318 Head Opinions

63dartman,Valiantmike,
Are you sure I ment magnums? I really prefer the 302's, they have a better chamber design (fast burn- heart shape) than the typical wedge style of the magnum. Also port velocity should come into play along with port volume.
We all know that the 318 magnums are the same casting as the 360. So the problem comes in that this is mainly a street car and occasional trip to the track. With the larger ports the engine will be some what of a dog on the bottom as with the smaller ports it will pick this up greatly. Larger ports need a looser converter to make them work and the larger the port the looser the converter needs to be, also over camming is a another issue that comes into play here. You only have 318 CI so this is easily done, then you'll have the issue with valve shrouding in the cylinders as with the 302 you don't have this, as the valves are smaller. The best part is no extra machining and you already have the parts. A simple cleaning of the bowl's and a gasket match to fit the intake and you'll have 350 hp on tap. I know as I'm makeing just under 400 HP with 87 octane and 302 heads, and a stock short block and a 280H cam.