Making power out of the 318
I realize that. But if he went 360 magnum and got the 96-up flex plate he wouldn't need the weighted converter.
And am I the only one getting sick n tired of seeing an OP asking about a 318 and members at large here, answer the "318 questions" with "find a 360"?
Maybe he wants to use what he has on hand. Nothing wrong with that. Just help him build the best 318 he can. In this thread or any other of the gazillions of the ads asking about a 318 around here.
Especially in a case like this.... 15 yo kid. Were losing the younger generation fast enough as us. This is a 1st engine build. He ain't gonna know how to do alot of what's needed, between what has to happen in a machine shop, and plain simple inexperience.
Help him build the best 318 he can for now and if he wants to do a different engine later whatever engine that may be) deal with that later. Now if somehow the block is deemed junk-- cracked, bored to the max already, or some other way "unusable" now that might change the story and the suggestions.
Get him the experience of building an engine and building it right without cutting corners first and "building one up" later. Not saying at all it has to be a "stone stock" engine for his 1st go round/ as many upgrades can happen going thru the exact same motions with that same engine, by picking the right parts.
For now something he can have fun with while gaining some experience. A healthy 318 will be stronger than a stock/6 in the 1st place.
Whatever CID engine were talking about, at the power level he thinks he wants in something like an a body, well be reading about his crash and burn... I don't want to see that.
yes, and no. i loves me some 318's but with his intended goal of 400hp that's just not feasible withing the constraints of the budget he's put forth. hence, 360.
if you read my other post, what it really hinges on is the 318 might be crap and starting out with a 360 could very well put him in a better position both financially and to meet his goal of 400hp. but again: we don't know. hence my suggestion to take it to the machine shop and find out, then make a battle plan from there.
i'm all about a 318 being great for a first build and it could turn into a fun little motor for not a lot of cash and a great experience... IF... the parts are viable; AND he resets his expectations HP wise.
play it out this way: say that 318 needs to go 40 over, there's 4~500 in pistons, and the crank needs turned 10/10, and the heads need a full tilt rebuild-- how much is that at the machine shop? a grand? so he's 1500 into a short block and heads that'll *maybe* support 300hp and he still needs a cam, timing chain, cover, intake, oil pan, oil pump and pick up.
fundamentally, when a 360 from the yard is $500 and you can get away with minimal or zero machine work then that's the play to make in this circumstance. yes, you'll still need some of those same parts: cam, oil pan, etx but the end goal of 400hp is
substantially easier and cheaper to achieve.
anyway, at least the car's got discs on the front already.
thanks for coming to my ted talk.