravitating to a 318.. built a nice street 318 and now threw a 4 inch stroke in with big heads. I love the underdog
Would be fun to build a 7500rpm big head 318
 
RAMM said:
... I believe it is because nobody REALLY invests in a 'teener (stock stroke that is) . Why the HECK would they? When I say invest I mean --proper compression/pistons/porting etc...

What is the bare minimum that everyone wants to see?
What is the maximum everyone wants to see (machining/parts etc..)?

What say you FABO? J.Rob
Click to expand...

Bingo! You should be able to make 320hp minimum. You know the drill. head flow (360?), compression, intake, carb, cam, ring seal, hp ignition, headers. Never understood the cheap angle. Bore and hone with torque plates. Equalize decks. True TDC and centerline the cam.
 
Here is a different angle to think about.
318 or 340 or 360.
All three weigh about the same and take up the same room in the engine bay.
All 3 take the same transmissions and accessories like belts and hoses.
So if you spent almost the same dollar per horse power on each- what one gets you the most torque, horse power AND bragging rights?
“Hey dudes check out my killer 318.”
Or
“Hey dudes check out my 340.”

most still think of a 318 as a mom mobile engine. I like them and own a few. But my 340-4 gets way more street cred than my 318. Heck, my 273-4 gets more cred than my 318.

yet my 318 gets more love than my 225 ever did.
Just my humble observation for the day.
 
Ok, I will chime in. I have both 318 and 360. I almost put a 360 in my ramcharger, but I had a really nice roller cam 318 with low miles. I did nothing but a stock rebuild and spreadbore. Pistons were .022 in the hole with 302 heads. Real quick port match, cartridge rolled them and valve job. This thing has gone more power than the lower compression 318 2bbl it replaced. Point being, a stock 318 with just a little head work and higher comp made tremendous gain in power and drivability almost to the point I would swear it was a 360.
Same goes for my Duster. It has a .030, 318, pistons. 026" down, .028 HG, heads cut .030, mild potting and a 340 can and that thing is impressive on how strong it runs.
The run of the mill teen, leaves so much on the table and generally weak, so to speak. Teens respond smartly to compression and a good flowing set of small port heads in my opinion.
 
Didnt Brian, Lunar Outlaw, put a .470 lift cam in it. 255hp was because they didnt tune it yet, used shorter amc lifters which cause low oil pressure. Not to mention Nick said he believed the timing was at 45 degrees. I think Uncle Tony said the push rods would need to be .100 longer as there was little if any pre-load on the lifters, which again caused the low oil pressure.

I think more people are looking to the 318 due to its durability and availability. With some head work, a decent cam, intake and headers, you have a fun street/bracket warrior.

In the 90's, my buddy put a .570 cam in a 318, headers, hogged the **** out of the heads, added 4.10s and an 850 holley and only worried about the grand national which he said he would beat.
 
I recently did a warmed over LA318 for my '77 D100. Basically a 0.030" over stock bottom end, pistons were 0.08" in the hole. Heads were "302" heads that were gasket matched and mildly ported with 1.88/1.6 valves installed. Milled down to 58cc. Gasket matched LD340 intake topped off with a StreetDemon 625. Mild CompCams 262XE, double roller, windage tray, MP distributor, shorty Hedman headers, etc..

Initially I was thinking it would make around 300hp, but after getting it in my truck, I was a little let down. It didn't have the punch that the very mild 360 in my Dart has. Once it got rolling it started pulling hard, but off the line it was a little soft. It wasn't what I thought it should be.

Then I rode in my buddy's '79 D100 with the low mile stock 318 2bbl. Apparently my 318 is WAY faster than the stocker, once compared side by side.

If I had to do it over, I would've just found a 360 shortblock and went from there. Torque is KING on the street!
 
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mini said:
Got to be honest I started off with a 360. But found myself gravitating to a 318.. built a nice street 318 and now threw a 4 inch stroke in with big heads. I love the underdog
Would be fun to build a 7500rpm big head 318
Click to expand...

I started off with a 340 (which was a lie) that was actually a 318. I was a teen myself and paid my mother to use her credit card to place an order with Summit. I ordered a Weiand Action + dual plane, Edelbrock 600 carb, headers, and a torque converter. Guess what? It was still a mutt although it sounded great. I then found a 360 out of a Cordoba-re-ringed it , Mopar Purpleshaft .450/.455, cleaned up heads w/backcut valves, machined the stock retainers to accept Speedpro VS179 (SBC spring) re-used the Weiand, sold the 600 and got serious with a TQ. When I was cleaning the ring grooves with a piston ring I actually dropped a piston and broke the skirt. I was broke so I chamfered the skirt and back in it went.<<This was very much a UTG style build with $790 CDN (circa 90's) into it however it did see the inside of a machine shop.

Even then I knew enough to have the machine shop -Jetwash the block, deglaze the cylinders with a rigid hone (Sunnen CK-10), install ARP rod bolts/touch up big ends Sunnen rod hone, deck the block .045", back cut valves.

This was where I fell in love with 360's (maybe machining too)and I have never looked back at the 318. That 360 beat any 340 on the street , all 5.0's I found myself beside at a light and would start burning the tires when kicked down into the passing gear at any speed under 50km/hr. It also did something 360's weren't supposed to do and that was REV. It stayed together, could burn the tires at will , which is something the previous 318 could only dream about, got great fuel mileage, had great oil pressure, RPM's like a 340 and probably would have ran a high 13 especially with the highway gearing. I commuted 35 minutes to work with it for a year . In short I love 360's especially when they bolt right into a 318's place. Sorry for the wall of text. J.Rob
 
Right on! The 360 in my Dart is a stock short block with 0.060" H116CP pistons, stock small valve "587" heads, Comp 268AH10, LD340 intake, StreetDemon 750, and 340 HP manifolds.

It currently runs low 13s in the 1/4, spins to 6000rpm, idles like a kitten, and has been trouble free for 3yrs now. Hell, last year at a cruise in they had a burnout contest. I held it in 3rd gear at 6000rpm for nearly 20seconds, tire speed was over 90mph. Not to mention, all my buddy's with 340s and 318s are always blown away with how stock the build is and how fast it runs. At nearly 371 cubes, there is just a big torque advantage!
 
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