Mild LA 318 Cam Recommendations from Those Who Know

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The Hughes Whiplash #SMC1326AL that I spoke of earlier I would consider a poser cam, It sounds nastier than it really is by design. @Torqueflite, it might not be the one for you especially if you don't want .500 lift and a aggressive idle. I would imagine at your altitude you need to be careful with going too big. Here's a couple videos.
Engine idle at 9.17
Sounds good getting after it from the start of this video.
This teen sounds angry if you like that.
 
I myself am running a monstrous eighties vintage sealed power stock replacement TM77 right now with .386/.406 196/214 on a 109 right now, retarded three degrees. With 10:1, Holley street dominator, and headers, it blows the stock size tires off at will and still pulls hard to 5500 rpm. My takeaway from it is that it’s almost impossible to under cam a 318.
 
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the vehicle doesn't weigh anything. It's not getting a big stall converter or any stall converter Beyond stock or maybe HP stock it sounds like .It doesn't need to turn high RPMs. However some head porting will require some extra lift to access the peak flow especially since it's real high up in lift....so the typically .450-.500 range, small @.050 204-216... then talk to the grinder on the rest as it will relate to your final effective cranking pressure an octane requirement, tailoring the open close. I'm not a cam grinder, though I know about where to start for a specific build.

I'm interested in what you hear from cam grinders .
Cool old dodge.
 
FYI, I have ran a dozen or so cams on the dyno program and although they aren't the most accurite, The mild cams were all about the same as far as HP and torque on a basic stock teen.
The biggest cam I tested (staying below 230° duration) is the Hughes Whiplash #SMC1326AL 213/226° .480/.516 cl 109°. It produced good numbers but it is on the edge for a stock converter.
Hughes Engines


@RustyRatRod recommended the Comp 255DEH but I can't find it listed anywhere. Like it has been discontinued.
Edit: 203/219° .422/.462 ls 110°
The hughes cam u mentioned with the highest duration beside valve springs what else was needed to run that cam in a 318 with 302 heads got Howard springs n retainers
 
at your elevation,
I would
install stock 360engine with either the 360 2bbl cam or a 318 cam. Cheap and effective, plus dead-tame for the wife. If you want the 273 look, install the 273/318 open-chamber heads. Install the 273 4bbl intake, paint it 273Red, and who's gunna know it's not a Commando?
360 heads will like the 340 iron manifolds.

Like I said; at your elevation, with pistons down in the hole, That's what I would do ...........
But, thinking on it, I haven't found a home yet for my old Offy Dual-port, and I have this 650 Spreadbore, and a pair of J-heads ....... Hmmmmmmmmmm
 
Depends on if there's good info.

That's the beauty of archived conversations-

Any party can converse at their convenience.
 
Yup...web search brought me here. Not bad info though. I'm just trying to find the best 2 cents about which camnto throw in my 318... Whiplash sounds like the way to go...Uncle Tony said so..
 
That doesn’t sound like it’s any different than advice for most builds.
I see what your saying, obviously there always gonna be disagreements but if someone's ask about a 340/360 or 408 or 440 etc.. There's a lot more agreement on what to do.

There's a good chunk of peep's that think a 318 is incapable of making any power nevermind how to go about it.
 

I spent the last couple days reading all the 318 cam threads in the search, but none I found comes close to my setup. I'd appreciate hydraulic flat-tappet cam profile or brand/number input from those of you who really know mildly hopped up LA318s. Keep in mind I haven't purchased any engine parts yet, so the below details are from my current spreadsheet but can change if needed.

The backstory is that my wife and I are building her a car. We are finishing a 1940 Ford coupe with an aggressive 383. Long story short, the engine is too aggressive and the car has too many blind spots for my wife's comfort. She won't drive it, which sucks for her. We picked up a 1926 Dodge roadster, and she wants to build it in a mid-60's land-speed aesthetic style like someone dropped a 273 Commando in it. I already have a solid 318 core, so we'll work with that. Mainly street, low-rpm driving. Not much freeway. Weekend flogging with me driving out on the prairie away from the fuzz. The car will likely run quicker than 14 seconds at Bandimere Raceway (1/4 mile) to where I'd need a rollbar; that's not going to happen for aesthetic reasons, so it likely won't see much track time despite my disappointment.

The specs:
-1926 Dodge roadster, highboy, comes in at approx. 1,800 lbs wet on paper.
-1976 non-lockup 904 I'm rebuilding with upgraded Alto clutches/band, not like we'd plant enough torque to break a stock setup. Factory valve body with some tweaking for crisper shifts.
-Factory stall converter (around 1,800 rpm). I'm happy to adjust the stall for the cam.
-Posi differential currently with 3.0:1 gears. I'm happy to adjust gearing for the cam. 3.31 or 3.55 might work better with less torque, but the car is very light.
-Likely around 30" - 32" tall tires, so not too tall.
-1970 318 block, freshly bored to 323 cid.
-KB167 pistons should clearance at .001" in the hole. Not going to worry about zero-decking.
-Likely factory rods unless they require enough machine work to justify buying new forged.
-Factory crankshaft.
-1970 #675 heads with 1.78"/1.50" valves that look like they will lap in on the cheap. I'll be porting the heads per Justin's sticky thread because I like that kind of work.
-Assume 8.3 static CR at sea level, pump gas friendly: With a .028" head gasket and 5cc valve reliefs, static CR should be 9.3 - 9.5 assuming a head cc between 67 and 69. Keep in mind my wonderful 5,600' elevation knocks off approx. 1 whole point of compression when calculating dynamic.
-Edelbrock Performer or Offy dual-plane single four-barrel intake. No spacer unless you say it will like one with the cam you recommend.
-Likely a de-jetted 600cfm Holley 4160 or Edelbrock/Carter.
-Pair of factory passenger-side exhaust manifolds (block-huggers) with some porting. I might be open to headers, but the factory manifolds would likely be more mid-60's period-correct and fit inside the tiny engine compartment. Plus, I already have them.
-2" or 2-1/4" dual exhaust with something like super turbo mufflers.

What are you thinking would be a good cam profile for this setup? Thanks.
Your wife will be very happy with you.
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