My version of a factory parts build 318

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Helping a friend plan out his build. He wants to do something different and that's why I suggested a 360 2 barrel cam since everyone else has used the 340 cam in their 318. He already has a 2 barrel set up for a truck I don't know if it has more cfm than a car 2 barrel and I figured that the intake would be designed for torque since it's for a truck. You have any input?
What is the guy using the truck for? Just normal driving? Does he trail ride, hill climb?
 
Good point! That’s needed information!
What’s the year make and model of the truck as well as the target goal?

Wait! It’s a Duster?!?!
 
What is the guy using the truck for? Just normal driving? Does he trail ride, hill climb?

It's a neighbor and he has a duster that he is working on, nothing has been decided yet
Truck? Duster? Hey, I got it!! It's a TRAILDUSTER !!! TMM, he has to be just using this site for personal laughs and entertainment.
 
I dont care. I'm doin a .030" 1977 teener with KB167s, and a 68 340 cam. Blocks been align honed, torqueplate bored and honed. I mocked it up at all 4 corners to get an idea of piston to deck height, and as of today it's now back at the machinest to trim the deck on both sides to put the pistons .004" in the hole at TDC on both banks. Using Eagle H beam full floating rods, and a forged 340 crank. Rotating assy is balanced. That 340 crank needed an awful lot to make it right. A few minor oiling mods. This will make the bottom end strong, and bulletproof. Also using a weiand stealth intake, with an eddy 600, and a 68 340 low restriction air cleaner. Porting and port matching a set of 302s to go on it. Using 68 340 exhaust manifolds, and a GM HEI fired mopar electronic distributor. I plan on degreeing the cam as well.

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What connecting rods are you using? The porting template for the oil pump
 
4 barrel carb / intake from a 340 or 360. 302 heads with 360 valve's, comp valve job, bowl work, valve's back cut, mill the heads only enough to clean them up. Bore/Hone to clean up the bores, have block align bored and then have the block decked and squared so pistons are at zero deck height. 340 cam or close to it, degree the cam. Windage tray. Blueprint stock oil pump. Balance the rotating assembly. Recurve the distributor, use the "orange " box. Build the 318 with a 9.0:1 cr. Okay, what do you guys think about this combination? If I was to do a 318 2 barrel with stock parts, I would use a carb / intake from a truck, 360 2 barrel cam, rework the stock heads, good flowing exhaust system.
Do you have an engine or vehicle yet?
 
The 360 heads will only hurt the power unless the builder is willing to use different pistons to raise the compression.


Your build is fine but do what you can to get the compression back and run some 340/360 castings. Port cross section and flow is more important than a point of compression.

I‘d rather have compression and the 340/360 heads but if I can’t get both I’m taking the 340/360 heads every day of the week.

I’d toss those other castings in the cess pool and cover them up.
 
What connecting rods are you using? The porting template for the oil pump
Eagle SIR forged I beams, they ran me $319 shipped off evilbay I believe. I bought em almost 2 years ago for this project. I think they are about $400 now. Really nice pieces. They come with ARP 5000 bolts, and have a bushed little end.

Porting template is cheap and easy a piece of copy paper I put against the bottom of the oil pump I was using, rubbed it with a semi dirty thumb to mark it, then cut it out, flipped it over onto the cap, and sprayed on machinest blue.
 
I understand. Some people don't think the 318 is worth messing with.
Thats not it,I end up kicked our of the threads by mods. The thing is,there are alot of immature people here wo,won't listen and they get testy and smart assed, I get smart assed back its perceived as rude. I'm old school Noone is more testy and smart asked than me. LOL! I have no issue with 318s, but my perception of what they are isn't a performance engine. Let's use the Ford 5.0 as an example, there is a 5.0 that's in a truck,then there is a 5.0 HO thats in a Fox Body GT. Yeah,I can gather parts,do research, and convert a 5.0 truck engine to a 5.0 HO, but until I am done I would have been better off buying a 5.0 HO and building it. Its the same scenario here or that's how I see it. I don't have to prove to the world I can make a 318 perform like a 340. I get it that the 318 is all that's left and they used to be cheap because they made millions off them and they were everywhere but they are not some great legendary performance platform for a variety of reasons.
 
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Thats not it,I end up kicked our of the threads by mods. The thing is,there are alot of immature people here wo,won't listen and they get testy and smart assed,asked, I get smart asked back its perceived as rude. I'm old school Noone is more testy and smart asked than me. Lol! I have no issue with 318s,but my perception of what they are isn't a performance engine. Let's use the Ford 5.0 as an example, there is a 5.0 thats in a truck,then there is a 5.0 HO thats 8n a Fox Body GT. Yeah,I can gather parts,do research, and convert a 5.0 truck engine to a 5.0 HO, but until I am done I would have been better off buying a 5.0 HO and building it. Its tbe same scenario hereof thats how I see it. I don't have to prove to the world I can make a 318 perform like a 340. I get it that tbe 318 is all that's left and they used to be cheap because they made millions off them and they were everywhere but they are not some great legendary performance platform for a variety of reasons.

Here’s the thing, with you & many others here. Now don’t take offense to this and flip out on me. But is is how your coming off. Like so many others that crap on the 318.

1st off, even a novice in the car world knows bigger is better. With that, they already know there not going to make the same power and be slower. But yet everyone loves driving that point home and a few aren’t so kind to n the matter.

Let’s see ask the cost factor into consideration.
The inquiring already have a 318 vs how much now for a bare 340 block? Let’s take the gamble of the block being bad when it gets to you out of this even though I’ve been victim to it twice.

We are now $700 in the hole for just the block. $700 goes a long way in rotating parts for the 318 the questioner already has.

Your perception that the 318 was never a performance engine or a correct (I know you know that.) but not being able to make it perform is a joke because it can perform. We will cover caveats latter.

What makes it worse is you and many others compare it to a 5.0 Ford or something else. What is crazier from you is you compare the two 5.0’s from a truck and a Stang. On the base level, there the same to start with since the performance ceiling most are looking for is way higher than what the Mustang had. So what’s the real difference here. The only thing being kept is the block, possibly the crank and maybe, just maybe the rods. Everything else is being tossed.
From this perspective, it’s a dumb comparison. Because everything is being changed out for better.

In the case of keeping the heads, (MoPar here) reworking the stock head for mild performance is a cost saver over new aluminum. Until the price factor tips in favor of aluminum & the performance level isn’t very high, there is nothing wrong with the iron head. While I’m not a fan of keeping a 318 head on a 318 since the 350 head is a winner every time, perhaps the researcher doesn’t have the money to reinvest in 330/360 heads.

But the internet world just keeps beating on those that want to work with what they have for as little money as possible. The very thing about this board is to help others and even more so, new guys and those with less funds to do the best they can with the little money and experience they have.

Something most ignore.

It’s not that using an340 or 360 doesn’t make sense, it’s just not helpful sometimes (most IMO) to suggest it over and over again like nailing a nail down with a hammer. Even more so when the goal of using the 318 to start with on purpose is in the title and first lines of a thread.

The bottom line here? Your not helping.
So perhaps being removed from the board was a lesson not fully yet learned.

Everyone (99.9%?) knows the 318 was never a performance engine but just a basic people mover. Actually, even the performance engines were since they company has to warranty them for a time. Back in the day, they could have make a 318 make 1.2 hp per cube. (381 hp) They could have done it with a 440 as well. (528 hp) But they didn’t. They were all just upgraded people movers.

But many upgraded the engines anyway. Didn’t you?
If you did, then you must have felt that the engine wasn’t up to snuff for being a performance engine.
 
302 heads are LA heads that came on a 318 only.
J heads have a 915 casting number.

No. But it may help get to the target goal for power.
Key word - may.

Depends on the plan of attack. Someone could also say it’s half way there. Next is a cam and headers and be done with it.

I try very hard not to settle on things because when you could have and settled, you always say to yourself “I could have had….”
Thanks for straightening me out I did check my heads and they are 915 so do the 302 heads have the larger size cast intake runners and ports?
 
302 heads are tiny runners. Very tiny. But will port out really well. I’ve read 240/250 on the intake. I hich makes for a nice street strip head. Remember, you can race anything without a single race part on or in the car!

Caveats to the 318 should not be ignored but also at the same time those that always say things like “Keep the cam little because it’s easy to over cam the little engine.” Are speaking the truth but also ignore or not pay attention to the build at hand.

The smaller the engine the more it takes to get it to perform. This often requires a bigger camshaft and the. To round out the package, more stall from the converter and more rear gear.

With this as a known, build accordingly!
 
The 920's are a good 273/318 head. (late 1966 and 67 273 application) They have a heart shaped closed chamber and are very close to the "not so magical" #302 heads. You could swap a 920 out with a 302 and probably never feel the difference.
 
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Also, FWIW, the 915 is a 340/360 head. They cam with ether a 1.88 or 2.02 valve but both had 1.60 exhaust valves. These can be made to perform very well. But you’ll have to weigh the cost vs aluminum heads and check to see if it aligned with your goal and build plans.

If racing, does the class allow aluminum heads? (Probably so!)
If not, and you must use cast iron heads, are W2’s allowed?
They are a very good cylinder head.
 
.... and, don't forget magnum heads on a 318. A great choice!
 
I’ve never had a “915” - 318 head. Only 340/360 - 915 heads.
 
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