Honestly...how good was the 318...mpg / durability / hp

I lost a buick 350 to timing gear failure as well.

My olds 425, OTOH, was a serious screamer, even in a 9,000 pound 1966 98..
Those engines only came one way. High output. Kinda like the 403. Whether they were in the Trans Am or grandma's station wagon, the 403 was always hot. I had a friend whose parents had a Delta 88 more door with a 425. We got to cruise it every now and then. That thing would slap get it for a big car. We wasted almost every Rustang 5.0 we came across and usually with five or six of us in the car.