Vanguard15
Member
I've been reading 318 threads; most recently the one about XE cams.
14 years ago I bought a 68 Charger that still had the original 2 barrel, 318 w/904. My initial intent was to put it back on the road and sell it. This was before I knew anything about forums, nor could I really interpret what I was reading in magazines or all the helpful advice of my neighbors to "wake up the 318." Bottom line I "assembled" and engine for the first time which was a lot of fun. It now has a nice passing gear but only 225 pounds of torque to the rear wheels. Below is how things unfolded and a bit of speculation as to why those torque numbers are low. I have learned what happens if you don't have a clear end state or know how to match part specs. There is more I need to learn.
My basic rebuild went like this:
318 bored .30 over
kept the stock open chamber heads with a valve job, pocket port and exhaust runners cleaned up a bit.
Edelbrock dual plane intake with an Eddy 600 carb on top
360 power cam from Delta Cam in Tacoma - The specs I wrote down on a piece of paper are 450 lift; 268 duration; 214 @ 50; 112 lobe separation
KB 167 pistons - once the block was machined they didn't look like they were in the hole at all.
I put on factory spec head gaskets
I cleaned up the interior to make it comfortable.
Rewired the dash after it almost sent the car up in a blaze of glory.
At some point a couple years in I developed a romantic relationship with the car and decided to keep it . . .
BFGs with 15 x 275s on the rear, 255s on the front
A 3.55 gear with sure grip/posi - This was done as an effort to remedy what I thought was the limitation of my heads. It helped some but mostly killed by mpg.
Dual exhaust with headman headers and 2.5 exhaust . . . which didn't help the seat-of-the-pants dyno.
904, with a racemaster rebuild kit and a transgo shift kit, three clutch pack upgraded to 5 (red) and bigger sun gear which resulted in a little more fun and lower mpg.
*****stock stall converter put in, specs are unknown, but in the neighborhood of 2000 - at the time I had no idea about matching the stall to cam. I still don't have good practical experience, but I suspect this is a weak link in my build.
Better cooling radiator was installed.
Then a ton of body work and more wiring and interior work.
I have not upgraded the brakes yet but this, and the power steering box, are next.
I've put 28,000 miles on the car with all kinds of highway driving and have really enjoyed it, the learning process etc. . . I parked it two years ago for a D100 project. Now I'm ready to tear into it again after saving a little money for up-grades. It's no show car, but will no longer be a daily driver. I want performance up grades that are for fun - fun for driving and fun for learning a bit more about building. I have some interest in keeping the small block in there if it can be a more enjoyable and torquey cruiser. I have a line on a nice set of closed chamber 302 heads for cheap that may be a positive addition IF it would be beneficial and IF it is matched to a better torque convertor that works with my current cam shaft. Am I correct? Or will I need a different cam as well?
14 years ago I bought a 68 Charger that still had the original 2 barrel, 318 w/904. My initial intent was to put it back on the road and sell it. This was before I knew anything about forums, nor could I really interpret what I was reading in magazines or all the helpful advice of my neighbors to "wake up the 318." Bottom line I "assembled" and engine for the first time which was a lot of fun. It now has a nice passing gear but only 225 pounds of torque to the rear wheels. Below is how things unfolded and a bit of speculation as to why those torque numbers are low. I have learned what happens if you don't have a clear end state or know how to match part specs. There is more I need to learn.
My basic rebuild went like this:
318 bored .30 over
kept the stock open chamber heads with a valve job, pocket port and exhaust runners cleaned up a bit.
Edelbrock dual plane intake with an Eddy 600 carb on top
360 power cam from Delta Cam in Tacoma - The specs I wrote down on a piece of paper are 450 lift; 268 duration; 214 @ 50; 112 lobe separation
KB 167 pistons - once the block was machined they didn't look like they were in the hole at all.
I put on factory spec head gaskets
I cleaned up the interior to make it comfortable.
Rewired the dash after it almost sent the car up in a blaze of glory.
At some point a couple years in I developed a romantic relationship with the car and decided to keep it . . .
BFGs with 15 x 275s on the rear, 255s on the front
A 3.55 gear with sure grip/posi - This was done as an effort to remedy what I thought was the limitation of my heads. It helped some but mostly killed by mpg.
Dual exhaust with headman headers and 2.5 exhaust . . . which didn't help the seat-of-the-pants dyno.
904, with a racemaster rebuild kit and a transgo shift kit, three clutch pack upgraded to 5 (red) and bigger sun gear which resulted in a little more fun and lower mpg.
*****stock stall converter put in, specs are unknown, but in the neighborhood of 2000 - at the time I had no idea about matching the stall to cam. I still don't have good practical experience, but I suspect this is a weak link in my build.
Better cooling radiator was installed.
Then a ton of body work and more wiring and interior work.
I have not upgraded the brakes yet but this, and the power steering box, are next.
I've put 28,000 miles on the car with all kinds of highway driving and have really enjoyed it, the learning process etc. . . I parked it two years ago for a D100 project. Now I'm ready to tear into it again after saving a little money for up-grades. It's no show car, but will no longer be a daily driver. I want performance up grades that are for fun - fun for driving and fun for learning a bit more about building. I have some interest in keeping the small block in there if it can be a more enjoyable and torquey cruiser. I have a line on a nice set of closed chamber 302 heads for cheap that may be a positive addition IF it would be beneficial and IF it is matched to a better torque convertor that works with my current cam shaft. Am I correct? Or will I need a different cam as well?
Your original build is about spot on imo. First off, that car with a small block is not near as heavy as it looks and makes a good handling ''road'' car. One of my early encounters with Mopars was with a college student neighbors 69' 318 Charger in the early 70's when i was about 13yo. All original with a alum intake, 600 carb and duals. He used to take me on some early Sun morning blasts thru the country roads near us and to this day, that some of the most fun i ever had. Might have been a 15/16sec car but i'd still love to have that same experience today.
