I have only been thru about half of this thread, so far but it is the same old, same old thing that I am sick of hearing. Just LIKE the "throw a 350 in it" crowd, which has become the "throw an LS in it" crowd.
IM SICK AND TIRED OF IT ALL!!!!!
There is nothing wrong with the 318.
I've never owned anything BUT a Mopar in all of my years of owning cars and trucks. I have owned slants, 318s and 360s.
The biggest SLUG that I have ever had the misfortune to drive, was the 360 in my son's Ramcharger, that was TBI. Now has a carbd 408 in it. My brothers 80 ramcharger also with a 360 wasn't much better.
I never understood why EVERY 360 I have ever seen with the heads off of, LA or Magnum, has dished pistons, where 318s don't. That by itself castrates a 360 right off the bat.
I have done a couple of magnum head to LA block conversions (one is the 408 in the kids ramcharger)
The other was a 318 in a d250. Magnum heads, stock melling LA 360-2 cam, a standard (not RPM) performer intake and a carterbrock 625. It woke up that engine unbelievably. No dyno readings beyond the butt dyno but mileage and power were both way improved. Untouched 120-ish, 000 mile original short block that was original to the truck (an 83)
I have always just liked the 318s for some reason....from the days before I had a driver's license so I never really know why. I always wanted to "try" building up a 360 just to see what all the hype is about.... 1st mod would be flat top, zero deck pistons.
I have never found myself in a situation where just the swap between a 318 to a 360 would have made the difference in what I was after...... I've made a few engine swaps, both 318>360 and back 360>318 and could never really tell much difference.... all stock vehicles, 2.X gearing
I know that even my Dad, who owned both a 72 Fury wagon w/a 360 and 73 Fury wagon w/a 400, "at the same time", '73 was Mom's to run us to and from school..... but Dad always did nothing but cuss 360s in general for some reason....
I HAVE also noticed that back then, it seemed like I was very much more likely to find heavy sludge beneath the valve covers of a 360 than on a 318....
Quit trashing the 318 please...... maybe sith some encouragement, 318 pistons and such jut might start to come DOWN if parts people start seeing a trend of interest in 318s....
I don't have an A body right now, but I do have a B body 78 Fury Sport, with a 318 that yeah, its a lil doggy..... but it still runs its Lean Burn at the moment... have owned since 2007.... I am gonna do an upgrade on it with "parts on hand". To include a freshly valve jobbed set of 302s, one of a couple (undecided as to which yet) aluminum intakes and (also undecided) a Carterbrock 500, a Carterbrock 625, or one of a couple of TQs that are in the attic ready to run..... probably won't do headers, have true duals off the stock manifolds right now.... may swap them to magnum ones..... only thing I am "completely" undecided on is the cam..... currently stock. I want to go up just a couple steps.... thinking same stock 360-2 bbl cam I used on that truck. this car has an honest 55K original miles on it, I am car's 2nd owner.