318 Build? Help!

More compression and higher velocity through the carb = success in my view
In my book that means
small carb, well matched small runners, small ports, small valves, big capacity
= superlative operation at smaller rpm

never built a 318 never owned more than 6 cylinders in one motor.
but i achieved similar in my old VWs days by building big capacity motor with higher CR and the heads off the small capacity motor, a cam designed for towing and a carb that everyone said was too small, because everyone was fixated with drag race motor specifications. original dizzy with vacuum advance most definitely connected.
lets call it a "touring" rather than "racing" motor....

Nice induction roar, and i could tow a plough up a cliff..well that's what it felt like....bags of torque from 1000 rpm onward is a nice thing. top end power not needed when you are driving a cute looking fridge overloaded with spares, junk and solid wood camper conversion furniture.
could overpower the tyres on a very steep hill if not careful, and that's one silly-looking bouncy, burnout, reduction gears on the ends of 60s VW van back axle leads to odd behaviour , nobody is impressed other than the builder of the motor :) .

Your wishes sound similar, you just have more capacity and more options.....
the key was 10:1 the right carb heads and cam, that small carb that acted as a rev limiter somewhere a little bit short of the redline of the original car specifications for the motor

this was all done with, more luck rather than judgement, having to use what i had rather than any great insight, i chose the cam but i only really understood why it worked quite well later on

Dave