I've had them all and built them all every which way. Kept the 273's and 340's. Sold all the 318's and 360's. Don't give a darn about torque, that's what gears are for. It's not high performance if it does not rev to 6k. 273's are a lot different than 260 Fords and 265 Chevy's. 273's have better heads, forged crank, solid cam and adjustable rockers that 318's do not have. Not the same dynamic, but you keep plugging away. I would love to get any 273 at give away prices, just like the "Thermo Bogs", Quadra-Junks, and 71 Air cleaners I used to get.