AJ's Opinion; Just for you 318 streeters
- Thread starter AJ/FormS
- Start date
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Crane Cams 272/284-218/224 (IIRC) .454/.480-112.
Comp has a similar grind that is a lol’ I er.
There are my 2 recommendations.
Comp has a similar grind that is a lol’ I er.
There are my 2 recommendations.
Ok, most of you guys are way more knowledgeable than me about engine building. ....and I respect AJ's opinion as much as any of you.
In my opinion where people get it twisted is this.....
If I post a thread titled "What size engine should I get?", I'd expect a certain type of answer.....
If I post a thread titled "Help me build my 318", I'd expect another type of answer.
Understanding the difference between these 2 questions is the difference between being helpful or being opinionated.
Jeff
In my opinion where people get it twisted is this.....
If I post a thread titled "What size engine should I get?", I'd expect a certain type of answer.....
If I post a thread titled "Help me build my 318", I'd expect another type of answer.
Understanding the difference between these 2 questions is the difference between being helpful or being opinionated.
Jeff
Due to some unfortunate circumstances surrounding the 360 I built for my Duster, I was forced to put an old 78 stock (bottom end and heads have never been apart) 318 into service for this summer. I could not leave well enough alone so I dropped a cheap Summit K6901 cam (218/228@50, 441/441 lift) in it. It also got an Edelbrock Performer 318/360 intake. It runs the same 670 street avenger and 1-5/8 Patriot Headers with 2-1/2" H-pipe exhaust. This low compression 318 combo has exceeded my expectations via the "Butt Dyno" testing and I'll take it to the track as soon as I can.
It is aided by the 4.10 rear gear and the low first gear of the A-500 transmission to bump up the bottom end.
I chose this cam based on a thread done by @318willrun because he was turning times with 318s that I could not touch with my old wore out 360.
This long winded post is all just to point out that throwing 500 dollars worth of speed parts at that old throw away 318 has made me a very happy guy and I'll be driving and enjoying my car instead of staring at it in the garage while I ***** about the ******** who built my 360 and the fact that it destroyed itself during cam break in.
Cley
It is aided by the 4.10 rear gear and the low first gear of the A-500 transmission to bump up the bottom end.
I chose this cam based on a thread done by @318willrun because he was turning times with 318s that I could not touch with my old wore out 360.
This long winded post is all just to point out that throwing 500 dollars worth of speed parts at that old throw away 318 has made me a very happy guy and I'll be driving and enjoying my car instead of staring at it in the garage while I ***** about the ******** who built my 360 and the fact that it destroyed itself during cam break in.
Cley
Me too ! Now-a-days they call it A.D.D. When I was a kid they just called me STUPID.
But thank you for the article A.J.
Call me low buck Betty, I'm with you !
I've recommended plenty for a 318. I LOVE the 340 cam in one. To take advantage of it though, you need more compression, bigger valves and slightly ported heads at least. It'll "work" without all that but not to its full potential.
....and now come the haters sayin "if you're gonna do "all that" to a 318 just get a 360. They will just never get it.
...and the earth is a sphere, not flat.
And I raced 20+ years a Slant six in the 12's,Normal Aspirated, I got Why ? and "Can't be done !"
Sorry....It Can. There is a thing called "IT won't work on Paper" Well you don't race on paper.
You got that right! That's all some people know around here. On paper.
Or calculators…….
Yes sir.
MOPAROFFICIAL
Oogliboogli
It really is hard not to fiddle everything.
I had restraint once and it ran very good-early closed chamber headed stock rebuild .020 318 w/crane 340 blueprint cam +4 degrees, edel perf. Int. & edel 600 setup as 1405 with one step lighter rods than ootb ,hedmans, 2 1/2 pipes 4 spd 3.73 and I did the piston reverse like smokeys book said. It slightly rattled cold for about a min.
It's the combo, always.
I bet that did run well.
MOPAROFFICIAL
Oogliboogli
Not to straddle the fence..but I'm doing a .020 over 360 atm.
Had bought the block long ago and had it at the shop and took it .020... then found a roller block...pulled that and took it to the shop... took it .020 over too. Then turned out a friend needs a 360 for his 77 tradesman.. so I bought the **** and will assemble it tomorrow and in the shop his std block goes for a .020 over...haha
Absolutely nothing wrong with a 318 on the street. If you can't make one fast enough, you should stay home. See posts #58 and #63, it's that easy. I did it all the time, never had any complaints. And here I've been running an even smaller 273 for 50 years now on the street. Done 340 on the engine stand, 360's all sold off. Don't even think about post #59...
As for cams, it is a complicated choice since you have to know what you want and all the particulars of your engine, trans, and car. Call a good cam manufacturer and see what they want to make good choice for you.
As for cams, it is a complicated choice since you have to know what you want and all the particulars of your engine, trans, and car. Call a good cam manufacturer and see what they want to make good choice for you.
Bud, I tell you what. If I EVER wanted to do a V8 in Vixen, I'd look around for a good 5.2 Magnum core and shut some of these people up. They. Just. Don't. Get. It.
I'll tell you the part I don't get. I will NEVER understand why our own Mopar people crap SO much on such a good engine. You don't see Chevy guys doin that. Somebody pulls up in something runnin a 307, all those guys go "Hell yeah man, cool!" They don't hate on their own.
True! The level of 318 hate is unbelievable.
I bought my 64, 4 speed, 273 2 barrel Barracuda in the early 70's because I could get performance parts for it. I only drove it for a couple months and pulled the 273 for rebuilding using TRW forged 10.5 pistons, a TRW TP 141 solid 284 duration cam and springs, a double roller timing chain, Offy intake and stock AFB. It went on to be a test mule for all kinds of combinations using the original short block. None of them were slow. If you can do that with a 273 you can surely do the same to a 318. I've had 360's and they have their place, but all engines have a "feel" to them that 1/4 mile times don't show. I love the standard stroke small blocks, 273 318 and 340. It is just the way they pull and take off around 3,000 rpm. All MOPAR engines are great. The only Magnum I have is a 5.2. I bought because it was not a 5.9. I have always had to try every combination possible to a point...
I've rebuilt enough engines to have my favorites, and for Chevy it would be a 327 or 283. For MOPAR it cracks me up that a 318 is no good, a 340 is the best, and nothing should ever be considered but a 360. All within 42 cubic inches.
And I get a message from a friend that just dyno'd his 315 horse 273. That would be fun in a early A for sure.
I'm new to this, so maybe it's naivete on my part, but when I came here looking for advice with my 318, I received nothing but immense support -- even (and especially) from @AJ/FormS ! Maybe I'm not at that level where I'm having the types of conversations where the supposed 318 hate is being brewed, or maybe it's there and I just don't care to see it.
That sounds sweet. I'd like to know what my favorite combo would do on a dyno. But that was long ago and would rather put the little money I had into parts. The best I could do was make a few 1/4 mile runs and read mph. It ran just under 100 mph on street radials. But I was never interested in drag racing much, although if someone wanted to race I would oblige them.
1.15 HP/cu in. Very nice. Can you share any info?
Sorry, sworn to secrecy. LOL
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