4 barrels and intakes are over rated on street cars

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pearljam724

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I bought a bone stock 73 Dart a couple months and took it out for the first time today. It has a bone stock 318. With stock intake, stock cam and 2 barrel. Today was first the time that I put it to a real test. As I obviously couldn’t do that test driving it, the day I bought it. In my mind prior. I knew what I was getting and had zero performance expectations. Turns out, this damn 318 motor screams. It will run circles around my B body convertible 360 with bigger cam, bigger intake and 4 barrel. There’s no comparison. Little bit less weight with the 318 car. But, not enough that I’m extremely impressed with the performance.
 
pearljam724 said:
I bought a bone stock 73 Dart a couple months and took it out for the first time today. It has a bone stock 318. With stock intake, stock cam and 2 barrel. Today was first the time that I put it to a real test. As I obviously couldn’t do that test driving it, the day I bought it. In my mind prior. I knew what I was getting and had zero performance expectations. Turns out, this damn 318 motor screams. It will run circles around my B body convertible 360 with bigger cam, bigger intake and 4 barrel. There’s no comparison. Little bit less weight with the 318 car. But, not enough that I’m extremely impressed with the performance.
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318 2bbls can be impressive - when you are not expecting "hot rod" performance. But trust me, a nice 4bbl and dual exhaust - when tuned properly - will be a nice enhancement you can feel by the seat of your pants!
*I ran a stone stock 318 2bbl with only dual exhaust added in a B-body and turned 15.9's @ 84 mph.
 
George Jets said:
318
Just the way Ma Mopar intended it to run, strong . . .
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I took my '77 van with the stone-stock 318 2bbl out of town. I hit 80 mph well before the marked off 1/4 mile... :D I checked the speedometer with GPS and it was dead accurate at 55 mph. Not sure what it would have shown at 80 mph, but when we brought it home, I did 65 mph and that's what my wife said the mustang showed as well.
 
Forgot to mention. 318 is single exhaust. 360 is dual. This little motor is impressive. Definitely didn’t expect it to run this well.
 
pearljam724 said:
Forgot to mention. 318 is single exhaust. 360 is dual. This little motor is impressive. Definitely didn’t expect it to run this well.
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318willrun !!
LOL... But in all reality, your 360 with 4bbl, even in the heavier car should be able to handle the 318. I'd say some tuning is needed on the 360.
 
318willrun said:
318willrun !!
LOL... But in all reality, your 360 with 4bbl, even in the heavier car should be able to handle the 318. I'd say some tuning is needed on the 360.
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Definitely not a tuning issue. I think it’s down on compression a little.
 
Yeah mine was a dog. I put a 4 barrel and a .440 lift .214° @.050 cam in it woke up big time.
 
About 10 years ago I bought my 24 year old daughter a 1974 4 door Dart from a friend. It was a 318 2-barrel automatic on the column. One day she came home and said “Dad, look what I can do!”. She stood on the accelerator and did a one-legger burnout down the street. My eyes welled up with tears of joy.
 
V8s are overrated on the street. Everybody should immediately install \6s and demand an aluminium cylinder head.
 
I have always preferred the fast revving 318 & 340 over the 360's. Unless that 360 has been built up its power is probably marginal for a B body.
 
pearljam724 said:
Yeah, I know the compression is down on it just a little. But, it runs fine and is still a good motor. The B body car has a little over 300 pounds on it too.
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You've got to believe me on this..... and I LOVE 318's.... a 318 2bbl w/single exhaust hasn't a prayer against a 360 4bbl w/cam and duals, even if the 360 is in a 500 lbs heavier car. Example: My low compression (dished pistons in the hole), stock heads 360 w/4bbl backed by 2.45 gears and stock tranny/converter ran 13.9's in a '76 Duster. Try that with your Dart. I'm telling ya, no matter how "good" you think that 360 is running, if it's slower than that Dart, you have major issues with it. Just say'n.... and I mean to be helpful.
 
My experience has been that 318's are Tits on a Ritz. Might not win every race but you always get there. Unless you put some gears, cam, headers, and carb and let it eat.
 
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You better check the stall and gears on that 318 car. Those two can really fool you, in the lower trans gears.
A 2800 and 3.91s turns any 318 into a killer. Where the same engine with a stock TC and 2.73s is one sick performer. Never mind a Fifth Avenue with 2.20s. Mind you, a FA is a lil portly,lol.
 
My dad had a 76 dodge van with 3.91 gears and a 2 barrel 318 and it did hual ***! But i took that same 318 and put it in his other van with i think 3.23s and was slooooow.
 
thesiren74 said:
My dad had a 76 dodge van with 3.91 gears and a 2 barrel 318 and it did hual ***! But i took that same 318 and put it in his other van with i think 3.23s and was slooooow.
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That would do it!
 
No bs. This car will smoke tires at a stop in 2nd gear. That’s impressive for a stock 318. I know it’s not a big block for crying out loud. I’m simply stating this engine is impressive for a 47 year old street, stock, small block. It’s not a tird by any means. Street wise. It will get up and go.
 
pearljam724 said:
No bs. This car will smoke tires at a stop in 2nd gear. That’s impressive for a stock 318. I know it’s not a big block for crying out loud. I’m simply stating this engine is impressive for a 47 year old street, stock, small block. It’s not a tird by any means. Street wise. It will get up and go.
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Any chance you know what the rear gear ratio is on your car ?

3.23 maybe ??
 
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