Let me see if I’m following here.
If I’m building a 318 and I need heads do I chose a 318 head and keep the CR up or a 360 casting and get the flow?
Every single time I pick the 360 head. All engines are a series of compromises. The engine with the least amount of compromises is always better.
That’s why I pull my hair out when I see guys building 400 plus inches and use a stock casting or even an Edelbrock head. That is so induction limited that to get any reasonable RPM out of it you have a cam that is the dread bottom end killer.
But that torque number is up there.
That’s if I’m following your thinking.