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

Like I said in the other thread, I put one together in 1990 where the only new parts I put in it were rings/bearings/gaskets.
Reworked 675 heads, 340 cam, Performer....... made 290hp.
So, to me that’s the baseline number to shoot for.
Edit- found the sheets.....
Peak tq 328.7@4000, with 298.4@3000
Peak hp 293.9@5000, and still 285.1@5500


A few years after that I built a few 318 oval track motors.
Those could be 10:1 and use solid lifter cams.
Stock heads, no porting, valve size rule was 1.88/1.50, so I used 596 heads with ex seats to allow the 1.50 ex valve to be used.
The first one made right about 340hp.
Oh....... and that was with a stock 360 2bbl manifold and a Holley 4412 on it.
I built two of those motors. That team had two cars........ track and series championship winners that year.
The only Mopars in the field.

The rules remained unchanged for a few years, and I think I ended up getting those things up into the mid-350’s with some cam experimenting.
I’d have to see if I could find the sheets.
Edit-in 94 they were making low/mid-360’s hp, and mid/upper 350’s tq.
In 95 the intake rule changed to a RPM with a 2bbl carb adapter.
The tq picked up a few ft/lbs, but carried quite a bit better, and the motors were in the 380’s for HP. Still using a 4412 Holley.
Way back Holley used to make a 600 or 650 cfm 2bbl.
It was a large venturi carb with no boosters.
The OD of the venturi had a series of small holes that the fuel came out of, like a really large annular booster.
We had one to play with on the dyno. That thing made good power, but had pretty poor driveability/low speed operation.
It was worth 25ft/lbs and 30hp over the 4412 though.
383.6 tq@4500/416.7 hp@6300.