Hello, I have a 78 Dodge D100... quite possibly a warlock... and Im restoring it. Currently i have 318 blocks laying around and i have a buddy who can get me them whenever and by the truck load and since i have so many to spare, i decided to build one up. To start off with, I currently have an Accel Dist, Edelbrock carb, an old holley street intake, and a complete 74 318. Now my neck investment was going to go to heads, im on a fairly tight budget as im 19, but i will be saving for parts that i really want/need. So for heads, should i go for 302 heads or "J" heads? i know i will port both and possibly shave them, and put 1.88 and 1.60 in 302 heads if i go 302's... just been reading alot of people going either way. I would like to just go with a pair and stick with them and transplant them to the freshly built 318 i will be building in the near future. For cam choice, i honestly have no idea what i should do... COMP, lunati, summit, Mopar.... So many choices and not enough experience.... Oh, BTW, what im going for is a sleeper for this rig. It would be great to pull 350+ tq out of it since i love torquey engines....


Any advise will be greatly appreciated, and thanks for the future posts.

 

Welcome!

There is a wealth of knowledge in a lot of the members here so I'm sure that you will have no issues finding answers to your questions. Also, If you have any pics of your truck, post them up. We are a picture loving crowd.

 

Yea, ill post one up as soon as i can. And thank you.

 

welcome to the forum

 

Welcome. Your '74 probably has 1.74" compression pistons making them .082" down in the hole= low compression. If for now your sticking with stock pistons go with the 302's, they'll be better even if you mill .050"-.060" off of the "J" head,and will work well when you go to the next level. I'm using a XE256H in the truck. Look up Comp Cams Camquest 6 program and see what is suggested for your application. They also have many basic tech articles that might help. I always suggest getting HP Books How to Hot Rod Small-Block Mopars by Larry Shepard.

 

A Warlock needs a 440 !!!

 

What im doing now to it is a total upgrade from what it had in it before the truck was passed to me(which was a /6). For now im sticking with stock pistons, as im trying to get the rig up and running now, but looking for good upgrades for making them tires squeal down the road.... like the 302 heads ported... now sould i go the 302 route, should i get the 1.88s and 1.60s? or leave em' stock?

 

If you want to just get it up and running, I'd leave them stock and build a block that you really want on the side.

 

Well yea, but what i was thinking is build the top end to a good performance level, while i build the short block on the side. Plus im deciding on how i wanna do that short block, i.e. stroker or stock ... etc. Plus i havent looked at my other older block, but i do have a 318 magnum laying around as well... so i have alot of potential options i really dont know what to go with. I really want everything to "look" fairly stock yet toast the tuner punk at the stoplight as well...

 

Go 1.88"+1.60" in the 302's not 2.02" on a 318. The right street friendly cam will do 340hp+380tq. After fooling with these things for awhile my bottom line is, unless your going for all out and 400hp+ 318, my deciding factor is carb= LA, EFI= Magnum. Keep it simple. I like the look of the 3.79" stroke kits available now. I would think serious about iron X or Hughes rams if you want to carry over to another engine as you have brand new castings.

 

Maybe trade off some of those 318s for a 360 or 340 block and build that as your short block.

 

Well i normally i would agree to the larger block, and i do have a 360 magnum core, but idk, to me using a 318 and always being an "underdog" seems really appealing. Plus where i live, there is a $500 difference in rebuilt short blocks.... soo...

 

I talked to some buddies yesterday, and apparently there is a shop here that sells 'new' heads, not rebuilt, that out flow W2's and are up there with aftermarket aluminum heads, not sure whats up with that or what so special about them.. yet...

 

Welcome aboard....stroke that 318 to a 390 and have some fun..:welcome2:

 

Welcome and a 318 can be made into a small screamer with the right parts.

 

Ok, so i talked to a local engine builder here, and he quoted me, for a short block rebuild, a price of $650 while the more known company quoted me $1000, and they both included '0' decking, assembly, .30 over, etc etc etc... the difference was the company that charged more included an oil pump and lifters.. Is it seriously that much more for an oil pump and lifters?????

 

Is the cam included? No point in giving you lifers without a can you can get them at Summitt as a set for $150.00 depending on the brand. Oil pumps can be reasonable too.

 

Oil pump 60 bucks tops....lifters 80 bucks and flat tappet cam 200 bucks....pushrods 80 bucks top...go figure

 

Yea, cam is included plus an extra 50 for a performance cam, timing and everything a normal short block build would be... thats whats goofy about it all...

 

What is his price just for the short block without the cam,lifters?

Because you can pick one that will help you get the power you want without going radical. Like this one which will help get you over the 300 HP mark and more if you raise your Compression Ratio.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-K50052/

 

well the cam is part of the both rebuilds, -50 if i brought in my own cam for both...

 

Stock grind on the cam or what you want? Stock is better for daily driving.

 

i want a good lopey/radical idle that wont harm performance, compression, or just down right ridiculas for a 318...

 

Plus if i rebuild and port some 360 heads with '0' decking the block and rebuilding it, that will not harm performance right?? or would i just go with 318 heads??

 

Then order the one you want instead of paying for what you don't want. Also degree your cam o it's set properly. Lots of help here.

 

I plan on 360 heads for my 318 so no it won't hurt it.

 

The builder thats less will actually sit me down and we go through a book and i pick out he cam for the best application/ what im looking for...

 

Go hear and do a search or just to look through it and see if anything catches your eye.

https://moparforums.com/forums/f81/

 

From what ive been reading and told is that i shouldnt go higher that .480 lift and 280 dur... not quite sure why...?

 

Because you will need modifications to make it work. Like Lifter springs, torque convertor,headers, rear gear ratio there is a line between street warrior and a all out drag car or truck.