Vintage car magazine stuff

[ACME A12]

"but due to an unfortunate and unscheduled component failure..."
Who the hell schedules a component failure...???

340s can run. In a lightweight A-Body they can RUN HARD.

 

[Hey-O]

I have always been a small block guy, had two 340's and many GM's. Gm's were SB 383's. Small blocks just turn higher and faster, it seems to me. I really miss both my 340's Darts.

 

[Bad B-rad]

My brother-in law bought what he claim's was an all original 1971 Challenger R/T 340, auto with A/C. (around 2004, owned it till 2008) It was very nice looking, a little rough around the edges.
He is not a mechanic, or mechanically inclined, but he "tuned it up". Removed a bunch of the A/C parts, did an exhaust and intake manifold and carb.
He picked me up one day to take a drive, it pulled like a 318.
It ran horriable, I know this car in no way, was a good example of a 340.
I have always been dying to drive, or get a ride in a REAL 340 car!

 

[Budnicks]

In that test the 340, is 14.72, and a Charger R/T, 14.71, and Super Bee 14.73. Dam that is close!!! 340/440/383 all running that close, that is truly a photo finish,LOL!!

500#-700#'s less weight helps too

a small block A-body, hung with the BB B-bodies
some with a good drivers could beat BB cars too
or other makes of BB 2 dr midsize "muscle cars"
mainly because of weight advantage

it's all about hp/weight ratios

the 340 was a good little SBM,
especially the factory TA & AAR combos

otherwise a few bolt-ons & you could run with
the BB Midsize 2dr "Muscle cars"

 

[Budnicks]

I had a 68 318cid (stock like 230hp) with a bunch of bolt-on
in my 68 Charger
while my 440 was out, 513cid engine was being built

I didn't make a lot of money back then,
took time to gather parts & $$$ I was making like $6.15 an hr

I didn't want to be without a car,
I had a 318/904 combo & drive shaft (new u-joints)
I took out of another car, another 68 Charger, parts car
it was a 2bbl engine, it had a good compression test

I put some swap meet Lunati 284/0.484 lift cam
& cheap hyd. lifters, from the local Monument Auto parts place I worked
bolted on a swap meet $25 Edelbrock LD-340 alum 4bbl manifold
a $25 600cfm Holley 1450 Vacuum secondary, jetted up a tad
with a heat insulator/spacer under it, Velocity stack (wahoo),
so the scoop above it would work well still
a set of $25 swap meet cheapo 1-3/4" Heddman headers
I Gerry-rigged them up to my old 2-1/4" dual factory exhaust
from my BB 440, that had headers already
an Accel Super Coil IIRC/hooter coil, good plug wires
stock distributor, a little cooler plugs
all in the exact same car (68 Charger R/T) I ran my 440cid in for years
way back in my Concord street racing days

I beat many a BB car with 5.13:1 gears in that heavy ol' Charger
with that lowly lil' 318 LA engine
I went back to the 4.56:1 gears, when I put the 513cid in it
still beat a shitload of cars, for a couple years, until it spun a rod bearing

my buddy Rocco wanted to race, he had a 69 RR,
he was always broke
IIRC it was a 383cid with a tunnel ram 2 center squirter Holley carbs
typical 70's build, (over carbed) 4 speed,
he had some gears IIRC I loaned him
(I always had a couple sets/pumkins ready)
& a Lunati 297/0.477 hydraulic cam, I also gave him out of my ol' 440
his had big tube 2" Hooker headers, slip together POS's
he thought it was fast/quick
we lined up out on some industrial road somewhere
& all of a sudden, he acted like his car was having electrical issues
because every time we launched
I had him by 3-4 cars already by about 120 ft out
he'd turn off his lights, tell me it's having electrical issues

he finally told/admitted to me much later, decade later;
"he just didn't want to get beat by a lowly 318"

carry on nothing to see here

 

[Bad B-rad]

In 1997/1998 I had a 68 Coronet BONE stock 318, 2.94 open rear, it was a different car scene then, the 5.0 Mustang or I rocZ was what the bad street guys, my age ran.
That 318 kicked some ***.
I beat so many cars, that some of the guys got me a vinyl letter kit, like the kind you put the numbers on the front of a boat with, and wrote 'BAD MOTHER" on top of my windshield.
As time went by the "M" in mother came off because of my wipers, so I went around with 'Bad other" on my windsheild.
When getting my balls busted I used to say, its bad, badder then any OTHER car you got!!!!
I always wondered how those late 60's higher compression 318's would do with a 4bbl and headers , and the 340, having the basic same block, and stroke as a 318, I figured must really SCREAM!!!

 

[YY1]

My bone stock but carefully tuned 66 poly 318 never lost to a gm 350.

Never.

 

[Officer Higgins]

Sorry to admit this but in my misguided youth i had a 82 diseased 28. 305 crossfire injected. It was rebuilt bigger cam. I got out run on the highway by a green jeep Cherokee that had the Windows up running the ac. Wasn't even close. After that it was mopars.