318 vs. 360?

Its not just the cubes...the 360 heads have larger ports and valves, which are a good match for the engine.

It could be argued that the 318 head ports and valves were "conservative" at best from the factory.

The other issue is stroke/bore ratio...the 360 is almost ideal...which in turn creates better incremental returns in the form of torque for each modification.

The teen is not bad...but the 60 is actually a better designed motor than the 340 or the 318 in this area.

If you are looking for a comparison on basic design weaknesses in stock long form...you'd rate a 360 as an "A-", a 340 as a "B+", a 318 as a solid "B", a C 350 Cheb as a "C+" and a Ford 302 Windsor as a "C".........IMHO :)