Cams for 318's

I always love the people that say a 273/318/340 isn't big enough from people that have not done one or done one right. I started with a 273 in a 64 Barracuda with a 4 speed. The 273 was pulled and sent out for 10.5 forged pistons and good machine work. Since it had a good forged crank and pistons, I experimented with that 273 over the course of 200,000 miles and 15 to 20 years. It was a daily driver and was built initially for High Performance with stock heads (1.78 intake and 1.50 exhaust valves), Offy intake, Holley 1850 600 cfm vacuum secondary, 284 duration solid cam, factory exhaust manifolds, straight thru Commando single exhaust, and a Mallory double life mechanical distributor. It was fast enough to beat most cars with 100 cu in larger engines. As a matter of fact it had the same power to weight as a late 60's 4 speed Road Runner, yeah I raced him and he knew how to race. Years later the best 273 combination had the same short block with milled .040 72 340 "J" heads (1.88 intake, 1.60 exhaust valves, and 64.8 cc chambers), a used 50,000 mile 72 340 cam, lifters, and shimmed hydraulic rocker arms, 71 340 intake and TQ, and the 72 340 electronic ignition with a Chrome box. With 4.10 gears it would fry the tires through 1st, 2nd, and 1/2 way through 3rd, and do the Quarter just under 100 mph. Rpm dropped 1,000 rpm between shifts. With 2.76 gears it would pull mid 20s mpg cruising on the highway. All with a stock used 268 duration, .430 lift 114 centerline hydraulic flat tappet cam. If I can do it with a 273, why can't you do it with a 318? 340? 360? No strokers, no nitrous, no aluminum heads, no headers, no high dollar ignition, no aluminum radiators. And I still have that 273. Never blew it, even after missed 6,500 rpm power shifts. Need dyno numbers, what a joke, go out and live a little. Put something together and run it. Don't have a drag strip? Go out into the country, mark off a quarter mile and give it a go. Don't measure time, measure mph. Drag racing is a specialized sport, not the same as a street car.