Again this goes back to the statement of average Joe on a budget. Average Joe isn't getting all these unheard of parts for nothing and saying he built a 10k engine for 1k bucks. It's a pipe dream.
Steve Dulcich on building a budget 318
- Thread starter Dartswinger70
- Start date
-
- Status
65TerrorCuda
Well-Known Member
Was it monster garage with Jesse James that'd say FREEBEE!! during a build, where they'd get a free crate motor and chip foose 20" wheels then say the whole car only cost 5 grand? Yeah right. And 8 guys working 14 hour days for nothing
I ran out of money on my first budget build. The machine shop work to clean up the cylinders and get new pistons drained my “budget”. I ended up building the motor piece by piece over time as I was able to save money to buy the parts that I needed. That was back in 1977 when I had to use friends, the junkyard, and swap meets to obtain what I wanted.
Nowadays, the “budget” should be stated such as $500 or $2000 or $10,000.
Nowadays, the “budget” should be stated such as $500 or $2000 or $10,000.
Agreed! Laying around? Someone paid for it!
Unless the part was given to me or traded, there is a price to it that needs to be added in and tallied up on the total. A mention of, the price paid with the notation of what it would cost new should be added in IMO. Heck! I state that I have Hooker Super Comp 1-3/4 headers on my B body. I paid a whopping $330. Is that cheap? Today it is but not when I purchased them brand new!
LMAO! Awesome!Yeah.. one guy i follow (actually good youtube channel and a good guy doing **** right) got sent thousands in parts and has less than 10k followers (at the time) it's like... damn i need to start a channel"Hello, Ray Barton..... i can get you 5000 views for the low cost of a 572!"
No doubt!
Abhhhh the old days I miss as well. I used to know many people in the junk yards. We did each other favors a lot. One day I crossed paths with an import yard that had a ‘79 Z-28. I needed the whole HVAC system and then threw the nose on top of everything. Total cost in ‘90/91 was a whopping $100.
Of course this guy also took all my junk away for free. I did t care. Please take my garbage away! He was the guy that took this man’s garbage and turned into coin for his pocket. I was good with that.
So when that Z-28 showed up, he remembered me and my free of charge donations. We had a great relationship.
In a sense the parts were free and in a sense they were not.
How does one calculate that? IDK!
$3000+ Existing 318 block/crank Prices are approximate.
KB167 pistons $500
Bearings/gaskets 250
Cam/lifters (Howards) 365
Speedmaster heads 800
Timing set 100
Cam bearings 50
Stock oil pump 50
Misc 100
--------
2215
Block prep Clean 100
Cam bearings 50
Bore/hone 300
Crank measure/polish 70
Balance 300
Recon rods 100
----------
920
$3135 I'm sure it will be more but not twice as much I wouldn't think. This is a basic list so don't beat me up if something got left off. Things like cam bearings can be usable as well as the rods reconditioned. May be you have a pair of heads that don't need much. May be the crank needs turned. Add a couple hundred. Oh and rod bolts if you recondition.
KB167 pistons $500
Bearings/gaskets 250
Cam/lifters (Howards) 365
Speedmaster heads 800
Timing set 100
Cam bearings 50
Stock oil pump 50
Misc 100
--------
2215
Block prep Clean 100
Cam bearings 50
Bore/hone 300
Crank measure/polish 70
Balance 300
Recon rods 100
----------
920
$3135 I'm sure it will be more but not twice as much I wouldn't think. This is a basic list so don't beat me up if something got left off. Things like cam bearings can be usable as well as the rods reconditioned. May be you have a pair of heads that don't need much. May be the crank needs turned. Add a couple hundred. Oh and rod bolts if you recondition.
That’s not bad . I have more than 3k in my W2 heads alone . Then add the rockers , intake and headers for another 2500.
What is happening with the mission Impossible 318 project ? I see Servedios doing the port work but not a peep about the rest of the build .
I personally think its a great exercise for understanding what makes power . You can buy performance parts but that doesn’t help you understand why they work .
Like has been mentioned before, teens need compression, improved intake/exhaust, and camshaft. Basic hot rodding really. Even 340's that were purposely built as a performance engine can benefit. The 72 and 73 340's can benefit from the list of 3 improvements as well. Almost all of the 318's and 360's were designed with a 2 barrel and to be used as a basic powerplant and not a performance offering like the 340's were.
I don't like this strawman argument, Anti 318ers make it sound these people want to build a 450-650 hp 318.
It's like 90% of the 318 threads is adding cam and 4bbl maybe headers and some even want to do something about the heads, wanting something like 250-350 hp, that's like asking 300-400 hp out of a 360.
It's like 90% of the 318 threads is adding cam and 4bbl maybe headers and some even want to do something about the heads, wanting something like 250-350 hp, that's like asking 300-400 hp out of a 360.
RAMM
Well-Known Member
That's why I find this topic/discussion sickening. Isn't there a about a billion threads on re-camming a 318 or adding a 4bl intake and headers?
A. It's perpetually being brought up.
B. Any amount of money spent on a 318 in the name of power is a waste unless its going to be reused on the inevitable jump to the 360.
C. Leave the 318 that you have alone as long as it runs properly--and save your dollars for a running/non-running 360--whatever you prefer.
In my area a good running Magnum 318 will go for around $350.00-$450.00. Oddly enough a good running Magnum 360 will go for the exact same amount. What's the issue? J.Rob
My old age "budget" builds is like finding a decent running project, does not knock or smoke to bad, the trans shifts......and all for what I had to give fr such 4 decades ago!!!!!!! OK so I am limited to FORDS now days!!!!!! Or maybe an AMC si Hornet!!!!!! 
...but the problem is-
99% of those threads about "next step" upgrades for 318's end up just like this one, without actually spending any time on the topic.
A- do nothing because nothing can be done.
B- build for maximum HP at 7000 RPM and live with zero torque off idle.
C- "just" buy a 340 (but not a 360, because 360's suck compered to a 340)
D- buy a 360
E- buy a stroker
F- install a big block
G- install a gm ls
99% of those threads about "next step" upgrades for 318's end up just like this one, without actually spending any time on the topic.
A- do nothing because nothing can be done.
B- build for maximum HP at 7000 RPM and live with zero torque off idle.
C- "just" buy a 340 (but not a 360, because 360's suck compered to a 340)
D- buy a 360
E- buy a stroker
F- install a big block
G- install a gm ls
Cause there's no agreement about adding mild hop ups to a 318, the advice is all over the place and imagine most of the OP's don't know too much if asking on a mild hop up, leads to just a mess of confusion for them.
True for some, but imagine some are happy with a few hop up and been driving on them for years, a stock 318 performance is terrible, 250-300 hp is enough for a lot of people. Why most family sedans make that power now days.
Could and a lot probably do, but some want a little extra pep in their step without going to the trouble of a swap.
True if putting an engine in might as well go 360/5.9l or at least 5.2l over 318 la, even if wanting mild, agreed the extra displacement has a lot advantages especially for a street car, but some still want to go 318 even then but still most of them aren't looking for to much power. There's very few threads I've seen where the OP wants 400 +hp, 500 + hp. And even if someone did shouldn't be a problem with parts available to us.
Just like any other engine combo. You can even apply a lot of this to a slant 6 or Briggs and Stratton. It's nothing new, but it's nice to have it all in one video.
Bingo! MOST LA motors need bored, the decks are all over the place front to back side to side. MOST magnums never need bored and the decks are even Steven, they are right at 9 to1, LA,s are all over the place usuall quite low for compression. So your LA now needs bored and decked and a set of pistons to get somewhere. If a cheap 9 to 1 motor is your sights I would do a magnum, preferably a 5.9.
I got a 360 a couple years ago for free, doesn’t need bored and the decks are pretty good but that doesn’t come around often!
If you want it perfect and want to spend the coin, then do whatever but the magnums are usually pretty good when you look at the whole picture.
Don’t like 5.9, do a 5.2!
More 5.9 hater’s here than 318 I think!
Two main problems arise when talking 318 performance, Velocity and Compression, for most it's simple add a 4bbl 600/650 and a cam 205 to 215 maybe headers, a stall and deeper gears would be nice and a good tune and if want a bit more power do something about the heads. Then the Velocity and Compression Police come along and make it a jumble of confusion for the OP on what to do and make it sound impossible to squeeze an extra 50-100hp out of a mild 318.
What all do you need to replace a LA with a Magnum?
The velocity and compression police always come along to confuse the **** out of the OP's.
Maybe oil pan and pickup. Intake, and then the cracked heads, that’s another cluster….
Front end stuff can all be swapped over. Not a real big deal for most people, million posts on this subject.
Front end stuff can all be swapped over. Not a real big deal for most people, million posts on this subject.
How about the water pump outlets? Different than a LA (depending on the car)
I bet most of the so called 318 fan boys would agree a 340/360/408 etc.. Would be a better starting place, the thing is if someone wants to build a 318 for whatever reason there some 360ers that can't wrap their heads around it and dog on every 318 thread, instead of being like ok not my thing but lets figure out how to accomplish what the OP wants.
- Status
-
