There are many reasons why the LA 318 is inadequate as a performance engine. Too many here want to argue because they have never seen 340 innards in their life. I find that apalling and ignorant that they want to argue the point about 318s. I've had both apart and the parts between both engines are night and day 318 is not a 340 and cannot be made into one. Not on the cheap and Id go as far yo say its impossible because the blocks aren't the same even though there are internet misinformers out there who say they are the same... the 3`8 LA heads are junk as a performance application wether they are ported or not a bunch of morons is waht the 318 side is a bunch of farmers who think they know better than the Chrysler engineers who developed the engine. Their hero is a high school dropout story teller...making up yarnns about 318 performance. I've said it before and will say it again everything that can be done to the LA 318 has been done already there is no new discovery to be had, do the research figure it out and follow an already established recipe. id start with a magnum if I was truly doing a budget performance build not a 72 LA 318 with a 2 barrel its just plain nonsense concocted by Uncle Tony... sometimes I think the man is on dope honestly because of the bullshit lies and claims he comes up with. lastly none of it is cheap if you are racing you are spending money thats how it works...always has been that way always will. The low budget guy is never competitive, not in a world based on reality.