early 318 block with "973" heads. Can it make decent power?

[eviper21]

hey, i picked up an early LA 318 (actually made in 66) and some rebuilt 973 heads. Im trying to make decent power with pretty much no budget at all haha.

first of all, is there anything that needs to be taken care of to mount the 973 heads on the motor? I know there are some smog ports, but oiling,cooling, etc. is all the same?

the intake ill be running is a Eddy performer rpm. So im thinking about port matching the intake to the heads of course. The grind off any casting imperfections etc. (dont have money for a complete port job)

as for the block, i can still see crosshatching in the motor, which leads me to believe its been rebuilt at one time. The pistons have valve reliefs in them but stick down in the motor about a mile. I was thinking of getting the block decked to zero out the pistons (valves should clear with the reliefs correct?) , but im not sure if that would be too much compression for pump gas?? Any input?

And as for the cam, i have brand new flat tappet hydraulic lifters, so im probably going to sick with the cam that is in there. I have no clue whether it was changed out tho. Is there any way to tell? The lifters in the motor are definitely not roller lifters, so im sure its a flat tappet cam, just not sure if its aftermarket spec. Any suggestion on a cheap flat tappet that can make decent power?

other than that its going to be pretty stock. The carb i have is a 650 carter i believe. like i said, pretty much no budget here but i want to get the most out of what i got.

Any suggestions on any of the previous, cam, compression, heads will be greatly appreciated!! sorry for the long post tho :wack:

anyways, thanks guys

and thanks also to the guys who helped me out with the block, heads, and parts, you guys are awesome!

 

[rumblefish360]

WOW! Big post.

In general, yes, you can make some decent power with stock heads. But how much is it your looking for? Is there an ET you want to run or just create a really nice street machine with the 318? Budget?

first of all, is there anything that needs to be taken care of to mount the 973 heads on the motor? I know there are some smog ports, but oiling,cooling, etc. is all the same?

All the same.

the intake ill be running is a Eddy performer rpm. So im thinking about port matching the intake to the heads of course. The grind off any casting imperfections etc. (dont have money for a complete port job)

The port match is a good idea. There is not a lot of matching to be done. Roof and side walls are most important. Save porting for later.

as for the block, i can still see crosshatching in the motor, which leads me to believe its been rebuilt at one time. The pistons have valve reliefs in them but stick down in the motor about a mile. I was thinking of getting the block decked to zero out the pistons (valves should clear with the reliefs correct?) , but im not sure if that would be too much compression for pump gas?? Any input?

Stock pistons are really far in the hole. Save time money and headaches by purchasing new pistons that are close to zero deck like the Keith Black slugs. This will save time and trouble of getting everything else lined up to bolt on.

To much compression can be averted by a bigger cam. With a iron head, a safe ratio to run without detonation problems is 9-1, 9.5-1 max.

And as for the cam, i have brand new flat tappet hydraulic lifters, so im probably going to sick with the cam that is in there. I have no clue whether it was changed out tho. Is there any way to tell? The lifters in the motor are definitely not roller lifters, so im sure its a flat tappet cam, just not sure if its aftermarket spec. Any suggestion on a cheap flat tappet that can make decent power?

There is probably no way to tell if the cam is OE stock, stock replacement or a HP cam. A cm that makes power is easy to point to, but, the real deal is what cam. To this end, there is no info contained within your post to help in any way shape or form as to have anyone even guess at a cam that you may consider.

For even a guess, provide some more info starting with;

Intended usage of the car.
Is there a ET or power level you wish to obtain
Actual make,model, year and weight if possible.
Transmission
rear size, gear ratio
tire size.

other than that its going to be pretty stock. The carb i have is a 650 carter i believe. like i said, pretty much no budget here but i want to get the most out of what i got.

600 or 650 Carter/Edelbrock. AFB's are 600 cfm.

 

[moper]

A '66 318? That's not an LA 318. That should be a 318 poly... First year of production on 318s was '68 if memory serves, so cast in 67 would be around (the date on the side of the block, but no model year (and probably not cast in either) 66s. If you posted pics I'm sorry, work PC doesnt always show them. So if I'm all wrong just ignore me...lol.

 

[rumblefish360]

Hey Moper, '66 was the last year for the Poly engines. So, a cast on date in the '66 year is OK for a "LA" 318.

 

[1wild&crazyguy]

973 is a late 318 head from the late'ish 80's. fwiw.

 

[oldkimmer]

................up here in Canada we didnt see LA 318s till 68.........poly 318s still in 67 model year cars .............kim..............

 

[eviper21]

yea its definitely an LA block. it was made in the summer of 66. so one of the first made, pretty cool.

anyways, what im looking for is just a decent street machine. It wont hit the track on the daily but it would be cool to run it down the 1/4 once in a blue moon just cuz. but other than that its probably going to cruise the Pacific Coast Highway here in beautiful socal =]

my budget is a cheap as i can keep it. for now im just trying to get it to run but still make around 300hp

 

[eviper21]

its going into my 1973 plymouth duster. everything is stock that i know of. even down to the pizza cutter tires. (wich im going to hopefully replace once its running)

 

[rumblefish360]

OK, is mileage a concern?
Is there a gear ratio you want to run, like, 3.91's?

For even a guess, provide some more info starting with;

Intended usage of the car.
Is there a ET or power level you wish to obtain
Actual make,model, year and weight if possible.
Transmission
rear size, gear ratio
tire size.

 

[eviper21]

Well good mileage is always a good thing. But just as long as im not getting under 10mpg ill be ok. Like I said mostly want a cruiser. Not to sure about gear ratio though. 3.91 seems pretty good without killing highway mileage

 

[rumblefish360]

An easy on the valve train and inexpensive cam from Summit will wake it up some.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-K6901/

I have used this Crane cam several times before.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CRN-693942/
It's idle is mello. It powered my last Duster with a dead stock '79 318 w/ headers, 4bbl intake carb to a 15.14 @ 89 mph. w/3.23 gears. It could have used a little head milling and 3.55's. Otherwise, a dead stock head, the springs on the head matched to the cam. I got 17 mpg Hwy on stock tires with this set up.

If you want to do some head work (360 valves, 1.88-1.60 and bowl porting) and turn it up a notch nicely, This Lunati is really nice.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/LUN-60402LK/

Use a 3.23 gear at a min. 3.55's are good to use. Headers a big plus in your 300 HP goal, 2-1/2 exhaust tube. Jegs/Summit racing have nice kits that are true dual exhaust from header to bumper. A MSD or equal ignition would also be big plus hooked up to the stock distributor. No extra stall on the converter required, but beneficial it would be. Just a tiny bit sluggish off the line that is quickly overcome.

I hope this covers what ever your looking for. Your posts have been cryptic.

 

[eviper21]

Sorry I know I post allot and start a bunch of threads but I dont know much about v8s. I've rebuilt a couple turbo 4cly. Fuel injected. Its kinda sad I know more about that than I do a cabureted motor. Anyways. Im just trying to get my stock 73 duster running as best as possible. Im very good with mechanics just need to know what does what. Tuning a carb for example I have no clue how to do it, but u tell me there's floats here to adjust and idle screws here I can do it no problem. Cams im sure are big issues for a bunch of people. I know throwing the biggest one in there can cause a bunch of problems but it's not like there's a small/medium/ land large cam lol. It gets complicated (for me at least) but im learning thanks to everyone here.

 

[rumblefish360]

LOL, I soooo do not find it sad that you don't know about the old stuff. I'm half way to old (45) and I have little clue on anything F.I. , turbo or less than 8 cylinders. I had to have the kid around the corner to tell me how the injectors come off the intake. Now how lame is that?! LOL!

 

[eviper21]

haha that is kind of funny. im only 20, so i guess its reasonable. Anyways, i think im going to keep the bottom end stock for now. I took a look at the cam and it looks like it has 5 miles on it so it COULD be an upgraded aftermarket. (ill find out when i turn it on, itll either lope or purr haha)

the motor was definitely rebuilt so im going to pull the pan and crank and check the bearings etc. Probably keep the bearings, and just change the rings if all is good. Ill drop in my awesome mopar lifters and be on my way lol.

as for the heads, ill probably do a slight gasket match to make it flow sliiightly better. The heads look BRAND NEW. new valves, new seals, new springs, etc. even the cast itself looks like it just came out the factory. Im pretty sure its all stock stuff though, nothing looks aftermarket on the heads. The Eddy intake should be worth a few hp too