Great power at 5000, but check it out at 2500; a measly 135hp, I can only imagine what the hp would be, at 1700/1800, a typical factory stall speed, or even a 2000 .
Of course, even the factory knew enough to not put a 1700 stall speed converter behind a motor using that cam.
That motor ripped pretty good for what it was.
It wasn’t built to use in a plow truck.
The stock 273-4 had a peak of 280@4000rpm........ so who knows what it was at 2500 without seeing a dyno sheet....... but if the peak is 280@4000........ then you can be sure the tq at 2500 is less than the 284 pumped out by that 318.
The 273-4 peaks are at the same points as that 318....... 4000 and 5000....... only the peak values are 48ft/lbs less and 58hp less.
So ....... how bad could that 318 really be?
Swap to a cam that had shorter seat timing and a tighter lsa than the stock 340 cam(114lsa), and the numbers would likely improve across the board.
