318 build up
WEll,it does have a Ho-Humm rep mainly due to it was alllmost allways and only a 2bbl. Later years they did have a 4bbl. But it was a cheap easy adjustment from the fctory. LOL
They used what they had on hand to up the performance. They toped the 318 with 360 heads and intake. Not a great way of getting more performance, but a cheap one from the factory with what they had on hand.
For a comparo vs the 302, the 318's bore and stroke are 3.91 bore and 3.31 stroke.
If you bore this out alot, lets say, .060 overbore to 3.97, your only .032 shy of the 4 inch bore of the 302 right? You could somic check the cylinder walls and see if you can go to 4.00 inch. It is possible if the walls check out.
Stroke wise, 3.00 vs 3.31. So, in theroy, it should produce more torque than the Fords stroke.
The biggest trick on a teen vs the bigger MoPar engines is not to over cam it. It's easy to do on a smaller engine. Remember the 340 is 22 cubes larger and will handle large cams and head ports alot better tha a teen.
From the MoPar camp, when 340's were not to hard to get, everyone spent there time and money on a 340 and never looked at a 318.
Heck, 360's were given the bad rap of "Crap smog motor not worth spit."
Bore and stroke
273.....318.....340.....360..................302
3.61*..3.91....4.04....4.00....bore .......4.002
3.31....3.31....3.31....3.58...stroke .....3.00
By way of compare, the 318 lacks in bore size and is it's biggest hurdle.