Best year for a 318 build?

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briwill70

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I'm currently rocking a slant 6 in my Dart but would like to eventually build a 318. I just came across a running 318/904 combo out of a 68 car for cheap. Would this be a good start for a performance build or are other years more desirable? Not going to race it but would like 300ish HP and reliable.
 
That would be good. Another good teen is the late 80's roller cam blocks. Not that the blocks are better but they are designed for roller cams which is a plus.
 
Have you thought about a 360? If it's not a budget buster, cubic inches more go power.
 
Depends on what you want to do with the block. Are you going to just throw it in the car as-is, or are you planning to go the route of blueprinting the engine and....?

At least do a compression test, take the heads off look at the cylinder walls, check the condition of the oil, smell the atf et cetera.

Any engine that I get I consider it as nothing more than a core.

Honestly, you will probably be money ahead just buying a crate engine because you will find all kinds of things that you will want to do to, "make it better."
 
Depends on what you want to do with the block. Are you going to just throw it in the car as-is, or are you planning to go the route of blueprinting the engine and....?

At least do a compression test, take the heads off look at the cylinder walls, check the condition of the oil, smell the atf et cetera.

Any engine that I get I consider it as nothing more than a core.

Honestly, you will probably be money ahead just buying a crate engine because you will find all kinds of things that you will want to do to, "make it better."
A running 68 could be a keeper. They were one of the highest compression teens built. With a head swap you can put together a 9.5/1 engine and make 300 horse pretty easy. You can do that if you are going to rebuild one as well with the right pistons.
 
Thanks for the input! I was planning to put it on a stand and completely tear it down. I never run a used engine without going through it. At the very least I will replace the bearings, rings, oil pump and timing chain. Most likely will end up rebuilding the whole thing over the next couple years. That's the fun part!
 
Better start looking for a V8 K frame too. Swap mounts are not available any more to swap an LA into a Slant K. What year of car is this going onto?
 
Nice score! Sonic testing on a few of the early 318s show capability for a 4 inch bore. Some have forged cranks but I'm not sure if that's a truck only deal (the ones I know of are), or if certain pass car (police and taxi, maybe?) have them. If you have the wall thickness to be safe and wanted to go with the 4 inch bore 333 inch version, here's one of the pistons available. You would also be able to sell the high compression distance pistons you have to marginally offset some of your build costs.
SRP, SRP 345794 Pistons
 
I talked with Bob personally at Carlisle this year and the problem with ALL suppliers is COVID-19! Nobody can get anything done! He was hoping to have some done by now, but apparently he has not been successful. You are not alone in getting what you want...
 
I thought about a 318 for Vixen, but right now I am extremely happy with the 170. I built the budget 400 for the V8 swap later on. If had decided to go 318 though, I would have chosen a 5.2 Magnum. They are much more plentiful and much better cores. Most you find still have cross hatch in the cylinders and a lot of them are still good runners. Just a thought.
 
A running 68 could be a keeper. They were one of the highest compression teens built. With a head swap you can put together a 9.5/1 engine and make 300 horse pretty easy. You can do that if you are going to rebuild one as well with the right pistons.
a 84 to 91 came 9.2 to 1 factory...and 302 heads to build economical 300 hp mill as easy as falling off a turnup truck!
 
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