I've seen A LOT of posts about making HP with a 318-So why is it so ???

Once upon a time if you had a 318 it was the budget option versus buying something else.
But now 5.9 magnums are an average of 350 bucks running. You cant hop up a 318 to match it for that money. It also takes so much less skill to swap an engine for newbies than it takes to hop one up.
The only reason i see to hop up a 318 is for fun or if you score some sweet swap meet deals on pieces.