I'd have to know what kind of budget you are looking at for the projects. A decent converter may cost you 600+... I wouldn't get a 200 dollar converter, I'd keep the stock one in that case. I'm guessing you have a 7.25 rear end, which is ok with a mild 318 but not a big HP engine. FABO is a great source to learn. Honestly, I have a lot of ground zero stuff for newbies on my youtube channel, heads included. If you haven't looked yet, here's a link. 318willrun - YouTube