318 4 bbl

[dodgeaspenrookie]

Hey I got a 318 with a carter 4 bbl (about 500 cfm) and a stock cast iron intake. It has headers and performance ignition. Other wise its stock. How much hp could i expect? What about with a new cam and lifter kit.

[CAT-TECH]

Depending on miles on the engine it could be very different. But lets assume you have decent compression, 318 stock made about 150hp so there is alot of improvement that can be made. id make a guess at about 220-240hp at the crank or around 200 at the rear wheels. Before a cam get a different intake manifold, if it cant breath then there wont be much HP. The cam selection all depends on what you wanna do with it? street? strip? daily driver?

[siliconcrunch]

i have a simmilar question, kinda. I have a 318 and the previous owner said he put in a "stage 2 cam"
no idea what he means,

[CAT-TECH]

Stage 2 is a mild street cam, more lift and more flow but still very easy to drive around.

[CAT-TECH]

If you really want to know more about cams check out comp cams

[siliconcrunch]

hmmm, what do you think that does to the horsepower?
I didnt know they came in stages.
i think he said it was stage 2, or maybe 2 stages up from normal. i cant remember all i know is something about stage 2 ha ha

[CAT-TECH]

It helps out the power. Stage 2 is a very general term! I new a guy who put a .490" lift cam in his 350 camero and cause of his lack of other mods he never wanted to race froma dead stop because it took so long for him to hit peak torque.

[440roadrunner]

This is either a marketing hype by some cam manufacturer, and it might just be Crower or it's possible the owner doesn't even know, maybe just heard it somewhere

The old "max wedge" 426 engines were sometimes referred to as "stage 3" and these were "as delivered" by Mopar, not by some hot rod shop

If he can't tell you SPECIFICALLY what cam is in the engine, then he doesn't know much. He should be able to say "Crower, Sig Erson, Racer Brown," whatever it might be, and tell you what it IS.

I can assure you that if you waltzed into a Chrysler dealer, and said something like "I need the specs on my stage II cam, the old fart behind the counter would look up with that bored look, and say, "huh?"

[CAT-TECH]

440roadrunner is right. Stage 2 is not a very good term to use when you are describing your cam. There are many lifts, durations and lobe seperations that could fit in this term. My advice to you is not to use this term because 1. It makes you look stupid and 2. Its not detailed enough.

[44072Charger]

The fall of the 318 is the lame cam. The mopar muscle did an article on a 400 HP build a couple years back, heres the link. I was very inspired before I found a 440 with a tranny for $300. The 318 is sitting in my shop

[Mopar Guy in Delaware]

Hey Guys
The engine is just an air pump with controled explosions inside. The longer the valve is open (duration), the wider it opens (lift) the more over lap (more radical or the time both the intake and exhaust are open at the same time)- (overlap) the better charge you get in the cylinder. With a better charge in the cylingder the more force on the pistom and more power.
There's a lot of terms used that are pure marketing. No scientific basis at all.
The fellows not stuipid, he's just learning, and the term Stage this or that was and is still used by a lot of aftermarket people.
Life is a learning thing, there's always more to learn.

[cudax34me]

you guys think "stage 2" is silly to describe a cam........i'm still tryin to figure out what a 3/4 and full cam are lol

[74chargerse]

must be a bow tie cam, just like their rv cam