The "Throw Away 318"

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I never hooked up the headers to the exhaust so it was super loud in my garage with the engine running 2500 rpm. By the time I got over there to turn it off it turned itself off. Definitely a rookie mistake!

Cley

Yeah I dislike open exhaust for that reason, however if you had an oil pressure gauge to watch you would have seen dropping oil pressure and been able to prevent catastrophic failure. J.Rob
 
I would. If I was going to be building a stout Teen. You know there was only 22 cubic inches between the 318 and the 340. What was the 340's secret? Compression,Heads,Cam Profile. Do the same to a teen during a rebuild.
 
I ran a freshened up '74 318 low-compression throw away for 5 or 6 winter in a row. Nothing but a TQ and headers.
Sometimes it was an automatic,
sometimes a manual.
Sometimes 2.76s and sometimes 4.30s
and a a lot of inbetween stuff.
Sometimes it was fun, sometimes utility,
But I gotta tell ya, it could never touch the steady-state fuel-economy of my summer engine, a 367HO, never mind that is was 250 horsepower down from it.
4.30s wakes anything up and a starter gear of 10.7 or more, is killer fun.
 
Very true. The bore size is a big factor & a huge help in power making on any engine size. This is one reason the 340 is favored above all.

If I was rebuilding a 318 to perform, I would move away from the stock bore size as much as possible to get the head to breath better.

If it were easy to do…..
And I was under a cubic inch rule, it would be maximum overbore and a destroking to maintain the 318 CID rule.

The bottom line is, plan accordingly.
 
@AJ/FormS
And there’s the 360+ mention again…. And again… and yet again…..:poke:

AJ, what was the first gear ratio? Of the 10.0+ starting ratio. Wasn’t it that 3.09 gear?
 
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AJ, what was the first gear ratio? Of the 10.0+ starting ratio. Wasn’t it that 3.09 gear?
and your point?
OP has a 2.74 auto with TM and 4.10s IIRC, making a starter gear of 11.23, plus the TM in the convertor.
I ran a bunch of different geareage, all over the chart.
First year was a 2.66 low,
next was an automatic, likely a standard 904.
next was a straight 3.09/od box
then an A998/2.74 low
Then the od box with a GVod behind it
and the final year was the A998 again
Besides the first and last year, I'm not sure in what order I ran what.
As to rear gears, I had every gear from 2.76s to 4.30s except I never had a 3.73. Not sure if I ever ran the 2.94, or the 4.10s, but I think I at least tried every other one.
The 318 I don't think ever saw the Commando..... which is too bad cuz the ratios in it are funtastic.

The 360 was mentioned in post #1. And was to be the engine of choice. The 318 was to be an interim engine .
But go ahead, keep on waggin', yur tongue is always in gear.
 
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And for the "318 haters" and the toss the 318, "HAVE TO run a 360" crowds. The 318 isn't as bad as many claim. In my experience the 360 has been nothing but a gas sucking pig.

Apples to apples comparison, I had a 78 power wagon, 318 4-speed, 3.55 gears, standard cab short box 14.5 mpg stock.
My dad still has his 78 power wagon 360 4-speed, 3.55 gears, club cab short box 14..5 mpg stock.
There is no difference in mileage, but the 360 has alot more pulling power.

I have owned both, over the years, but I really like the old 318's for being bullet proof, hell the last engine I put together was a 318, total cast away engine the guy gave me when I bought a car off him.
It was locked from setting, but I freeded it up, went thru it, added some goodies, its awaiting its turn to get to go out and play.
The best thing, is I have less than $1000 in the long block, minus the power goodies. The plan is to try and blow it up.
If it dies, grab another one out of the shed and repeat.

pknkdU.jpg
 
The 360s were around nearly as long as the 318s so there are acres of them out there, and so IMO, nearly every bit as "throw-away".
Not around here! 318s are everywhere 360s are difficult to come buy and 340s are extremely rare and expensive! I was fortunate enough to get two 360 blocks this year for spares. But had they been 318s id still bought them!
 
and your point?
Huh? My point? I was not trying to make a point but I just asked a question.
Thanks for answering it.

OP has a 2.74 auto with TM and 4.10s IIRC, making a starter gear of 11.23, plus the TM in the convertor.
I ran a bunch of different geareage, all over the chart.
First year was a 2.66 low,
next was an automatic, likely a standard 904.
next was a straight 3.09/od box
then an A998/2.74 low
Then the od box with a GVod behind it
and the final year was the A998 again
Besides the first and last year, I'm not sure in what order I ran what.
As to rear gears, I had every gear from 2.76s to 4.30s except I never had a 3.73. Not sure if I ever ran the 2.94, or the 4.10s, but I think I at least tried every other one.
The 318 I don't think ever saw the Commando..... which is too bad cuz the ratios in it are funtastic.
Ahhh, the specifics. Thanks.

But go ahead, keep on waggin', yur tongue is always in gear.
Excuse me? I ask a simple question in a simple conversation. Then you make the above reply?
You sound like a butt hurt *****. Act like a freakin adult! You think I’m screwing with you or just being a bastard and poking a bear for fun?
Bud, you gotta another thing coming of you think that.

YOU ASSUME WAAAAAAY TO MUCH, WAY TO MUCH!
 
Yeah I dislike open exhaust for that reason, however if you had an oil pressure gauge to watch you would have seen dropping oil pressure and been able to prevent catastrophic failure. J.Rob
Yeah, I just got out from behind the gauges to fix a small fuel leak. That's when it happened! I will put together a run stand next time.

Cley
 
to many folks mopar'in on a bow-tie bank book....only reson to build a 318....lolol
3 red X's??? really??? it was a damn joke, hents the lol at the end damn hard ***'s! nuttun but love here for the under dog 318, collecting parts to build a 85 roller cam motor to go in a 73 duster now!!
 
I would. If I was going to be building a stout Teen. You know there was only 22 cubic inches between the 318 and the 340. What was the 340's secret? Compression,Heads,Cam Profile. Do the same to a teen during a rebuild.

All that and the perfect combination of parts and tuning for the street. Gained the reputation as a giant killer. Done, legend made. 3.91 vs 4.04 = .13 of an inch, I doubt most could tell the difference built to same specs.
 
I built a 318 from an old Popular Hotrodding article titled "318 Street Recipe" where they got 331hp out of a warmed over teen. Dropped it in to a daily driver '72 Charger with lousy 2.94 gears and it was one of the most fun cars I've ever driven. Still have that engine and might drop it in my '68 Barracuda which has a S60 w/3.73. Now, I prefer BB's but you just can't beat the reliability of the good ole 318.
 
Not around here! 318s are everywhere 360s are difficult to come buy and 340s are extremely rare and expensive! I was fortunate enough to get two 360 blocks this year for spares. But had they been 318s id still bought them!
That is weird, I am only a few hrs from you and basically any LA based mopar is hard to find.
340's yes few and far between, but I have enough for a while, 360's I know where there are quite a few I can buy cheap.
But a drop in running 318, I think they are all in the scrap yard, crushed by now.
 
I have had many 318s over the years. All were good engines. I put a 4bbl and a stock 340 cam in most of them. Very reliable. But back then 340s were all the rage. 360s did ok but they tenders a compression increase that could only be had with a 11.5 TRW back then. Not practical for the street. Kim
 
I can't imagine living somewhere, where the 360s are not practically spilling out into the yard from somebody's shed. But then, I'm 68 years old, and I know where all the Mopar freaks like me live, because I have been living in this community since 1984, and working on their stuff, since the 1990s. Nobody keeps 318s in sheds because if somebody really needs one, they're still in the junker parked along the back fence. It ain't even worth the time to pull 'em out for storage.

In my shed are;
one assembled 360core,
one assembled 318core,
one 318 on a stand that was running when I pulled it,
enough parts to build 4 or 5 of 340s,
numerous 318s in parts,
one 273 that I bought just for the adjustable valve gear,
And there might be another 360 in parts.
I stopped collecting over 20 years ago, due to lack of room.
Some of those have been with me since the 70s.
I know I'm not the only guy in Southern Manitoba with a minor collection.
I bet we're not the only guys in Canada with sheds overflowing.
 
I can't imagine living somewhere, where the 360s are not practically spilling out into the yard from somebody's shed. But then, I'm 68 years old, and I know where all the Mopar freaks like me live, because I have been living in this community since 1984, and working on their stuff, since the 1990s. Nobody keeps 318s in sheds because if somebody really needs one, they're still in the junker parked along the back fence. It ain't even worth the time to pull 'em out for storage.

In my shed are;
one assembled 360core,
one assembled 318core,
one 318 on a stand that was running when I pulled it,
enough parts to build 4 or 5 of 340s,
numerous 318s in parts,
one 273 that I bought just for the adjustable valve gear,
And there might be another 360 in parts.
I stopped collecting over 20 years ago, due to lack of room.
Some of those have been with me since the 70s.
I know I'm not the only guy in Southern Manitoba with a minor collection.
I bet we're not the only guys in Canada with sheds overflowing.
Im willing to bet outside your collection and group of friends they aren't as common as you might think. You stopped collecting 20 years ago. This stuff has dried up in the last 20 years lol. I started 20 years ago and it's a huge difference between then and now I use to be able to find 71-76 A B C F and 70s-80s trucks anywhere and everywhere for less that 1000 and I could get la engines from the local scrap yard for 50 bucks thats not the case anymore.
 
thats not the case anymore.
I get what you're saying, but
I think you might have miss-understood my post;
I stopped collecting doesn't mean they aren't still arriving. Every time a V8 A-body shows up costing too much to safety,, they are worth $300 at the scrap metal dealer. But the car still has to be prepped and shipped. And it ain't worth the time to me anymore to pull the powertrains out. So I pass.
Now, if someone wants to pay me to haul it away, that would be another story........
But it ain't worth money to the owner to retrieve the 100 square feet the car is sitting on in the backyard, so no one hauls them away any more ...... until a town bylaw forces them to either cover them or haul them. Or they might end up on rural property, along the road allowances, or in an old machine shed.
I know where quite a few of these cars are, quietly rotting away, even A53/A56 cars.
Here in the Great White North...it is probably not like in the USA..............
But I do get what you're saying.

But my point is still the same; No one comes around for my 318s so why bother collecting more.
 
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