318 engine build help

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SwingingDart76

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Does anyone have suggestions for a 318 build? Im looking for H.P in the 500-600 power range. Any good engine builds will help. Thanx.8)
 
500-600 hp 318?

get a 4 inch stroker crank....get a set of ported eddy heads or w2 heads...
 
That is huge power for a 318. Not to say that it can't be done, but its not going to come cheaply or easily!

Based on the numbers I've seen if you want to stay streetable I would say you'd need to lower those expectations into the 400 hp range, unless you're planning on running forced induction or a lot of nitrous.

What's the info on the car? Is this a race only deal, or something that will could see the street? And if you really need to get to the 600hp mark, why a 318?
 
500hp only with a 100 shot of the juice. You need to base you build on 400 and then shoot it with 100, you will not get 600hp out of a teen. My buddy got close to 550, but youll put way to much money into it. The 400hp, is easy and not that expensive.
My is 425hp and is as follows
318
KB167 set to zero
airgap
Voodoo 403
eagle i beams
Eddy heads
windage tray
 
I think Im looking more for the strip but would like to get it out for cruises. Im on abudget but would like to get maximum out of my 318. Eventually Iwill move to a big block.
 
You don't have the money to make that power. Have you ever actually driven a car iwth a true 500 horsepower? Not soemone that claims it, but a car that runs the numbers?
 
Yes I Have been in a real car that fast! Im starting to see that I cant make the kind of power I want with a 318, but it is what I have to work with right now. Just an idea I have, but would a stroked 318 with high compression and alcohol give good results? If so how much compression is too much for a stock block?
 
600 HP is quite a bit of power for a 440, let alone a 318. You'd probably blow up the block before you got there. Get a 360 block and stroke it to a 408 and 500 HP is much more doable. If you don't want to do that then build your 318 for 350-400 HP (much easier) and wait till you can get a big-block.
 
You still say budget. I dont mean to be a jerk, but you sound a little ignorant of what that will take, and what that will cost. If you cant afford to big block the car now, you cant even afford the driveline you'll need behind that motor, never mind the engine.
 
Stock 318 blocks aren't designed to handle alcohol or really high compression. First of all they only have four head bolts per cylinder, so you'll be blowing head gaskets left and right; second of all, stock 360 blocks can only handle 550 HP or so before the cylinder walls break open and all hell breaks loose; a 318 block, probably even less. Thirdly, you're going to have to rev that 318 to stratospheric levels to get that much HP, and by that time you'll run into issues with pushrod angularity and other valvetrain problems. You could try forced induction, but that's also pushing it.
 
kid, Not quite... the 318 block is one of the toughest you can get. The smaller bores tend to have more thickness, so they are stronger in the walls. The mains are 340 sized, but carry less weight, so they hold up under more stress. The block itself is identical with the exception of the bore cores as all LA/Magnum blocks. the 360 is not different, except for smaller mains than the 318/340. Now, all that being said, any block can run any fuel. Alcohol is actually better than gasoline for performance. You could run nitromethane (in low mixtures) thru them. but, you still need top of the line parts, and machining, and heads and cams to feed it. A 500hp 318 on methanol is easy. So is making it streetable. but where are you going to get fuel? And again... how is it all getting paid for? Single turbo on gasoline can do it. but you wont build it and get it running for cheaper than swapping in a 440. We are talking thousands, more than 47-8K to get the engine built, plus the fuel system, the cooling system, the transmission, the rear axle and suspension... I would suggest a realistic goal if this is a place holder anyway.
 
It's all about cubic dollars...lol. If you have enough, you can do anything. Anything under 400hp is easy with any size V8 for reasonable cash. (say under $4K total in the engine, The less, the cheaper. A 350hp 318 is not expensive at all.
 
moper said:
kid, Not quite... the 318 block is one of the toughest you can get. The smaller bores tend to have more thickness, so they are stronger in the walls. The mains are 340 sized, but carry less weight, so they hold up under more stress. The block itself is identical with the exception of the bore cores as all LA/Magnum blocks. the 360 is not different, except for smaller mains than the 318/340. Now, all that being said, any block can run any fuel. Alcohol is actually better than gasoline for performance. You could run nitromethane (in low mixtures) thru them. but, you still need top of the line parts, and machining, and heads and cams to feed it. A 500hp 318 on methanol is easy. So is making it streetable. but where are you going to get fuel? And again... how is it all getting paid for? Single turbo on gasoline can do it. but you wont build it and get it running for cheaper than swapping in a 440. We are talking thousands, more than 47-8K to get the engine built, plus the fuel system, the cooling system, the transmission, the rear axle and suspension... I would suggest a realistic goal if this is a place holder anyway.
Click to expand...

Huh, I didn't know that. About the alcohol though I figured it would give you higher cylinder pressures which don't tend to work well on something with fewer head bolts.
 
Yes to higher pressures, but no to enough to split them. And the yes is because of the energy and properties of alcohol, you buildit for more compression/pressure. Mopar small blocks have always suffered frrom the lack of 5 head bolts tho. But, with studs, or Orings, and good machining and parts, there are some over 14:1 that live fine.
 
First I am a little ignorant to building a serious engine that is why i am doing research such as this.:bootysha: But in all fairness I do crave something NASTY, I want a toy not necessarily for the street but pleasure. Money is somewhat of a factor but I'm determined. Plus I could always buy a part at a time. So I can see now that building my 318 probably wont satisfy me in the end. Should I get a 360 or 440?
 
If you want something truly nasty, go with the 440. If you want your car to still have decent balance (for handling purposes) then go with the 360. 600 HP is not too difficult on a 440 and it will still be mild enough to be driven on the street.
 
I'm with some of the comments posted here, N/A 5-600HP just isn't feesible. For that power range the easiest way to go is forced induction. You wouldn't be the first to have a blown 318 and it's not that hard to do.
As for those who think it is thousands upon thousands of dollars, I'm going to assume you've been reading too many magazines where they are working budgetless. In November last year I finished twin turboing my 318 magnum in my duster for right at $1000 counting rebuilding 1 of the turbos. I'm in college and on an extremely tight budget. I learned how to weld while building the piping for the system and Low n behold it all works. I'm not in the 500hp range right now, but I'm running a completely stock engine on 6lbs with no intercooler and no detonation.
If you plan it out and look around a big single blow through setup can be built for under $1500.

Theturboforums.com if you're interested plenty of turbo mopars on there and alot of helpful guys as well.
 
Yup, what TT74 said! A turbo or 2 can be done cheap and make big power.

As for the guys that don't like the 318, watch out! Do not underestimate the 318.
Here is just one fairly mild build that put out 477 hp on pump gas at 6500 rpm and did so with stock stroke, overbore was only for clean-up of the block at .026" and it used ported R/T iron heads!!! If you don't think that combo would have made between 5 and 600 HP in a stroker set-up, I'd like to know why not.
http://www.popularhotrodding.com/te...all_block_mopar_specifications_dyno_test.html
 
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