Waitaminute; are you saying;
It's ok to change the heads and a cam but just don't bag that 273?
In the big picture, how much power do you imagine is gonna make on an 8/1, 273
I'll tell ya; Pishta knows; check his sig.
A 318 is 16.5% bigger, runs the same heads and cam in those years but ran 9.0 Scr. There is no contest.
So I say; take the 273 top end and slip the early LA318short under them, for an instant 50horsepower gain, 2bbl for 2bbl. And it idles at 500rpm and scoots with a 1700stall, and pushes 2.76s all day long. Not to dis the 273 too badly but; the 273-2bbl is a factory-rated 180hp base V8 grocery getter engine.There is a very good reason production ended in 1969.
But I just gotta tell ya,Once upon a long long time ago, I tuned up a 273 67 Dart for a guy, who was going on a tour. When he got back he mentioned 30 mpg on the hiway. That's 30 Canadian , so 24US. And it was just a basic tune-up, So hooray for the little engine that could!