a little better than standard 318 rebuild

[AmadeusCharger500]

Engine has 56k miles on it,
Its got 8 1/4
rear, guessing 2.73. 904 trans. It has mainifolds with single exhaust and 2 barrel carb.
I want a daily driver, maybe a little more power than stock.

I have no idea what cam is in the thing. I would like to add a little power in the rebuild. I want a comfortable daily driver. Good for around town and longer trips to the car shows.

A few questions.

What should I be looking for in compression?
Are headers necessary and or possible with a column shift.
Would it benefit from a cam upgrade?
Will the heads benefit from valve job and or larger valves.
# on head 284367(3)

I would like a fresh engine so I will be taking it the machine shop for crank polish, Line hone, decking, wash, and whatever else is needed, new rings and bearings. I can reassemble engine and install cam if I change it. Is this possible for around 2 grand?

Thanks

[Lurker]

if you are sticking with the 2bbl then clean up the cylinders (possible rebore if needed, get them measured) and an rv or a little better cam and a good valve job will make a bit of difference. if you are going to 4bbl then you will be able to make use of a bigger cam and headers etc, but a 318 rebuilt to factory or better specs will be an improvement over a miled out one. whats it going in?

[AmadeusCharger500]

Its going in a 74 Satellite/Road Runner. I am not claiming it to be a Road Runner but I love the looks so thats how its going.

[firefighter3931]

Heath....you gonna keep the 2bbl setup and manifolds ? For compression....i would try to get it up to 9:1 at least to give it a little "attitude" 

The later 302 heads are descent and will up the compression slightly and use a more modern combustion chamber.....i'd be looking for a set of those in the junkyard. Re-ring and re-bearing the block, new oil pump, cam, lifters, timing chain and a 4bbl with headers would wake up the little teen 


Ron


Ps. You going to Carlisle ? 

[AmadeusCharger500]

Ron I thought you fell from the earth?
or too busy saving lives.

Didnt you get my message?

Are we gonna meet up?

I will be there friday until sunday.

I have to post some pics of this poor girl, saved from carlisle last year.
It needed lots of body work, but I finally got it painted just this week. Now time to work on the engine.
Not sure what I should do with the build. I really need to get a grasp on tuning the engine. Maybe then I could be convinced to power it up a bit. I hate driving around getting 9 miles per gallon. This thing was getting close to 20 and I wouldn't want to hurt that too much, the way things are going. I kinda think the thing deserves some power though.


Its all apart but the crank and bearings. Thought maybe let the shop take that out. Might need a rebore, its got a moderate edge around the cylinders and lots of gunk oil chunks everywhere.

What kind of cam specs am I at right now, and what are some good cam brands I should look at? I assume the power band is ~1000 to 4500.
I don't want to mess with the torque converter and  power range, since this is going to be a driver, but as I am writing I am thinking yes 4 barrel, headers, better cam and such. Tell me what I might gain in power versus loss in economy?

[firefighter3931]

Ron I thought you fell from the earth?
or too busy saving lives.

Didnt you get my message?

Are we gonna meet up?

I will be there friday until sunday.

Heath,

ya been busy as all heck....worked 115 hrs in 9 days....not much sleep but i'm getting caught up ! 

Got your original message but nuthing after....d@mn ISP of mine is acting up ! 

Yep I will be at Carlisle....we need to get together for a few  Maybe at the Charger tent ?



On the 318 ; you don't need to go too wild....just spruce it up a bit. The Lunati VooDoo profiles would be a good option along with a fresh set of rings, bearings and 4bbl/headers. What gears does the car have ? How tall are the tires ?

I would still look for those 302 heads....they will help increase the static compression and make more power with the high swirl closed chamber. With the right cam, carb and intake as well as good tuning....fuel economy won't suffer. 



Ron

[AmadeusCharger500]

2.76 gears. I think 26 inch tires, need to recheck that.

What cars should I be looking at for the 302 heads. The one yard around here has 2 challengers both with 318, a 73 charger, couple late 70's New Yorkers, 70's Duster and a 60's Dart. There are a few other cars but can't quite remember.

I tried looking them up on ebay and found nothing but Ford. Any idea on keywords to search for? I tried "302 mopar" and "302 head".

Definitely want to meet up. I will e-mail you about it. But if communications break down please remember I am in the 3rd gen stock charger row with a 71 plum crazy 383 black vinyl top. Usually sit there and hang out from exhaustion for long periods.

[firefighter3931]

Heath, the 302 heads were OEM on mid 80's 318's and should be plentifull in the junkyard....the trucks also had these heads as well. 

With 2.76 gears you'll want to keep the cam timing short for lotsa TQ at low engine speeds and improved throttle response. We can chat about it at Carlisle 

See ya there 



Ron

[AmadeusCharger500]

Little question about those rear gears. I thought I new how to calculate, but it is coming out to 1.8.
I turn the pinion gear(drive shaft is off) and I count the turns per one revolution of the wheel? Or does this only work with sure grip?

[AmadeusCharger500]

Any Idea how to find those 302 heads in an ebay search without getting tons of ford and chevy hits?

No luck local. I am thinking it would be better to buy a set that have a valve job done allready, since last quote I got was $400.

Would like to price them before possibly getting gouged at carlisle.

[firefighter3931]

Little question about those rear gears. I thought I new how to calculate, but it is coming out to 1.8.
I turn the pinion gear(drive shaft is off) and I count the turns per one revolution of the wheel? Or does this only work with sure grip?

Sounds like you have a 3.55 axle ratio. The pinion yoke revolutions for 1 tire turn is for a sure grip rearend. With an open rear it's 2 revolutions of the tire to determine axle ratio.


Ron

[firefighter3931]

Any Idea how to find those 302 heads in an ebay search without getting tons of ford and chevy hits?

No luck local. I am thinking it would be better to buy a set that have a valve job done allready, since last quote I got was $400.

Would like to price them before possibly getting gouged at carlisle.

Heath, somebody at Calisle will probably have a set of 302 heads for sale...hopefully at a reasonable price. Are there no recycling yards in you area with mid 80's Mopars ?


Ron

[AmadeusCharger500]

2 out of 2 say they don't even have that range of mopars. I will keep trying.
I question if it is worth getting a set and then a $400 dollar valve job or just wait and get a set that have a valve job done allready. The 452 heads I bought off ebay for my 71 charger were $200 and just needed milling and new valve springs. Am I being silly? Is it impossible to trust that a valve job has been done unless checked by a machinist?  I wouldn't know how to tell. Will they need $400 plus in machine work regardless?

[Bones68charger]

Any Idea how to find those 302 heads in an ebay search without getting tons of ford and chevy hits?

No luck local. I am thinking it would be better to buy a set that have a valve job done allready, since last quote I got was $400.

Would like to price them before possibly getting gouged at carlisle.

\\

I bought a pair of re manufactured heads for about $150 a piece. The url is http://www.adccylinderheads.com/

[Todd Wilson]

56k  mile 318 I would leave it alone and order a 4b manifold and carb  and look at a mild lift cam and replace that stuff. Dual exhaust will help too.   I used a Mopar M1 dual plane intake and a Holley 600 along with a .443 lift cam for my 318 and it really woke up the motor. I have dual exhaust but still use the stock heads and exhaust manifolds.  A cam that would give good low and mid range tork is what you will want. Someone said an RV type cam. I have seen some places sell a RV/truck type cam and this is probably what you will want if you are wanting a driver with a little more poop went its time to go. It wont be a high horsepower high rpm 1/4 mile killer but it will be fun to drive and give you more  when its time to get on the highway


Although I dont drive it in cold/bad weather I do go out in the winter and start the Chargers up everyonce in a while and never had a problem with it not wanting to start due to the cam in cold weather.


Todd