318 Build suggestions

Dartswinger70 said
AJs build and yours ,it sounds like two different engines for two different uses are you drag racing your 318? I am in the middle of a 340 build that I am trying to keep "as stock as possible" as far as cam, heads ,compression...I want it to run on pump gas and not over heat in traffic etc. The point with my 340 is, it had all the good stuff stock. A gasket set is all I would need basically... I believe it is possible to have a 273 in a 65 barracuda that moves that car scary quick...but that is a street car. Take that car to the strip and try to compete, and eventually out will come the 273 and in would go a race worked 340-360. it would come to that naturally I believe the 318 would only get the car to a certain bracket and it would stop there. However I am not up with the times and do not know what is out there as far as 318 internals for racing engines. I am fairly certain the heads would have to go , the stock 318 heads. Just my thoughts and I could be wrong. I figure the truth is 318s are drying up, and 340s have all but dried up, they definitely aren't cheap, and figure the things you have to know, what years did they go low comp, what valves are in what heads, internal vs external balance etc. I'm not sure 318s have that issue is there an external balance 318LA engine? Keep in mind I always talk in terms of LA I am not all that familiar with the magnum, I know a little about them but never owned one. I like the roller cam setup in the magnum though that makes sense to me, and i wish it was in the LA :)

Na, 273's were always fast. Like the 340 the High Performance 273 had all the good stuff and unencumbered by emissions considerations. The only problem with 273's is you have to wind them up too high once you go past J heads. I feel that 7,000 rpm, 6,500 on the safe side, is the top limit using stock internals and valve train. 340's were always the best, but it was because they got all the good stuff, from compression to good heads and really too much to list. Not the "magic" 4 in bore. Not the few extra cubic inches. But the whole high performance package. I remember 340 guys buying Holley carbs, Edelbrock intakes and in the end they ran about the same as stock. What did us poor boys do to get 340 performance? Start with a 318. They were all internally balanced, including the Magnum 5.2. Get the heads off a 360, same 340 ports, the intake valves were a bit smaller, but they still flowed great, clean up the bowls under the valve head, milled the heads .040 and intake side .038, 340 or similar cam, 340 intake and carb, 340 exhaust manifolds, dual exhaust, quick curve distributor, windage tray, high pressure oil pump spring and you were just about there. The same works for 273's and 360's also. We are talking the 70's here. I did it all the time for people. I never had the time or money to race my only car. My friends raced Super Stock and Stock Class. They helped me sort out the BS from magazines and knuckle heads, to what it really takes to run fast. It is not as much as one would think. I know what it takes to have a dedicated drag car, and I have finally realized, that is not what I want. My 273 was not stock, never was, and was a test mule for just about anything that sounded good to me. It was and is crazy fast.