Looking to warm up my 318 just a bit...

[arsinist01]

The title pretty much says it all lol. I have a 318 2 barrel in my 74 satellite. And I want to give it a bit more oomph. It drives fine, but it seems to me like it is definitely a lot lower on the power section than it could be. I've been thinking about throwing a set of headers on there and maybe a cam. Thing is I want to keep the stock 2 barrel (for now) as I like the mpg I'm getting with it so far. Just wondering what you guys might suggest for a cam?

 

[Meep-Meep]

Is the engine in good shape overall? Have a leak down test done to verify the rings are in good shape, and if they are, then you can start thinking about mods. A set of headers with a low restriction dual exhaust system and a little quicker advance curve is probably the first things to do, and if you want more, then look at cams and intakes. The typical early 70's engines have very low compression so I wouldn't be going crazy with a cam. Pick something like a split pattern designed for low compression.

You may find the dual exhaust (assuming you have the stock single pipe) and advance curve mod will help a lot and may not want to do anything more for a while. Only thing is you may have to optimize the carb to deal with the low restriction exhaust as it will probably be to lean as is.

 

[67 coronet]

if you drive a 4 barrel edelbrock 500 cfm carb with a light foot it should get as good as,if not better,millage then your 2 barrel.plus you get the oomff of the secondaries you are looking for.with an aluminum intake you should see a big improvement.but,as meep said,first you need to check what you have going now.full tune up(with wires)and filter change is a good place to start.adjust everything from timming to carb,and comp test with a leakdown test is almost a must.

 

[arsinist01]

I have noticed that I have an oil leak but I put some oil dye in there and I will be sorting that out shortly. The motor actually runs really well it already has a true dual exhaust on their (definitely not original). It has brand new plugs, wires and air filter (been thinking about doing cap and rotor as well). Haven't thought about doing a leak down test, but that seems like a good idea. Maybe something I will do this weekend. I have noticed that there are some kits on summitracing.com that have a new cam, intake, and carb maybe I'll just start looking at those kits.

 

[David]

I just had a stock rebuild on my 318. I went with headers, dual 2.5" exhaust, a summit intake/carb kit, hughes whiplash cam, and electronic distributor. I am pretty happy with the combo it makes pretty decent power. The summit kit came with a dual plane weiand action plus manifold and what looks to be a holley designed summit branded 600 cfm dp carb. The whiplash cam will make great power and give a choppy idle but it does require a valve spring upgrade. The cam does not hurt compression either it is designed for fairly stock low compression motors.

 

[Powerflite]

I recommend slapping on a set of "302" casting heads. These are from late '80's cars like the Dodge Diplomat etc. They will raise your compression, give you quench (if your piston is tall enough) and are designed with swirl port tech. Changing the heads isn't much more work once the intake is off and these heads aren't expensive when you find them. Another option is to install magnum heads, valvetrain & intake, but that is more trouble.

 

[hendo0601]

As stated before a decent set of full length headers, an intake, electronic ignition and a small-ish 4bbl carb will really wake that little 318 up without having to go so far as a cam swap, but if it were me I would toss in a mild little cam and change out that garbage factory plastic tooth timing set and install a nice double roller set just for peace of mind. The 318 was never meant to be a performance powerhouse, but with a few simple mods they can be made into a fun little motor. If you really want to get crazy you can install a shift kit in your transmission. They are relatively cheap to buy and very easy to install (I did mine start to finish in 45 minutes) and it really helps in the "feel it in the seat of your pants" category. All of these mods can be done in a few hours and have you smiling like a 12 year old on christmas with a brand new BB gun!

 

[shag766]

i have always believed the biggest bang for the buck is in the heads.

 

[rumblefish360]

Having many 318's in the past, I highly recommend the following parts for a driver in a B body car:

600 CFM carb, 650 max. Holley or AVS, your call. Top with a low restriction air filter.
Weiand's Action Plus or the Edel. Performer.
Upgraded ignition. A multimspark unit is best.
Use a split duration cam with stock heads with a divide of 8*'s
OE Iron head up grade? Use 360 valves, port as needed if needed.
I can not recommend a cam just yet. I'll
Need to know the gear ratio and tire size along with some input of your idea of upgrading the performance.

However, you may go to [email protected] without a need for a converter change. At [email protected], a upgraded converter would help launch and performance.