89 318 Build Options

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Boogercj7

Boogercj7

Mopar Boot
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I just acquired an 89 318 out of a truck for practically nothing. It also has 302 heads. After pressure washing all of the crud off of it from years of leaking valve cover gaskets and tearing it down, the motor doesn't seem to have very much wear on it at all. The previous owner said it was a 180,000 mile motor. The rod and main bearings all look new and there is hardly any carbon on the pistons and the valves. I have not had a chance to measure the crank yet, but there is no grooves on any of the journals at all. I plan on putting this motor in my 72 Dart. I am looking at cruising this thing and smoking a few Rustangs and Chebbys if I have to. What do ya'll recommend for pistons and cam??? I already have an Air Gap and an Eddy 600 cfm carb. I will be running a TF 727, 8 3/4 with SG and 3:23 gears and 24.5" tires. I am on a very tight budget and will be doing most of the work myself with the exception of any machine work. My Dart currently has a 318 in it but it is a dog on the low end. I am hoping to build this motor over the winter and have it in the Dart ready for next spring.
 
My son and I built a 91 360 this winter for his 72 Valiant more door. These 88-91 motors are cool, you get the roller lifters and still can run a LA intake.

Here's what we did:

Sealed power 9.2 pistons, stock crank, Hughes 1828 cam, Rhoades lifters, ported heads, Edelbrock true roller double roller timing chain, LD340, Holley 80457 600 vacuum secondaries with electric choke, and 68-70 340 exhaust manifolds. It will also have a 727 and 8 3/4 3.91 sure grip.

If you decide to run a hughes cam, do not let them send you the one for the electric pump if you are using a mechanical pump. they did this to me and the "conversion kit" nose extention is junk. And costs an additional $30 more. Tell them to send you the right cam in the first place. I did ask for it, but they decided to send the magnum cam with the poorly designed nose extention kit for me with out asking. I did my best to make it better, but in hind sight should have sent the cam and kit back and told them to send the one that I originally told them to send me.


Here's some pictures from during the build:

View attachment 91360 B03 B.jpg

View attachment 91360 B05 B.jpg

View attachment Ken 360 E07 B.jpg

View attachment Ken 360 E02 B.jpg

View attachment Ken 360 031614 A05 B.jpg

View attachment Ken 360 032914 A03 B.jpg

View attachment Ken 360 032914 A05 B.jpg

View attachment Ken 360 041114 Fuel Line A05 B.jpg
 
If stroking the 318 to 390+ cubes is not in the budget, which I can understand, then;

Keith Black has some nice Hyper pistons designed for a zero deck height.
The 302 heads will port out very well to a larger window size and then add 360 valves or...
RHS cylinder heads. They will do better for a little more cost and be brand new.
Edelbrock heads will work as well but not flow better for a street bound 318. They shine when fully ported, which is probably an overkill for you at this point.

Being the engine is a roller cam engine, is stick with that set up and reuse the factory lifters. (There a little heavy. Not a big issue.)
Select the cam on the driving RPM's of which you will be in.

The small tire and the 3.23 gears can stay so long as the right converter is used in conjunction with the cam. In which I would use a split duration and a intKe of 230 @ .050 as a max for the street. A place like Dynamic converters can do the converter right.
Do the converter right! It is really important!
 
For what I call a street engine, especially with relatively high gear and low stall I'd go with no more than a comp/voodoo high lift 268 cam and 9:1 CR. Head choice will be down to how much HP you want. The stock 302 heads are good for 1:1 hp per cid on a 318 so if you want more hp then porting or 340/360 or EQ, EQ's probably being the best option.
 
I would not pick any of them myself.
Do note the cams description come with operating rpm bands.
Are you willing to change torque converters?
What is the performance goal?
What heads will be used?
Are you going to port your heads?
What will your final compression ratio be?
 
This cam below is what I would slide in and not worry about a converter since you have a small tire. I have used a similar cam (duration @ .050) in a Hyd. Grind. 3.21 gears, 225/70/14's, LU 904 stock stall, 7.8-1 ratio 318 with headers into a Jegs exhaust @ 2-1/2, LD4B intake and a 600 carb. Ran very well into the high 14's.

First run on a basic tune, and not all that great was a 15.14 @ 89 mph on a cold Nov. day. After a few runs intook off the .14. And then the day ended.

Still a stock head, converter and tire on a dead compression engine. With a good ratio like you will have and I hope better decent flowing heads, there's no reason not to run mid 14's or better.

http://www.compcams.com/Company/CC/cam-specs/Details.aspx?csid=645&sb=2
 
OE roller lifters, yes, pushrods, maybe.
 
rumblefish360 said:
This cam below is what I would slide in and not worry about a converter since you have a small tire. I have used a similar cam (duration @ .050) in a Hyd. Grind. 3.21 gears, 225/70/14's, LU 904 stock stall, 7.8-1 ratio 318 with headers into a Jegs exhaust @ 2-1/2, LD4B intake and a 600 carb. Ran very well into the high 14's.

First run on a basic tune, and not all that great was a 15.14 @ 89 mph on a cold Nov. day. After a few runs intook off the .14. And then the day ended.

Still a stock head, converter and tire on a dead compression engine. With a good ratio like you will have and I hope better decent flowing heads, there's no reason not to run mid 14's or better.

http://www.compcams.com/Company/CC/cam-specs/Details.aspx?csid=645&sb=2
Click to expand...

Nice combo , Rumble. That's a good one .
 
Why change pistons? Just curious. Those engines were already a touch over 9:1. That's perfect.
 
rumblefish360 said:
This cam below is what I would slide in and not worry about a converter since you have a small tire. I have used a similar cam (duration @ .050) in a Hyd. Grind. 3.21 gears, 225/70/14's, LU 904 stock stall, 7.8-1 ratio 318 with headers into a Jegs exhaust @ 2-1/2, LD4B intake and a 600 carb. Ran very well into the high 14's.

First run on a basic tune, and not all that great was a 15.14 @ 89 mph on a cold Nov. day. After a few runs intook off the .14. And then the day ended.

Still a stock head, converter and tire on a dead compression engine. With a good ratio like you will have and I hope better decent flowing heads, there's no reason not to run mid 14's or better.

http://www.compcams.com/Company/CC/cam-specs/Details.aspx?csid=645&sb=2
Click to expand...

Out of curiosity, does that cam require a bronze gear? Comp says so on their site but I've read otherwise from people who have purchased HR XE cams. I have not had a chance to call Comp about this, and honestly I prefer some of the folk's here opinions than some of their "tech" staff.
 
Hydraulic rollers do not require a bronze gear. They need a steel gear. Only billet cams need the bronze gear.
 
Ok. That's all the Fords have ever used. Steel gears. You know that. You've messed with them.
 
Assuming you mill the block to zero deck, the KB167's and 302 heads should get you 9.5:1 compression and good quench. If the heads have 180K on them the guides are almost certainly beyond limits, and they'll need a pretty complete rebuild. 302 heads can be rebuilt with larger 360 valves. Have your machinist do a deep 60 or 75 degree "bowl cut" and unshroud the intakes to the gasket. This is pretty easy if he has a Serdi type machine, not so much if he uses rocks. From there smooth the short side radius, narrow the guide bosses, knock off the high spots and gasket match the ports (except the exhaust port floors). Assuming you do the porting yourself you'll end up with heads that will support 325-350 hp for not much more than the cost of a stock rebuild. If you pay to have the porting done, you'll have the cost of better heads tied up in the 302's so don't bother.

With the cam Rumble suggested you'll end up with a real nice running 318 for pretty reasonable cash.
 
I'd look for a set of 273 adjustable rocker setup. Dial in that lash perfectly.
 
Thanks Cheif!

dano said:
Out of curiosity, does that cam require a bronze gear? Comp says so on their site but I've read otherwise from people who have purchased HR XE cams. I have not had a chance to call Comp about this, and honestly I prefer some of the folk's here opinions than some of their "tech" staff.
Click to expand...

I don't know however Hughesengines has a nice intermediate shaft that is flexable for use on any cam.
 
rumblefish360 said:
...pushrods, maybe.
Click to expand...

To the OP: echoing the above statement, plus if you pay close attention to detail, after you get all the machining done, there's a chance you may need new pushrods anyway. Coming from moper, and I'll paraphrase, pushrods should be the last thing you buy for your longblock as you'll need to measure for proper preload anyway.
 
C130 Chief said:
Assuming you mill the block to zero deck, the KB167's and 302 heads should get you 9.5:1 compression and good quench. If the heads have 180K on them the guides are almost certainly beyond limits, and they'll need a pretty complete rebuild. 302 heads can be rebuilt with larger 360 valves. Have your machinist do a deep 60 or 75 degree "bowl cut" and unshroud the intakes to the gasket. This is pretty easy if he has a Serdi type machine, not so much if he uses rocks. From there smooth the short side radius, narrow the guide bosses, knock off the high spots and gasket match the ports (except the exhaust port floors). Assuming you do the porting yourself you'll end up with heads that will support 325-350 hp for not much more than the cost of a stock rebuild. If you pay to have the porting done, you'll have the cost of better heads tied up in the 302's so don't bother.

With the cam Rumble suggested you'll end up with a real nice running 318 for pretty reasonable cash.
Click to expand...

I have been wanting to tackle porting heads on my own for some time. I have read many posts about how to do this. I just need to get the tools and find the time to do them. I will also be taking the heads to a machine shop for a rebuild too. Quality machine shops around here are hard to come by. Too many fly by nite shops. Will have to check with some racing buddies to see if they had any work done locally.

Thanks for all the help. I will update as I progress with the build, although it might be a slow process.
 
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