318 performance

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xfakturx

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I just picked up a 73 scamp with a smooth running 318 and a 3 speed auto, I'm looking to get some more power out of it for relativly cheap. I have around 1200$ to spend on this little project.

Some info on the car that I know so far:

Has an edelbrock carb of some type ( will find a part number)
Edelbrock performer intake

What I was told:
Mild cam of some sort
Higher compression somehow (didn't get specifics)

I'm not going to take the things I was told about this car seriously untill I tear into it and verify, now to start off I read the hotrod magazine build and have a few questions.

If my heads have infact been milled should I still look for a set of 302 heads? What can I find them in?

Where can I find a low budget set of headers?

What cam do you all suggest?

I'm also considering a gear, the car won't be daily driven and will see little to no highway time, it will see the strip on occasion, any gear suggestions?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.
 
headers with dual exhaust...and nice electronic ignition.
 
be carefull buying used #302 heads as most are cracked. i would just buy rebuilt ones if you really want those heads. ive seen thenm on ebay rebuilt for pretty cheap. you can get cheap headers from summit or jegs, but there cheap and you get what you pay for. with your budget you can build a vary stout 318.
 
If I run the 302 heads will I need anything else to bolt them up? What if I'm running a new cam? I'm only familiar with import dohc setups (had a 600hp talon) this is my first v8
 
If your going to invest in heads I would really look hard at the rhs stuff. From what I have been hearing on here they would run circles around the 302 heads.
 
I seen those, but will they offer the same bump in compression?
 
I have a 318 in my Duster... Check out Hedman Hedders... cheap and they work well. After I dumped my 7 1/4 rear end I added an 8 3/4 and installed 3.55 gears. More for a street/strip set up I usually have very little freeway driving. Good Luck on your project!!!
 
I know since you already have the 318 in the car its easy to work with, but if you have the tools an the means, with a $1200 budget i'd go a different route. I would look for a moderate low mileage 360 prob j/y motor and take all the goodies from the 318 and throw it on the 360. I've seen numerous 360's for sale on craigslist and ebay that were pulled running for $300 - $ 600 bucks. Then I would buy some cheap long tubes from summit ($105) and the dual exhaust setup ($205) and throw them on when you put the 360 in. You would come out way on top than if you were to have buy heads and do all the headwork nessasary to bump that 318 in compression and power. Just kinda my own opinion with the budget you've given. However some people want to build the 318's just to do so and suprise people which is also very cool to say your getting alot of power out of a 318.
 
Congrats on your purchase and welcome aboard!

Since you seem willing to "tear into it" yourself, you should, but before you do I would suggest you document some basics and take pics - always good to do and WE WANT TO SEE PICS!

Then start getting dirty, first go through the suspension, drivetrain and brakes and make sure the car is safe. Check/change oil and filter, noting condition. Check your trans fluid level and condition. Check your coolant level and condition. Get a compression gauge and do a cranking compression test on all cylinders, note values. Check spark plug gaps and note what plugs are installed. Inspect spark plug wires, dist cap and rotor condition; note warn parts to replace.

Do a few runs and document your times. These will be your baseline measurements of the car's performance. Note any instances of pinging or detonation and at what RPM/conditions they occur. You may want to drive a range of terrain like hills and flats at both high and low speeds, power and cruise modes looking for pinging. I would also consider recording gas mileage from a full tank, but this is usually more subjective based on your driving style than just tuning or setup but good to know how far a tank will take you and what your MPG is.

Take a tach and timing light and vacuum gauge and plot your advance curve through the RPM range; document the initial, mechanical, vac and total timing. If it is and Eddy/Carter carb, get the model number, and check what needles, jets and springs are installed - fairly easy to do. Now you can work your way downwards.

Ultimately you will be pulling the intake and heads, this way you can measure the combustion chamber volume of the heads and measure the deck height of the pistons. These two measurements will answer the question of compression. Note what head gasket is used, or at least try to measure the thickness. If you are not going to change the cam don't touch the lifters, but do check all the pushrods for straightness, fix or replace any bent ones.

Obviously before you reassemble you are at the point of making some decisions. Since you don't know what cam is installed you can either replace it, leave it or tear the front case off and throw a degree wheel on it and plot the cam events with a dial caliper.

There are so many things you can and should do before making any decisions or asking for any advice, IMO, cause you don't know what you have. Plus you will get more qualified advice once you supply more details.

If any of the stuff I mentioned seems out of line, I apologize. If you need direction or further instructions, just ask. In the meantime here is a nice article on 400HP budget 318 build from Hot Rod magazine, you might recognize it.

Again, welcome aboard and good luck!
 
Oct/junky;

Now that is a great peice of advice! That should be copied and pasted on a freaking sticky!

XfacturX; Is there a certain time in the 1/4 mile you wish to run? Or just a basic street strip ride?
Is a tare down and rebuild in the future?

For $1200, if your bottm end is in good shape, the above mentions are very good. I did the Jegs 2-1/2 exhaust kit and headers for a grand total of less than $300 if you use the cheapy Jegs/Summit headers rather than Hooker/Headman headers.

Don't spend on heads yet! Stockers can go preety far.

The biggest key to this all is not only your taget goal but gears and stall converter. You'll gain the biggest from a higher stall converter that'll match the future cam, but also the rear gears (Which should also be good for the future build) wiull really add to the get up and go factor.

I used (The now defuncted) Crane cam @ 216/228-.454/.480/112 cam in my Duster with 3.21 gears and stock tires. (The 318/LU 904 from a 79 car.) With a Edel. intake, D4B and a 600 Carter ran 15.14 @ 89. Which isn't a screamer, but spirted.
Largely untuned on a cold day. Not to bad.
 
Thank you for that long and detailed post, I agree that it should be a sticky for anyone that just picked up a car!

The car has already been thouroughly gone over fluid and suspension wise, everything is in working order. My friend where I live owns a street rod shop and gave me a hand on all of it, problem is he is a ford guy and knows very little about mopar.

If I can swap a good running 360 into the car within my budget that seems like a better option, I'm looking for mid 12ls if I'm lucky
 
If it doesn't already have one, a shift kit is a good way to get better power transfer.
 
I think it has a shift kit, it shifts quickly and very firm.
 
a 340 cam or a comp 262 0r 268 cam, unless you can use the cam thats in it.. add magnum heads 1.6 rockers will be a pluss.. cross winds intake an te eddy u have and headers..

first id find out

what cam?

heads

and CR

then go from there..
 
I intentionally left out some other "basics" because you aren't there yet, but if you do pull the cam, replace the water pump unless you can verify it is new, and throw a new thermostat in there, those are cheap, and of course a gasket set is starting to look mandatory by this point. Now if you are going this far, new belts and hoses wouldn't hurt unless again you can verify they have some good life left in them

Once the power plant is done I would address the trans and rear end. Inspect the trans housing, shifter linkages, cooling lines, wiring, seals, driveshaft, yokes, universal joints, etc. If you pull the engine or trans or both, check out the torque converter, upgrading your stall speed is a quick and easy way to "gain" launch power. Drain the rear differential and visually inspect the gears, then add new fluid, if it is a locker/limited slip, throw some friction additive in there too - unless you are going to swap rears or gears, then it's moot (actually either way it's moot depending on which definition of moot you subscribe to.) Check your axles and wheel bearings for strange wear and replace if necessary. Check the pinion and carrier bearings for endplay/freeplay, replace as necessary.

Finally tires, check the tread and sidewalls, inside and out, make sure there are no suspect bulges, cuts, gashes, etc - check the rims for run-out and straightness and while the rims are off the car, look over the wheel studs and lug nuts, replace anything questionable before you start beating on the car

You basically want to infuse as much reliability as power, cause all the HP in the world can't help you if you are broken down on the side of the road

This is the basic procedure I perform for any new ride I acquire. Yes it takes some time and no I don't always replace everything recommended because I usually swap out and upgrade, but having a driving chassis/project car as opposed to a just rolling chassis can have it's benefits - as long as it is safe

As far as the rest of the advice given, it all sounds good, but please have a plan, it makes these projects so much more affordable and people tend to keep their interest in the project if there is a path to follow rather than a slew of half-baked ideas thrown into the soup that seems never-ending

Mods - feel free to concatenate these posts into a sticky if it makes sense to the membership
 
the car has already been up on a hoist and we have looked over all the seals and u joints on the car, as well as all of the suspension components, we replaced everything that we found needed to be replaced, the gears in the rear look to be in good shape but i plan on putting a new set in eventually anyway. the only thing that has not been replaced that needs to be replaced is the valve cover gaskets but i am holding off on those untill i decide if the heads will be getting replaced or not.

i would rather not pull the motor to do my upgrades, but if i absolutely have to i will.
 
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