Like they always say: "If it don't go, chrome it"
Best Top 10 Bolt Ons For a 318
- Thread starter Dan the man
- Start date
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Dave_J
Well-Known Member
Dished pistons in a WORK HORSE engine are great if the Compression Height is set correctly for quench. Over 90% of all 360's were made as work horse vehicles. But they also were made to meet EPA requirements so no 10.5:1 compression ratios.
My cousin was a sheetrock installer. He had a 1973 W200 4X4 as his work truck. It was a 318 2bbl and had the truck 4 speed and 4.10:1 gears. Got 5-6 MPG loaded with 40+ sheets of rock. He tried headers, a 260 RV cam, 4bbl carb and a MSD ignition but still got 5-6 MPG.
I had a 78 360 laying in the garage. We took 0.040" off the decks to square them up. Put a 340 'Resto' cam in and a set of ported 273 closed chamber heads and all of the above bolt ons. This made his take off torque so much more and his gas mileage went up to 9-10 MPG loaded. The biggest bang for the bucks was the POWER added at take off and cruise. +3 MPG was not a big change but it was not a -3. Unloaded he gained from 14 MPG to 18 MPG.
What I found is a guy doesn't need anything fast. Save the money!! Just buy a bunch of chrome, a big air cleaner (chrome of course) and a few free stickers. They'll surrender without ever starting engines
Beat 'em without starting the engine.... all for 69.99
Scody21
Just send it
And if they did start the engines, the pipes were cut so it sounded badass…What I found is a guy doesn't need anything fast. Save the money!! Just buy a bunch of chrome, a big air cleaner (chrome of course) and a few free stickers. They'll surrender without ever starting engines
View attachment 1715958656
View attachment 1715958657
Beat 'em without starting the engine.... all for 69.99
If they had to drive 80 miles to the track and 80 miles back at $8.00 a gallon they would , unless they **** $100.00 bills
B3422w5
Well-Known Member
nobody “ has” to do that though. They can tow it the eighty miles, so if it breaks( and they break) you aren’t paying a wrecker bill to get it home.
Just me, but I never wander very far from home, driving my Dart, because if something breaks, most time parts aren’t immediately available for a 50 year old performance car( spark box, rocker arm, pushrod, shifter cable, electric fuel pump, etc, etc, etc. it happens.
I never go further than what I want to stick my neck out for a tow bill.
That’s just me, and frankly, I do have the money to feed 8 dollar a gallon 110 in it( the results of working 50 years) but I don’t want to sit on the side of the road either. Been there, done that.
Some things people have to graduate from the school of hard knocks to understand.
Or having something truly nice enough they want to keep it in piece.
If I had a 2500 crusty 75 Dart with a slant in it, I might venture further ..lol
dirty white boy
50 yr old Juvenal delinquent
one dad had i doubt got 16 mpg!! stock 360, charger,... ect ect...
a man asking for best bolt ons ant shooting for 11's and differently planing a street deal where mpg dose matter with 87 going for 5ish bucks a gallon these days...
1 a good tune,good ignition
2 rear gear! number one bang for the buck!
3 2800ish stall
4 headers an exhaust
5,6,7 cam intake and carb
8 good flat top 0 deck pistons
9 heads
10 set of drag radials
11 reduce weight as much as you can,...
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What car, how do you want to use it?
Thats an excellent drive train upgrade.
Even the low compression engines will respond with a cam, just a small one though. Probably at a point where the 2800 wouldn’t really be a good help/match to the cam. I wouldn’t go above. 220@050. The engines compression ratio just isn’t there to support a larger cam. Kind of sucks.
2-1/2 exhaust and the right muffler will go very far. More than a 318 will do as delivered and bolt in’s will do. Even a turbo muffler will support 450hp.
I’ve done dual exhaust off exhaust manifolds. The “Feel” is not that big of a deal. But there is power gained.
As mentioned above, a cam under 220@050 is still a viable cam size to use in a low compression 318 and still benefit from. BTDT Though a 2800 stall might be a bit big for a 218@050 cam?
I disagree that a
“> a 4bbl and a low-stall, IMO, is more or less a waste of time until around 3000 rpm; which with 2.76 gears is around 30/32 mph depending on your tire size.”
Yes, while true, but! Mainly because a stock 318 is performing in this area once on the road. It’s the camshaft. If there was a rear wheel dyno test, the curves would be the same until that approximate area. Nothing has really changed to enhance the lower end of the power curve. The 4bbl with or without a higher stall vs the 2bbl., with or without the higher stall will act the same until the secondaries open up AND the engine can swallow it.
Once the 2.76’ers are gone, it’s on. It’ll feel good.
I agree with the whole package complementing each other. There’s also nothing like doing all the changes at once.
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who is talking 110 ?? that costs 20.00 a galloon here . I'm talking 93 or 94 octane , don't worry you'll be paying that soon enough, and I don't drag race , like road courses better , true test of a car . besides don't have a tow truck best I have is a 2018 Range Rover supercharged POS not a great tow vehicle
Dan the man
Well-Known Member
1972 scamp. Cruiser. Looking for better throttle response and low to midrange torque and power. No racing.
Dan the man
Well-Known Member
What brand / type of muffler do you recommend?
Dan the man
Well-Known Member
Mopar44134
Well-Known Member
My theory, assuming its a well used and aged 318 and you probably have to replace or repair these items anyways is as follows:
1. exhaust. 340 hp manifolds or more affordable 360 magnum manifolds, 2.5" dual exhaust, good sounding muffler and depending on your budget H, X pipe . As a near stock 318 $150 each mufflers aren't necessary nor the cost of x or h pipe. Those would help down the road if you plan dramatically increasing hp. I like manifolds as it keeps the under hood temps down. Improving the flow and sound of the exhaust would ad power, some mileage and definitely smiles per mile.
2. Cam, lifters timing chain. Older LA 318, cams probably worn, plastic timing chain is falling apart. Nothing to crazy on the cam. RV cam sound about right. Maybe a cam with a slight rumble for the smiles per mile. On my motor i emailed comp cams with what i plan on running with stock compression. They recommended a cam. I'm happy with it.
3. Carb and intake. Switch to a 4 barrel set up, dual plane. Close to stock 318, 600 should be all you need. electric choke.
4. Heads. Since it will be a lower rpm motor, valve job. Make sure the valves are seating properly. 318willrun recent video is a good one. That's where i would spend the money.
Ive never been a chrome guy. A clean, freshly painted motor with stock valve covers, dual snorkel unsilenced factory air cleaner is what i like. My buddies have always lived by the moto, If it don't go, go chrome. We took the chrome money and went with cams, gears, shift kit and torque converters or put it towards the body.
5. Gears. If you have 2.45/2.76 gears, a bump to 3.23 or 3.55s would be a balance between mileage, cruising and off the line smiles. Not to mention sure grip. 2 black marks beat a 1 wheel peal any day. 8 3/4 would allow you to swap between gears depending on how far you drive. I run 3.91s but i rarely went on the highway.
Comes down to your budget, you can go hog wild in these areas. If you could swing ceramic coated heads they would look good and help keep the heat down. Adding fuel injection or roller cam would help but $$$$
Oh almost forgot, a 318WR sticker adds to smiles per mile and shaved .001 off my reaction time and et. lol
1. exhaust. 340 hp manifolds or more affordable 360 magnum manifolds, 2.5" dual exhaust, good sounding muffler and depending on your budget H, X pipe . As a near stock 318 $150 each mufflers aren't necessary nor the cost of x or h pipe. Those would help down the road if you plan dramatically increasing hp. I like manifolds as it keeps the under hood temps down. Improving the flow and sound of the exhaust would ad power, some mileage and definitely smiles per mile.
2. Cam, lifters timing chain. Older LA 318, cams probably worn, plastic timing chain is falling apart. Nothing to crazy on the cam. RV cam sound about right. Maybe a cam with a slight rumble for the smiles per mile. On my motor i emailed comp cams with what i plan on running with stock compression. They recommended a cam. I'm happy with it.
3. Carb and intake. Switch to a 4 barrel set up, dual plane. Close to stock 318, 600 should be all you need. electric choke.
4. Heads. Since it will be a lower rpm motor, valve job. Make sure the valves are seating properly. 318willrun recent video is a good one. That's where i would spend the money.
Ive never been a chrome guy. A clean, freshly painted motor with stock valve covers, dual snorkel unsilenced factory air cleaner is what i like. My buddies have always lived by the moto, If it don't go, go chrome. We took the chrome money and went with cams, gears, shift kit and torque converters or put it towards the body.
5. Gears. If you have 2.45/2.76 gears, a bump to 3.23 or 3.55s would be a balance between mileage, cruising and off the line smiles. Not to mention sure grip. 2 black marks beat a 1 wheel peal any day. 8 3/4 would allow you to swap between gears depending on how far you drive. I run 3.91s but i rarely went on the highway.
Comes down to your budget, you can go hog wild in these areas. If you could swing ceramic coated heads they would look good and help keep the heat down. Adding fuel injection or roller cam would help but $$$$
Oh almost forgot, a 318WR sticker adds to smiles per mile and shaved .001 off my reaction time and et. lol
Dan the man
Well-Known Member
You guys have been great. Everyone here has been patient with me and I really really appreciate it. I'm looking forward to all the smiles per mile. I believe that not only will it be a fun car but a good learning experience for me as well. Again thanks everybody
my 72 318 picked up some power with just cutting the heads 10 thou valve job small cam holley street dominator thermoquad off a 74 440 dual exhaust with cheap thrush mufflers and an 83/4 with 3:23 gears , car was lots of fun to drive and would hold up to most stock firechickens . good luck with yours
Dan the man
Well-Known Member
Can I run KB 167 pistons with stock 318 heads?
The one that sounds best to your ears.
I can sell you a set of turbo mufflers that came from my Summit kit. They are 2-1/2 off set in/center out.
They’ll sound something like the first set of mufflers in the first clip. It’s a 10.5-1, 340 with a 241/247@050 cam w/.548 lift on a 108.
The second video is on a low compression ‘79-318 with a very mild Crane cam on a 112 C line. It was run stone cold for the video in November in NY.
More videos coming soon.
Those are the flat top with two valve reliefs, yes with stock heads.
The KB with the domed piston should be able to be run with a stock head without modification. But the machinist would have to make sure.
View attachment 1715959813
74 sounds good
In order, for a running stock 318. Automatic trans? Rear? Gears?
1. factory 70 340 barrel, 273 4 barrel, Performer, Street Dominator, Weiand dual plane intake and a 340 cable bracket.
2. rebuilt original factory AVS or new AVS 2
3. get a good recurved Distributor, either 72-73 340 or P3690430 DC or have Halifaxhops do yours for you.
4. hydraulic cam, lifters, viton positive valve seals, and valve springs around 250* to 260* duration and .430-.480 lift.
5. Double Roller timing set
6. 71-73 340 exhaust manifolds
7. Factory dual exhaust
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B3422w5
Well-Known Member
That's not bad considering I was paying 5 bucks at the track in early to mid 2000.
Now I'm paying 5 bucks for 87 horse piss for my daily and a few dimes more for 92.
The 451 is setup for 92.
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