10 sec. 318?
Ahhhh, he doesn't want tens, he wants a lumpy idle!!!!!
Owning a 390, in something that tows for a living, I can say, you get torque, at a lower RPM. 70 inches, at 1hp per inch, do the math, and it happens at a lower, RPM.
However, if you want a 12 sec car, that SOUNDS mean, stick with the 318.
I had a 11.5 sec 318, 600+ lift solid roller, hundreds of hours of head work, forged guts, it sounded, and in all seriousness, WAS bad ***, but the same parts in a 440 would have ripped the car to shreds.
Build a nice healthy 400HP 318, and just enjoy, you will have 20thou in a real ten second car, EASY.