73 Valiant 318 performance build Ideas.

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For 2500 bucks I just might suggest Blueprint 408 stroker...... New motor with warrenty. Then you can sell the 400 and buy what you need?
 
318willrun said:
Park your car beside mine and have folks vote on which one best describes the word coble... LOL :D
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I was just thinking how many sets of heads and sets of intakes and all that stuff and you could have had your own stroker in a box...
 
j par said:
I was just thinking how many sets of heads and sets of intakes and all that stuff and you could have had your own stroker in a box...
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If I wanted a stroker in a box, I'd order one first thing in the morning... :)
 
j par said:
Park your car next to mine and see how many folks vote on which one is cute and which one is cobled...
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I fixed it for you.... coble was the word you chose, so coble was the word of discussion. Now, back to the 318 build for the OP :)
 
Kern Dog said:
One of these days I am going to build a 318 stroke engine. You get the plain looking 318 with the punch of a mild big block. Nobody will suspect that.
Heh heh heh....
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We will now that you told us.... :lol:
 
If I were to do a mild/ok on fuel economy 318 build using a 600CFM eldelbrock, and performer intake. What cam would you guys recommend other than a Hughes whiplash cam since it has the long exhaust duration? Stock short block.
I would prefer to do something with the 318 and can always reuse the performance parts on another engine if I find a suitable 360.
 
C2ndLTpigeon said:
So looks like a 360 may be the smart way to go.
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5.9 magnum is a nice choice, but if you should chose to go that way, be sure and visit "magnum swap.com" A few things you'll need to know on what works and what needs changed. Here is just a few for instance...
  • the factory 5.9 mag cam does not have provision for mechanical fuel pump eccentric. There are a few options, though
  • You'll need the 5.9 flex plate or buy one for the 5.9, as the 360 magnum balances differently than a 360 LA
  • Look at the damper, some have the serpentine belt pulley molded into it, and you'd need to replace it if running a V-belt.
 
C2ndLTpigeon said:
If I were to do a mild/ok on fuel economy 318 build using a 600CFM eldelbrock, and performer intake. What cam would you guys recommend other than a Hughes whiplash cam since it has the long exhaust duration? Stock short block.
I would prefer to do something with the 318 and can always reuse the performance parts on another engine if I find a suitable 360.
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I'd use something around .444 - .470 lift and around 212 - 220 duration @ 050 with a 112 - 114 centerline with your 3.55's
 
318willrun said:
For 2500 bucks I just might suggest Blueprint 408 stroker...... New motor with warrenty. Then you can sell the 400 and buy what you need?
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This is by far the best value and advise.
 
j par said:
Your local Pick-n-Pull should have an entire Magnum 360 4 around $200....
If you get Magnum heads you're going to need an intake manifold for a magnum. I bet by the time he bought Magnum heads you could just go ahead and buy an entire 360 Magnum. And then all you would need is a manifold. You'd probably need a couple hundred dollars worth the accompanying Parts but then you would really have an upgrade..
Food for thought and that's probably what you're looking for food for thought...
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Also good advice if your on a slim budget and like tinkering.
 
C2ndLTpigeon said:
If I were to do a mild/ok on fuel economy 318 build using a 600CFM eldelbrock, and performer intake. What cam would you guys recommend other than a Hughes whiplash cam since it has the long exhaust duration? Stock short block.
I would prefer to do something with the 318 and can always reuse the performance parts on another engine if I find a suitable 360.
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If it was me, I wouldn't cam it at all, it already has as late an Ica as the LA can comfortably get away with. I would spend all my money on boosting the compression; , and on a hi-stall; the rest can wait.
I did the hi-stall thing with 3.55s to 4.30s with the stock Smogger-Teen and a 4bbl which was a blast to drive. Stock everything else.
But if you just gotta have a cam, on a stock lo-compression long-block;
Get a solid lifter fast-rate of lift, and a hi-stall. That's the only way an LA 318 is gonna pull. On a tight budget, I would do that even before I would spring for a 4bbl kit.
If you put a cam in a low-compression 318, then you have got to get the rpm up to where the power is, or else the whole thing tanks ........ to over 30 mph with 3.23s. (10%higher with each 10% less rear gear.)
If you don't have the matching gears, it just s-l-o-w-s things right d-o-w-n.

There is nothing wrong with a well-engineered 318LA; it's just handicapped with a lousy factory compression ratio. Besides pistons, the only way to overcome that is with an early closing intake valve to trap some precious pressure. And the best way to do that and still make power is with a solid lifter, fast rate cam.
Then you gotta marry that to your chassis which starts with a hi-stall. Now yur all set for first gear.
But if you wanna continue into second gear, you need 3.73s or better just to get started.
With typical 3.23s you won't hit the power peak to maybe 4800@75 mph in second gear; a fat lot of good that will do ya. At 65 those same 3.23s are turning a mediocre 4200 in second ..
Whereas the 3.73s are hitting 65 at 4750 in second.
That's just the way you gotta roll with a 318LA
 
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C2ndLTpigeon said:
I want the car to have more horsepower but not looking to make this a drag car.
What is the difference in 360 and 360 Mag heads? Can these bolt to a 318 and what else would need to be changed to accommodate them?
Im mainly looking for a little more power on about a $2500 budget.
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what casting # heads do you have?
 
MOPAROFFICIAL said:
what casting # heads do you have?
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Engine is still in the car and running as a daily at the moment. I did change my valve covers and took a pic of the head only numbers I can see in the pic of one of the heads is 2843 and the next digit is either a 6 or 8? That's all I know at the moment.
 
If your determined to stick with a 318, just swap in a junkyard 318 MAGNUM, it has numerous upgrades built in, and it's still a 318. Buy a carbureted intake, swap in a nice regrind roller cam, make more power cheaper and easier..
 
273 said:
It’s hard to beat the magnum on a low dollar build, 5.9l or even 5.2l make 300 hp with 4bbl and exhaust manifolds. Add mild cam and headers your at 1 hp per cid, add more aggressive cam for 400 hp.
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Agreed. This route I have taken before.
It is also similar to having a Magnum engine and then make use of a LA cam. The lift of the cam jumps with the rocker ratio change. This I’m doing now. I’m swapping in a LA cam into a 5.9.
 
j par said:
You might find it cheaper to do a 360 than a 318 and you can just tell people it's a 318...
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Only on a full rebuild. If the base short block is in good shape, price difference is zero.
Power on the other hand......
 
273 said:
Or you could just drop in a stock 5.9l with 4bbl and headers for 320 hp....
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I’ll state this is a great route to take, one of which I have done, just headers, intake, carb, distributor swap and I needed a flex plate, but if you get one with the 5.9 (or 5.2) your ahead of the game by at least $100.
 
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