Here’s the thing, with you & many others here. Now don’t take offense to this and flip out on me. But is is how your coming off. Like so many others that crap on the 318.
1st off, even a novice in the car world knows bigger is better. With that, they already know there not going to make the same power and be slower. But yet everyone loves driving that point home and a few aren’t so kind to n the matter.
Let’s see ask the cost factor into consideration.
The inquiring already have a 318 vs how much now for a bare 340 block? Let’s take the gamble of the block being bad when it gets to you out of this even though I’ve been victim to it twice.
We are now $700 in the hole for just the block. $700 goes a long way in rotating parts for the 318 the questioner already has.
Your perception that the 318 was never a performance engine or a correct (I know you know that.) but not being able to make it perform is a joke because it can perform. We will cover caveats latter.
What makes it worse is you and many others compare it to a 5.0 Ford or something else. What is crazier from you is you compare the two 5.0’s from a truck and a Stang. On the base level, there the same to start with since the performance ceiling most are looking for is way higher than what the Mustang had. So what’s the real difference here. The only thing being kept is the block, possibly the crank and maybe, just maybe the rods. Everything else is being tossed.
From this perspective, it’s a dumb comparison. Because everything is being changed out for better.
In the case of keeping the heads, (MoPar here) reworking the stock head for mild performance is a cost saver over new aluminum. Until the price factor tips in favor of aluminum & the performance level isn’t very high, there is nothing wrong with the iron head. While I’m not a fan of keeping a 318 head on a 318 since the 350 head is a winner every time, perhaps the researcher doesn’t have the money to reinvest in 330/360 heads.
But the internet world just keeps beating on those that want to work with what they have for as little money as possible. The very thing about this board is to help others and even more so, new guys and those with less funds to do the best they can with the little money and experience they have.
Something most ignore.
It’s not that using an340 or 360 doesn’t make sense, it’s just not helpful sometimes (most IMO) to suggest it over and over again like nailing a nail down with a hammer. Even more so when the goal of using the 318 to start with on purpose is in the title and first lines of a thread.
The bottom line here? Your not helping.
So perhaps being removed from the board was a lesson not fully yet learned.
Everyone (99.9%?) knows the 318 was never a performance engine but just a basic people mover. Actually, even the performance engines were since they company has to warranty them for a time. Back in the day, they could have make a 318 make 1.2 hp per cube. (381 hp) They could have done it with a 440 as well. (528 hp) But they didn’t. They were all just upgraded people movers.
But many upgraded the engines anyway. Didn’t you?
If you did, then you must have felt that the engine wasn’t up to snuff for being a performance engine.
