Today, dollar for dollar, is the 318 faster than the 340 ???

would you agree ?

  • yep, the 318 wins if buying and building for under 3k

    Votes: 48 41.7%
  • Nope, the 340 always has and always will beat the 318

    Votes: 57 49.6%
  • Actually, never thought about it like this... Good Point !

    Votes: 10 8.7%

  • Total voters
    115
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I don't think I could do a Pacer.... LOL. As much as I like unique, I don't like ugly when it's heavy on the Uggg.. MOBTW (My Opinion By The Way) :D
My uncle had a couple of gremlins. One was purple with white stripes. Didn't like them then, but maybe a 360 swap sounds cool now ??? My aunt drove a Hornet for a while... yeeeeah. My brother had a 2 door Eagle, early 80's, that was pretty cool. I had another brother that had a Rambler Classic, his a year older than mine...??... maybe a '62 or 3 ?
 
I don't think I could do a Pacer.... LOL. As much as I like unique, I don't like ugly when it's heavy on the Uggg.. MOBTW (My Opinion By The Way) :D
My uncle had a couple of gremlins. One was purple with white stripes. Didn't like them then, but maybe a 360 swap sounds cool now ??? My aunt drove a Hornet for a while... yeeeeah. My brother had a 2 door Eagle, early 80's, that was pretty cool. I had another brother that had a Rambler Classic, his a year older than mine...??... maybe a '62 or 3 ?
In high school, a girl had a Ambassador or Matador.. can't remember now. Anyways, i came up behind her in my '72 Duster 318, and she slowed to about 45 mph. I kicked it in to pass her and she did the same. I did get around her, but not too fast.... LOL. I don't know what V8 she had.... That is when she learned 318- will - run .... LOL :D
 
In high school, a girl had a Ambassador or Matador.. can't remember now. Anyways, i came up behind her in my '72 Duster 318, and she slowed to about 45 mph. I kicked it in to pass her and she did the same. I did get around her, but not too fast.... LOL. I don't know what V8 she had.... That is when she learned 318- will - run .... LOL :D
We are now on a Rambler thread.... ;)
A 80's AMC AMX off the Hornet platform would work. Take the 258 crank and using 4.0 Jeep block and an over bore and have a 4.7 straight 6
 
We are now on a Rambler thread.... ;)
A 80's AMC AMX off the Hornet platform would work. Take the 258 and using 4.0 Jeep block and an over bore and have a 4.7 straight 6
Yeah... LOL. At least we aren't calling names !!!! Also, I posted in my Rambler thread just to open up that avenue for all the AMC talk. :)
 
In 1980 ... I beat a 4sp 80 6cyl AMX with my 80 Dodge D-50 2.6 4cyl 5 speed.
Raced a friend from work out of a toll booth on the way to Watkins Glen to watch a Can-Am race ....
 
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I beat a 4sp 80 6cyl AMX with my 80 Dodge D-50 2.6 4cyl 5 speed.
Raced a friend from work out of a toll booth on the way to Watkins Glen to watch a Can-Am race ....
Memory losses so guessing...
A stock Hornet got the 232 six and the AMX got the 258. The 258 was very mild cammed and needed help. It was 4.2 liters. Small bore long stroke.

I'd bet if you pulled that 4.2 and used the crank in a stock bore Jeep 4.0 block to make a 4.5 liter, better cam and head you would not win ;) With 6 sleeves pressed in you can over bore this stroker to 5.0L
 
So my takeaway is this, a 318 guy will build a 5.2 "Magnum" or put "Magnum heads" on his LA 318, plus some other parts and tweaks , and show up to race the 340. If said "magnum" guy wins, he'd walk away claiming "it was a 318" even though it was in all reality a 5.2 Magnum or a bastardized version of an LA with swapped magnum parts. Am I in the ballpark? I mean in the end its all semantics, however its technical communication, referring to a a 5.2 Magnum as a 318 LA is misleading.
 
isn't 5.2 (litres) just the metric version of 318 (cubic inches)? both are a 318/5.2 surely? and the idea was to build the 318 to outperform a 340 for a buy and build budget, no statement of how to build it in the first post. do you mean speedmaster heads are ok but magnum heads not so much?

the poll numbers are still getting closer together the more people think objectively about the original question (without personal bias).
 
isn't 5.2 (litres) just the metric version of 318 (cubic inches)? both are a 318/5.2 surely? and the idea was to build the 318 to outperform a 340 for a buy and build budget, no statement of how to build it in the first post. do you mean speedmaster heads are ok but magnum heads not so much?

the poll numbers are still getting closer together the more people think objectively about the original question (without personal bias).
No IMO a 5.2 shouldn't be called a 318 if one is going to say "a 318 can beat a 340" its misleading. There are too many differences, compression ratio heads roller cam etc. I've said it before its like calling a 5.0 Ford a 302. Once tyou tear them both down side by side you'll see the differences, a set of magnum pushrods don't just drop into an LA engine.
 
No IMO a 5.2 shouldn't be called a 318 if one is going to say "a 318 can beat a 340" its misleading. There are too many differences, compression ratio heads roller cam etc. I've said it before its like calling a 5.0 Ford a 302. Once tyou tear them both down side by side you'll see the differences, a set of magnum pushrods don't just drop into an LA engine.

A guy could always put a set of magnum heads on a 340 short block. As long as that’s not against the rules of course.
 
isn't 5.2 (litres) just the metric version of 318 (cubic inches)? both are a 318/5.2 surely? and the idea was to build the 318 to outperform a 340 for a buy and build budget, no statement of how to build it in the first post. do you mean speedmaster heads are ok but magnum heads not so much?

the poll numbers are still getting closer together the more people think objectively about the original question (without personal bias).


You have $3000. i would assume if you want heads, ok. IMO 318 refers to LA and was given to you for free. 5.2's, i haven't stumbled across any free ones. I did stumble across a $200 5.9...with cracked heads. if the 5.2 were allowed....it would smoke the 340.
 
There can never be a direct factory compare of a low compression 2bbl 318 to a high compression 4bbl 340. Even the Police 318 4bbl was choked by huge chambered 360 heads and a piston half way down to china in the bore.

But if you took a 273 4bbl 10.25 CR and its horsepower to cube ratio and directly did the math of the 43 extra cubes it comes close to 273 HP for a 318. So put 10.25 CR pistons in a 318 block for a near 0 deck, put a 360 head with its 1.88 valves, a 340 resto cam, 4bbl intake, 625 CFM AFB and 5.9 magnum exhaust manifolds on it then it should pump out close to the same ratio.

But the 340 Cult will never agree.

Amen
 
You build what you've got. Then come online and a bunch of keyboard warriors will tell you what you did wrong. Hell, you could say "apple pie is good" and someone will argue with you.
 
seen idk how many young folks come on here asking how to get a lil spunk outta a 318 to be told and preached how wrong it is to even consider hopping up a 318, most seem to fall off and drift away! not every body looking for all out race type of builds! i think a 350 hp 318 in a light A body might be a bit much for some pimple faced 17 year old to start with!! but that get told no,..build 600 hp or forget it,..thats skerry,..how bad things happen we wish didnt! let them build a 318,..thrash it out,..learn to do a burn out,..how to drive somptin with some power, not all that power!! thatll keep them in the hobby longer and teach them basic stuff too!! not every body needs a stroker or aluminum heads ether come to think of it! DWB!
the 318 can bemade to run

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Man wish I still had my old mopar performance catalog that had the setups in it. What year is that catalog?
 
Never say never, I had a 69 baracuda 318 3 on the tree in 1975 when I was 18 , most in town had 340, 383, 440 and even a couple hemi's , I dreamed of having one of those muscle cars , the only thing I ever beat in my car was a chevelle with a 307 2 speed automatic , but I had alot of fun in it fast forward , and I do mean fast forward 42 years , because time just slips by and before you know it you have more years behind you then ahead and I just got my 68 baracuda fastback , it has a 318 but I just bought a 340 to drop in it during the restore , could I have fun with the 318 , sure , but I am going to have the motor I wanted 42 years ago , I say it's my car and I will do whatever I want with it if you don't like it keep your opinions to yourself and walk away , or pay me whole lot of money for my car and do whatever you want with it.
 
I don't have a dog in the hunt with this dumbass argument, but, as I said in an earlier post, Hensley Motorsports has been building 318 4" plus bore crate engines for about thirty years. They do sonic testing and only use those that are thick enough.....and there are some that are thick enough. This has been common knowledge for a long time now.

That said, I kinda agree with your assessment about this thread being somewhat a "fantasy", in fact, I've already said as much talking about the little box he put it in.......BUT, it's HIS box and HIS thread and HIS rules. Let him have fun. I have a slant 6 box. I have fun with that. You have fun (I hope) with what you do.

His point was plainly explained in his first post. Nobody likes everything or every scenario. Even I don't see the sense in some of his boxing in......but damn, it's his hypothetical reality. .....and staying within his parameters, he's right.
Whatever a person who paid for a car wants to do with it is OK by me, as long as the steering and brakes work properly. Now some things I don't personnally agree with, such as molesting a solid, original survivor car. If the engine is burning oil or making rude noises, for sure repair it. If you find a fairly solid body without drivetrain, run what ya got or can get. Personally poking a 318 to 4" slugs is the hard way these days. Stroker kits are readily available for most any engine at reasonable cost, usually not much more than grinding the stock crank. Heads is similar, by the time you go through old heads and replace the guides, seats and valves you are real close to the cost of new aftermarket heads.
 
seen idk how many young folks come on here asking how to get a lil spunk outta a 318 to be told and preached how wrong it is to even consider hopping up a 318, most seem to fall off and drift away! not every body looking for all out race type of builds! i think a 350 hp 318 in a light A body might be a bit much for some pimple faced 17 year old to start with!! but that get told no,..build 600 hp or forget it,..thats skerry,..how bad things happen we wish didnt! let them build a 318,..thrash it out,..learn to do a burn out,..how to drive somptin with some power, not all that power!! thatll keep them in the hobby longer and teach them basic stuff too!! not every body needs a stroker or aluminum heads ether come to think of it! DWB!
You nailed that. Run what is available, and 318s are definately available. A mild build with a bit of a cam, pocket porting and port match, 4V carb and headers will make a snappy street car.
 
You nailed that. Run what is available, and 318s are definately available. A mild build with a bit of a cam, pocket porting and port match, 4V carb and headers will make a snappy street car.

Right. I encourage keeping the slant 6 too. If someone wants something cool and old to ride around in, go for it. If it's fixed up nice, more people will be around it at the cruise in! Ask me how I know! I have people tell me every time I drive Vixen to town they don't believe it's a slant 6 until I open the hood and they stand there dumbfounded and say "I never heard a slant 6 sound like THAT!"
 
Whatever a person who paid for a car wants to do with it is OK by me, as long as the steering and brakes work properly. Now some things I don't personnally agree with, such as molesting a solid, original survivor car. If the engine is burning oil or making rude noises, for sure repair it. If you find a fairly solid body without drivetrain, run what ya got or can get. Personally poking a 318 to 4" slugs is the hard way these days. Stroker kits are readily available for most any engine at reasonable cost, usually not much more than grinding the stock crank. Heads is similar, by the time you go through old heads and replace the guides, seats and valves you are real close to the cost of new aftermarket heads.

I don't know about "hard way" I mean......if someone is crate motor shopping, what's the difference, really?
 
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