Best year for a 318 build?

I thought about a 318 for Vixen, but right now I am extremely happy with the 170. I built the budget 400 for the V8 swap later on. If had decided to go 318 though, I would have chosen a 5.2 Magnum. They are much more plentiful and much better cores. Most you find still have cross hatch in the cylinders and a lot of them are still good runners. Just a thought.