Steve Dulcich on building a budget 318

I haven’t built a street motor in 45 years, I’ve had some good 318 and 360’s and some dogs of both also. In my early years I built some real dogs putting a bigger cam and such on a stock shortblock, you sure don’t forget those ones! Not everyone agrees with ol’ Aj but he is spot on if you want to get somewhere with a little bit of thinking. A little compression makes things work a lot better, within reasoning of fuel. I really think a stockish 318 can and will run well with a smaller cam and the stock heads. 5.2 really shines if can get one and you are wanting that cubic inch, if you are patient ther are loads of 5.2 and 5.9 magnums around in my neck of the woods and can be built pretty well with minimum machine work. I’m definitely not a 318 hater, just more of a bang for the buck guy.
I raced a class where we had to run 9 to 1 compression, had a motor with cp pistons that mirrored a eq chamber, the pistons pins and rings cost more than I put in one of my basically stock 5.9 motors complete, was the good motor better, I sure hope it was, I didn’t dyno them but the butt dyno couldn’t tell the difference.
Lotta ways to skin this cat and I think most guys on here mean well, but of coarse someone’s gonna get all bent out of shape.