no.. 318's are junk... do a search for 318's and see for yourself... hate to be the repeat nazi, but there are probably 8 bajillion threads on 318's and 360's and no they really aren't junk.. they are anvil motors
Go with the 318! It will be very cool in a 27 & pretty peppy.They never where one of my favorite engines but it would be cool & differant. 2.3 would just plan suck & a turbo would look like shit.And this is a "traditional" car website(even though mine isnt!lol) And "0154cobra" Ya going to get a hotrod or just give 'advice" on here when ya only got muscle cars!!lol And why say " the 318 looks like a SBC" if thats the case put a SBC in.Ya remind me of the guys who ride japanese bikes & compare em to harleys! a few things about a SBC is that they are available, they are cheap to build, they are easy to dress up & they are super fast motors!! 318 doesn't come close to the power, torque & RPMs of a SBC . I guess its possible if ya sink your life savings into one. remember, hot rodding is all about the speed!!lol jimv
Not exactly true... I had a '67 (first year) 318 in the pickup above, that's the best 318 to have hands down. Forged crank, 9.2:1 pistons, 230hp, and 340ftlbs of torque at 2.4k bone stock with a 2bbl!! Do a little headwork, add a 4bbl, mild cam and headers and it'll really haul ass in a light car. Granted, the 318 lost the forged crank in '68 and the torque and hp ratings dropped off dramatically in the years to follow. Oh, and who's the lily-livered panty-waist that gave this thread one star?
ya left out the part that i said" I guess ya could if you sink your life savings into it" lol Theres a reason why people use things like "32 ford grills, 39 taillights & SBC's" They're cheap, available, look good & work! JimV
True, you can spend a lot of dough. But if you're looking for power in a mopar LA, it's easy to find and not that expensive. Start with a 360 though... I lucked out a bit with mine, I got the rebuilt 727, rebuilt 318 and 8.75 rear with 3.55 gears for free!
I guess its because I'm an old fart but I remember seeing SBC's where they didn't belong I thought it was extra cool. I know they are every where now and I've run em myself. That said, I'm using a 302 ford in my avatar.
Not up here they aint- I can easily find a SBC up here for a few hundred bucks. a 318 or a 360... three to four times that. Don't know why, just is.
Sorry, but not so... The 318 maintained the forged crank well into the '80's. The 'dramatic' drop in power was the same drop that everyone experienced in 1972 when the factory rating systems changed from gross to net. This was another one of those government mandates. In the Mopar line the only real change in engine specification in 1972 was a slight drop in compression. Compare any two (domestic) factory service manuals, any marque, 1971 and 1972, and look at the numbers. The only reason for the ultra low cost of shiverlay parts is simply that old supply and demand thing...the Mopars simply do not wear out or self destruct at the same rate as the bowties, hence lower demand and slightly higher prices. edit; I need to add that I still have a 79 Power Wagon that I bought new, the 318 has something over 250K miles on it and the heads have never been off... .
"The only reason for the ultra low cost of shiverlay parts is simply that old supply and demand thing...the Mopars simply do not wear out or self destruct at the same rate as the bowties, hence lower demand and slightly higher prices." I gotta fully agree with this. I worked at a high-end, late model truck/van salvage yard in the 70s and we had to build big steel racks in our warehouse to store all the 318 mopar engines. We ended up selling them cheap just to clear some out because they didn't sell. Didn't sell because the mopar guys didn't need 'em. They never wore out or broke! We ended up putting used 318s in all our yard equiptment, including our old flathead 25,000 pound forklift. They ran strong, forever and never gave us trouble. HRM did a 318 build-up a few years ago and got over BIG HP from a 318 with little cash outlay.. I'd take 5, 318s over any ford 2.3. <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
I had a 318 in my dart years ago, thing was bulletproof, yes, parts are more expensive than a sbc, but they last and will make good power when set up correctly. Just my 2 cents.
The 2.3 being a no power engine is not exactly true either. This particular long block pulled my T-bird to a 12:90 in 1999, and it a 3700lb car! But the turbo set up I want to use is a draw through system, looks totally different, and is very old school. I'll do the old dark green for the block, and machine a ribbed valve cover for it. It will look more traditional than a stock one. I have even toy'ed with the idea of using two 97's and a conversion 2bb plate to get the old carbs to.
The Jalopy Journal
