Anything special about a 91 318?

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volaredon

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As above.i know, last year before the magnum. Very late model 91, truck built in June of that year.
I'm getting a Dakota of that year, this weekend.
All I know is "bad fuel pump" and I trust the guy who told the owner that that's the problem. I work with the guy who told the owner that info every day.

Its rustier than I had hoped, wanted some parts off of it for my 96.
Anyway I didn't look under it to see if it's an A 500 or 518, should have. But that's going to my son for his project. Main reason we're getting this thing. Might take the interior, as it's the 1st square body Dakota I've seen in forever that isn't boring gray.
But I'm wondering about that 318. Definitely not a magnum. Anything better about it, than any other garden variety LA 318?
 
If it's got a factory roller cam then yes it's significantly special
 
Don't they also have "heart" combustion chambers? torqueflite might be RH (no controller needed except for lockup/ od switches)
 
Special? Ok, I know LA 318's had roller cams from '85-91. They also have the "debated" 302 heads (or same head, different casting).
 
Ok I know that stuff. But something different about the mount ears, and something different about drilled oil passages, things like that is what I thought that I remembered about them. Last year LA, 1st year magnum, something about that year engine having some features of both, that older and newer ones don't have?
 
volaredon said:
Ok I know that stuff. But something different about the mount ears, and something different about drilled oil passages, things like that is what I thought that I remembered about them. Last year LA, 1st year magnum, something about that year engine having some features of both, that older and newer ones don't have?
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Some of the early year magnums had the oil passage drilled for rocker shaft oiling. STill, the cam bearing had to be changed for that.
 
Look for a large I cast on the side, for Industrial. I have one and the cylinder walls are over 5/16 thick on the major thrust axis for the first 1-1/2 inch from the deck and then taper to over a 1/4 inch thick for the remainder of the cylinder. It would easily take a stock 340 piston and still have at least .185 on the major thrust axis.
 
volaredon said:
Ok I know that stuff. But something different about the mount ears, and something different about drilled oil passages, things like that is what I thought that I remembered about them. Last year LA, 1st year magnum, something about that year engine having some features of both, that older and newer ones don't have?
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If it has factory LA heads, the block has the old style oil passage, period.
 
Is the '91 318 a Dakota 318 or one from a Ram or Ram Van? The '91 was the last of the LA 318, and the first year for a regular production 318 in a Dakota (1989 Shelby doesn't count). The '91 Dakota 318 accessory drive was unique to it. Uses one year only tensioner, water pump, and I think timing cover but I could be wrong on that. Other than that it was a TBI roller cam 318 with 302 casting heads, similar to all the truck 318s from '88-91.
 
Using up what was on the shelf for last year of production. It's like finding an 8 3/4 rear under a 6 cylinder 4 door Dart in 72 - last year for 8 3/4... just usin' 'em up, so random.
 
Rob_Mopar said:
Is the '91 318 a Dakota 318 or one from a Ram or Ram Van? The '91 was the last of the LA 318, and the first year for a regular production 318 in a Dakota (1989 Shelby doesn't count). The '91 Dakota 318 accessory drive was unique to it. Uses one year only tensioner, water pump, and I think timing cover but I could be wrong on that. Other than that it was a TBI roller cam 318 with 302 casting heads, similar to all the truck 318s from '88-91.
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Well it's in a Dakota which is all I know about it right now. Dunno if it's the original engine or not.
 
This was the last year of the swirl port heads....when researching the numbers on the heads they had a different casting number that was not common to the rest of the previous years heads. I am running those 1991 heads on my 87 ....318 in Project 53. I have slept since then but there was something funky about the head numbers. Great heads
 
Well the old rustbucket is officially mine, now gotta get with the kid cuz he has the trailer.
Went and had another look at it as the kid and I are splitting it. He's been after an OD trans that will bolt on to a small block for his C body wagon, He's gonna be disappointed that I got him a 500 and not a 518....but he gets what he gets. And I'm gonna do something with that 318. Don't know what yet, whether I just keep the heads or the whole thing....but I am keeping the (what I understand to be) 1 year only motor mounts and belt accessory drive.
 
9.2:1 compression.

IIRC roller lifters are interchangeable with Magnum (and reusable).
 
volaredon said:
Well the old rustbucket is officially mine, now gotta get with the kid cuz he has the trailer.
Went and had another look at it as the kid and I are splitting it. He's been after an OD trans that will bolt on to a small block for his C body wagon, He's gonna be disappointed that I got him a 500 and not a 518....but he gets what he gets. And I'm gonna do something with that 318. Don't know what yet, whether I just keep the heads or the whole thing....but I am keeping the (what I understand to be) 1 year only motor mounts and belt accessory drive.
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I thought there was somebody a while back posting a wanted ad for a 91 Dakota 318 oil pan because it was one year only, but not 100% sure about that.

The block itself will have normal LA engine mount location lugs, and the rest of the 318 engine will be typical of an LA version with roller lifters, so nothing wrong with that. The front accessory drive is a serpentine setup that I have only seen one time and it has a different aluminum bracket for alternator and air conditioning compressor mounting. I posted some pictures in the thread below.

Crosswind air gap clone and ram truck serpentine setup
 
Yes 9.2 to 1 cr flat top pistons along with the 302 closed chamber heads. TBI

Makes a nice engine to convert over to a 4 bbl, manual fuel pump, and mopar electronic ignition.
 
'91 318

Resized_20200603_204317_8931.jpeg
 
Can pretty easily convert that '91 318 mid-rise TBI intake manifold over to a 4 bbl setup.

20200709_164502.jpg

1406 Edelbrock with the stock 318 roller cam runs out good, makes decent power when opening up the secondaries. When not opening the secondaries you get decent gas mileage .
 
I'd say what sets the 91 teen apart is the roller cam. That's about it. The heads are arguably not better than the LA heads, just different. So, IMO the roller camshaft is the only real "upgrade". People can disagree all they want, but in stock form, the heads have small valves, tiny, unworked ports and small bowls. The heads certainly have potential, but in stock form better? I say no.
 
Few 318 that had true flat top pistons. RRR pointed this out years ago to me looking for some flat tops. Thought they would bump the ol 68's compression but I sold it shortly after.
 
Bobzilla said:
I thought there was somebody a while back posting a wanted ad for a 91 Dakota 318 oil pan because it was one year only, but not 100% sure about that.

The block itself will have normal LA engine mount location lugs, and the rest of the 318 engine will be typical of an LA version with roller lifters, so nothing wrong with that. The front accessory drive is a serpentine setup that I have only seen one time and it has a different aluminum bracket for alternator and air conditioning compressor mounting. I posted some pictures in the thread below.

Crosswind air gap clone and ram truck serpentine setup
Click to expand...

The 318 that came in my 91 dakota sport had the LA motor mounts, but used the magnum mounts that ate cast in about the center of the block.
 
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