Very Mild 318 Build

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Do a compression and a leakage test. If the engine is in relative good shape put a Weiand or old edelbrock LD4B on it and some dual exhaust. With a smart distributor curve you may have the performance you are looking for without going the overhaul, cam, converter rear gears route.
 
Do a compression and a leakage test. If the engine is in relative good shape put a Weiand or old edelbrock LD4B on it and some dual exhaust. With a smart distributor curve you may have the performance you are looking for without going the overhaul, cam, converter rear gears route.

This was going to be my original plan, unfortunately (or fortunately now rather than during the spring) the nylon timing gear lost a few teeth and jumped time.

As for rear end, I'm thinking the 3.55 will give me a good compromise between low end pull and being able to cruise at 55 in adequate comfort.
 
Finish hone a block with a torque plate. Use the gasket you will use in your build, the bolt or stud depth you will end up using, fasteners torqued to finish values. Hone lightly and stop frequently, so you can see any high or low spots. You only need to do it once. Try machining a SBC without torquing the main caps or a torque plate to simulate assembled stresses in the block. Not even close to right. Can you skip using a torque plate on a SBM? Yes, it's done every day. You don't need a great valve job either. It will run. I personally won't do an engine without one. I have my own stack of plates. What is the difference in price to hone with a torque plate? Not much. Your choice.
 
You can probably port match your 318 exhaust manifolds and heads nicely and get a little flow since you have the exhaust system already. I know some people will flame me for this but I recommend a mopar electronic distributor with vac advance, and get a mounting plate from www.designed2drive.com and install a GM HEI 4 pin electronic ignition module to run the stock Chrysler electronic distributor. You eliminate your firewall ballast resistor and just connect the wires together. This will help you with ease of starting, better idle, and acceleration over stock. I also recommend getting a mopar denso mini starter off any dodge truck with a magnum 318, 360, or 3.9L V6. It's only about 8 lbs and outputs more HP than the stock 20 pounder that the car came with.
 
Finish hone a block with a torque plate. Use the gasket you will use in your build, the bolt or stud depth you will end up using, fasteners torqued to finish values. Hone lightly and stop frequently, so you can see any high or low spots. You only need to do it once. Try machining a SBC without torquing the main caps or a torque plate to simulate assembled stresses in the block. Not even close to right. Can you skip using a torque plate on a SBM? Yes, it's done every day. You don't need a great valve job either. It will run. I personally won't do an engine without one. I have my own stack of plates. What is the difference in price to hone with a torque plate? Not much. Your choice.
And if your machine shop has a CK10 Sunnen or a Rottler even better.
 
i had good luck on a 318 with a holley street dominator and a thermoquad with headers , cut the heads with a mild cam lwer spec than a 340 cam , thing fried the tires . it was a lot of funand got decent mpg
 
No need for a stall converter with skinny tires unless you like wheelspin. With that short of a tire 3.21/3.23 would be the most I would look for in a rear gear. Limited slip a must.

You could always retard the cam a few degrees if you want to limit wheelspin and like the top end charge.:D

Good valve job, new springs and don't over cam it.
 
Yeah, that's a little much. I prefer more like .0015-.002
I like .002 intake, .003-.004 exh.
The accepted amount is .001-003 and .002-.004 , int/exh. I've seen them run fine all over the place, I've seen some stuck ...most all had gunk on the back of intake valves no matter what clearance after some miles of real driving. They would run @.006-8 but what the fk am I paying for again? Still irritated about it.
 
I like .002 intake, .003-.004 exh.
The accepted amount is .001-003 and .002-.004 , int/exh. I've seen them run fine all over the place, I've seen some stuck ...most all had gunk on the back of intake valves no matter what clearance after some miles of real driving. They would run @.006-8 but what the fk am I paying for again? Still irritated about it.

Yeah, lol. If they were in the shop in the first damn place, right? I'm really wanting to see how that thing ends up. .....and the OP's as well. People dog the 318 but I've always liked um.
 
I like .002 intake, .003-.004 exh.
The accepted amount is .001-003 and .002-.004 , int/exh. I've seen them run fine all over the place, I've seen some stuck ...most all had gunk on the back of intake valves no matter what clearance after some miles of real driving. They would run @.006-8 but what the fk am I paying for again? Still irritated about it.
Yeah, lol. If they were in the shop in the first damn place, right? I'm really wanting to see how that thing ends up. .....and the OP's as well. People dog the 318 but I've always liked um.
What do you guys like for replacement guides? I had the spiral bronze ones installed in my 273 heads. They seem to still be working fine after 10+ years. (but not too many miles) I knurled the guides on my 340 heads years ago just to tighten them up a bit. That seemed to work as well but I didn't own that car forever.
 
What do you guys like for replacement guides? I had the spiral bronze ones installed in my 273 heads. They seem to still be working fine after 10+ years. (but not too many miles)

I always say it depends on what you're doing. I like stock regular cast iron guides for almost everything. If I was building something extra special and really hot, I would consider bronze.
 
11_14_0.jpgcrop.jpg
You can barely see them
 
Street.. sub .550, iron guides are long for.
Race, solid roller ..the bronze .
K liners can work okay too. There is the right guide for every application.
Knurling old worn guides is imo a bandaid at best.
 
stock heads get the compression up to what was recommended for your gas choice
tq carb or aftermarket tq or avs style
manifold choices recommended or stock tq 4bbl from 360 like the cop cars
jones cam or lunati voodoo for a shelf cam 250-256
spial bronze and viton seals I od hone my valve stems
blend the bottom of a good valve job- even uncle tony style helps-see stickie
 
stock heads get the compression up to what was recommended for your gas choice
tq carb or aftermarket tq or avs style
manifold choices recommended or stock tq 4bbl from 360 like the cop cars
jones cam or lunati voodoo for a shelf cam 250-256
spial bronze and viton seals I od hone my valve stems
blend the bottom of a good valve job- even uncle tony style helps-see stickie
There you go. Without that Jones cam you might as well stay home. lol
I would like to hear or see that Jones cam.
 
Dont watch uncle phoney for anything.
Didnt you hear how he took his garbage barge to the track, complete with coat hanger welded gears and sent an axle into the tree , destroying it..and then proceeded to oil down the track with 90 weight to a blistering 20 something in he 1/4.
He was banned from the track
That was last week. Somone has to have the video...
Loser
 
Dont watch uncle phoney for anything.
Didnt you hear how he took his garbage barge to the track, complete with coat hanger welded gears and sent an axle into the tree , destroying it..and then proceeded to oil down the track with 90 weight to a blistering 20 something in he 1/4.
He was banned from the track
That was last week. Somone has to have the video...
Loser

Hadn't heard that one yet.
 
The latest one I can find is the one about "workin the bugs out one by one" or some such. It was dated September 16th.
 
I don't see anything on his Youtube site. Of course! LOL
 
I don't see anything on his Youtube site. Of course! LOL
I heard from someone who was there.
Some non NHRA track, good ol boy track.
Just have to wait and see I guess..
Been funnier if it then lost a fuel line at the pump and turned into a fireball crossing the line..
 
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