Steve Dulcich on building a budget 318

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a-bodyguy said:
nicks garage new vid 318- 390 stroker 340 manifolds 440 lb ft@4200 rpm 425 hp@5400 rpm
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My plan is to use my 318 to get the car sorted out then stroke to 390.. only thing i'm wasting is the cam which isn't a huge deal.. current heads/intake will go to the new motor.. nice to see some dyno numbers of a 390.. from what i'm told a 408 will do double the power though.. (a joke...)
 
I assume this is the vid? 3 months old... didn't know if had missed one...

 
Icetech said:
My plan is to use my 318 to get the car sorted out then stroke to 390.. only thing i'm wasting is the cam which isn't a huge deal.. current heads/intake will go to the new motor.. nice to see some dyno numbers of a 390.. from what i'm told a 408 will do double the power though.. (a joke...)
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nope not much more same comp cam etc maybe 10 or 15 hp
are a joke missed it
I have std bore 68 340 block in my vert lower end has about 102k on it the x heads were tired
refreshed top end 218@50 454 lift weiand stealth 650 dp 3.91sg
still has 169 psi cranking comp after 102k not bad
ran 14.3@97 change with 80k on the motor with 3.23s and the chit carter on it
feels 13.6ish now with the refresh and gears and cam/carb/intake
 
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ahh.. i forgot that 425hp is with oem heads and a very mild cam :)
 
a-bodyguy said:
nope not much more same comp cam etc maybe 10 or 15 hp
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Yeah, was joking... when i started looking in to doing a 390 sooo many guys post how a 390 is garbage and you HAVE to go 408.... :)
 
toolmanmike said:
How about the water pump outlets? Different than a LA (depending on the car)
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I don't think so, except jeep maybe.

..oh, you mean 318 outlets.

Yeah, then.

...but then that is a factor of if you want the LA timing cover, then reuse.

If you want the Magnum...DK if you rad is different- new rad then.

magnumswaps dot com has a detailed list.
 
For the price of tearing into a 318, a low-ish mile (read 150,000) 5.x is, I maintain, a dollar for dollar, labor vs labor better deal for the hundred HP you gain while retaining good low end torque if using the magnum cam.
 
The thing about a 318 and compression is, it's a short stroke engine. They are more of a challenge to get compression and cylinder pressure from than a long stroke engine. With the reduced TDC dwell time, the shorter stroke doesn't have the time a long stroke engine does to build the same cylinder pressure. So the scope of parts and machine work to get good compression and cylinder pressure on short stroke engines is a bit more narrow. Even the famous 340 didn't have what its ratings said it did for compression. Not by a good bit. It's kinda like building an engine 2 cylinders down like a slant 6. You have to do things a little differently.
 
Icetech said:
Yeah, was joking... when i started looking in to doing a 390 sooo many guys post how a 390 is garbage and you HAVE to go 408.... :)
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Wonder what they would choose between 360 vs 390 ?

I don't buy this premise that larger displacements ALWAYS builds more power for a similar build.
 
This comes up so frequently that I think we could benefit from a small cube engine sticky thread. One that all the bullcrap is kept out of. Just straight up information and none of the "put a 360 in it" nonsense.
 
RustyRatRod said:
The thing about a 318 and compression is, it's a short stroke engine. They are more of a challenge to get compression and cylinder pressure from than a long stroke engine. With the reduced TDC dwell time, the shorter stroke doesn't have the time a long stroke engine does to build the same cylinder pressure. So the scope of parts and machine work to get good compression and cylinder pressure on short stroke engines is a bit more narrow. Even the famous 340 didn't have what its ratings said it did for compression. Not by a good bit. It's kinda like building an engine 2 cylinders down like a slant 6. You have to do things a little differently.
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some did if you got lucky and got the small cc heads
with spray you dont need comp
more then 1 way to skin a cat
being on demand how often do you need it after the excitement wears off
myself have been using spray since 1982
 
273 said:
Wonder what they would choose between 360 vs 390 ?

I don't buy this premise that larger displacements ALWAYS builds more power for a similar build.
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318 has forged crank and pretty sure full floating rods
if already had the 318 it would be a no brainer
 
a-bodyguy said:
some did if you got lucky and got the small cc heads
with spray you dont need comp
more then 1 way to skin a cat
being on demand how often do you need it after the excitement wears off
myself have been using spray since 1982
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Yeah but even then they didn't have what a comparable longer stroke engine would. That's another benefit too of running a longer rod. More dwell time. But that's another can of worms for another time.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Yeah but even then they didn't have what a comparable longer stroke engine would. That's another benefit too of running a longer rod. More dwell time. But that's another can of worms for another time.
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450 hp is enough to make most people piss there pants in a-body
i also ran that combo 318 2.02 j heads hemi 484 cam torker door stop 650 dp spray 3.23s headers unilite
sucked the paint of most everything no comp no stall reved to 6500 hard for 1983 it hauled the mail
dwell? whatever lol
 
a-bodyguy said:
450 hp is enough to make most people piss there pants in a-body
i also ran that combo 318 2.02 j heads hemi 484 cam torker door stop 650 dp spray 3.23s headers unilite
sucked the paint of most everything no comp no stall reved to 6500 hard for 1983 it hauled the mail
dwell? whatever lol
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I agree 100%. Most of these guys that say stuff like "I want 500hp" Have never felt an honest 300. lol
 
RustyRatRod said:
I agree 100%. Most of these guys that say stuff like "I want 500hp" Have never felt an honest 300. lol
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450-500 is all i want... my cobra was 500rwhp and was insane (2200# and short wheelbase though) and i have been a passenger in 1000+ hp cars and nope.. on the street? i'll pass :) I'm old and slow... don't need enough power to really mess up
 
I chuckle at the Chevy guys when you talk rod length. They are always puffing their chest out when they build a "6 inch rod motor". My 273 has a 6.123" rod from the factory. Watch their jaw drop.
 
a-bodyguy said:
450 hp is enough to make most people piss there pants in a-body
i also ran that combo 318 2.02 j heads hemi 484 cam torker door stop 650 dp spray 3.23s headers unilite
sucked the paint of most everything no comp no stall reved to 6500 hard for 1983 it hauled the mail
dwell? whatever lol
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Well, dwell time at TDC makes it easier to achieve compression and cylinder pressure. But like I said, optimizing "everything else" can make it happen too.
 
toolmanmike said:
I chuckle at the Chevy guys when you talk rod length. They are always puffing their chest out when they build a "6 inch rod motor". My 273 has a 6.123" rod from the factory. Watch their jaw drop.
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I know, right? I've seen a couple of heads explode when I tell them I'm building a slant 6 with 7" rods. lol
 
Again-

1967-1969 318- 9.2:1 compression advertised.

1984-1991 318 roller- 9.2:1 compression (and verified by an FABO member to be 9.18:1).
 
YY1 said:
Again-

1967-1969 318- 9.2:1 compression advertised.

1984-1991 318 roller-
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yes but compression police say you lose putting 2.02 jhead on 68 318 and thats true but they have never run it
the flow matters more
cam 484/carb/intake etc
then spray erases the comp lost by another 130 hp and gives you loads of low end
cheap easy fun
 
YY1 said:
Again-

1967-1969 318- 9.2:1 compression advertised.

1984-1991 318 roller- 9.2:1 compression (and verified by an FABO member to be 9.18:1).
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Mines a '85.. had the roller bosses but a flat tappet, i put in a howards roller using OEM lifters.. with 60cc heads i calculated 9.7-9.8:1 (old age can't recall) i think the pistons were .055 in the hole
 
a-bodyguy said:
yes but compression police say you lose putting 2.02 jhead on 68 318 and thats true but they have never run it
the flow matters more
cam 484/carb/intake etc
then spray erases the comp lost by another 130 hp and gives you loads of low end
cheap easy fun
Click to expand...

I have never used spray, saw too many motors blow up from it (from bad tuner, not the motors fault) have you had it kill many engines?
 
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