Head Swap

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Blow by and running hot! sounds to me like you need new rings. Your compression rings are probably cracked for sure. I have done what you did and been down this road with many motors. Put rings in the car and add a converter for that cam you installed and your done. Putting your 318 heads back on will make it worse. you will have less to compress. The cam made your tired motor lose power because, as someone else stated you lost cranking pressure from overlap. I have installed 360 top ends on 318's and they ran strong and created alot of torque. 318 has a lighter recipricating wieght. If you don't have the compression for your cam choice it will not work effectively. Blow by say's no compression. you are making a bad choice worse by putting your heads back on. You will need an intake for 318 heads, You cannot put 360 ports running into 318 ports. You will great a step in the direction of the flow this will open up a new and worse problem for you. Early intakes for small blocks were different for 318 V's 340 360, The 318 was a LD4B, 340 360 was a LD340. You can install a LD4B on a 340 but you can't use the Ld340 on a 318. So what I am saying is you can go from a smaller intake port to a larger head port. But you cannot go from a large intake to a small head. It would be like hitting the curb or driving off of one. what would you think would be the result. Its a common sense No Brainer.
 

Blow by and running hot! sounds to me like you need new rings. Your compression rings are probably cracked for sure. I have done what you did and been down this road with many motors. Put rings in the car and add a converter for that cam you installed and your done. Putting your 318 heads back on will make it worse. you will have less to compress. The cam made your tired motor lose power because, as someone else stated you lost cranking pressure from overlap. I have installed 360 top ends on 318's and they ran strong and created alot of torque. 318 has a lighter recipricating wieght. If you don't have the compression for your cam choice it will not work effectively. Blow by say's no compression. you are making a bad choice worse by putting your heads back on. You will need an intake for 318 heads, You cannot put 360 ports running into 318 ports. You will great a step in the direction of the flow this will open up a new and worse problem for you. Early intakes for small blocks were different for 318 V's 340 360, The 318 was a LD4B, 340 360 was a LD340. You can install a LD4B on a 340 but you can't use the Ld340 on a 318. So what I am saying is you can go from a smaller intake port to a larger head port. But you cannot go from a large intake to a small head. It would be like hitting the curb or driving off of one. what would you think would be the result. Its a common sense No Brainer.

Thanks for the heads up on the intake .I already know about the ring wear{ I have a set on hand to put in} , the motor wasn't "tired " we did a pressure check when the heads were put on and it made good and equal pressure across all 8 within 2 lbs + or - , the correct converter was installed and all this work was done at the same time along with a freshly rebuilt tranny , I don't see how putting the motor back to stock and storing it while I run the new stroker motor instead is such a huge mistake , As I have stated a couple of times this was about swapping the heads and wanting to try the spring swap myself as a learning experience instead of paying to have it done . I have changed rings, bearings and gaskets but never taken apart a set of heads, as it turns out a local machine shop is doing the swap both ways as a courtesy while doing a valve job on the heads so this whole thread is now moot , thanks to everybody for their input,ideas and opinions ,

PS I had thought about posting the heads ,intake carb and cam kit here but I think I will get more satisfaction out of keeping the intake/carb and cam kit for a friends 340 and tossing the heads through this jerks windshield .
 
...............I've used 340 intakes on lots of 318 small port heads.......if thats all u got, use it.......it will be fine........kim...........
 
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