How exactly do you know if you have a 318 Big Block or Small Block? (Just a curious question) My Dodge Pioneer should be a Big Block..

 

bb distributer in front sb it's in the back.

 

318 Poly, 318 A or 318 LA? If you can try to clean off the sides of the block...on one side you should see a casting number that tells you the engine size and the date.

 

At first,there is no "big block 318".(correct name is either 318-A Poly, or 318-A Wide-block) used up to 1966. Folks just started to call the old 318 " bigblock" when the new light version,( 318 LA ) came in 1967.
Another way to tell the difference between them is how the valve-covers is bolted. On 318 A, two bolts on the top, (one at the front, and one at the back) On the newer 318 LA, five bolts on the outer edge.
Hälsningar, Lasse

 

FIRST there is no such thing as a "318 big block" nor are they a "wide block"

Second, what is this "Pioneer?" What year? It may NOT be a 318 at all. There were other "polysphere" engines besides a 318 "back when."


If you were to take a 318 "A" (Polyshperical) and a 318 "LA" engine and remove the heads, YOU WOULD HAVE TROUBLE telling the short blocks apart. Other than a few minor differences they are nearly the same

EASY way is just look at the engine. A 318 "LA" has straight sided valve covers, the earlier "Poly" engine has "scallops" on the exhaust side of the valve covers

A 273/318/340/360, so called "LA" engine. NOTE the "straight" valve covers:



318 "Poly" NOTE the "scallops" on the valve covers:

 

It´s a Dodge Pioneer from 61' with a 318..

 

 

Those polys look sweet. I especially like the dress up kit.

I do beleive there was indeed a 318 big block, even was available with dual quads. Think 1957 Fury. I think there was a 350 in this family as well. Still the same basic RB platform.

 

Hi
Here you can find a lot of good information about engines.
www.allpar.com, click on "popular" and then "engine and transmissions"
Google on "list of chrysler engines wikipedia"

 

Nope

http://www.allpar.com/mopar.html

350 was the smallest "B" and that is not an "RB". Smallest RB was the oddball 383, and there weren't very many of them. When people think RB, most conjur up 413/426/440s

Only 318s ever made were either older "A" or later "LA" and Magnum, all are small block design. Both the 3rd generation 5.7/ 6.1 hemi and the V10 are based on the LA small block Early hemi was also related to small block design.

Only the 426 hemi is based on a big block/ RB design.

 

Well some of us are capable of mistakes. I for one admit it. I must be mistaken. I could have sworn I read about 318's as a big block in the 50's. Must've been the 383 (RB). The question was big-block small block not b-rb.
I wrote rb by mistake. So sorry. I know you are trying to keep the info correct.
Looking into it now I can't find 'em so my bad.
How ever my first post was right. Distributer in front big block in back small block.
So I ain't a total stupe.

 

We all make mistakes, I wasn't suggesting you are a "stupe"


"find em so bad?" You referring to the Poly engines?

Heck NO they aren't bad, the only downside to them is finding performance equipment. Back in the early 70's a guy I knew built a single 2bbl "class car" a '62-63 B body which showed up at Carlsbad one night. The thing ran right off the trailer, in the 13.0's, which was right on the class record at the time.

 

Nope what I said was "couldn't find em so "MY" bad."
I had a few polys and liked em alot. learned how to do a tune up on a 66 500 Coronete.
I didn't mean you were calling me a stupe. I was saying it about myself. Sometimes I comme across a little harsh, but it's just the way I am.
No harm intended
You should see how my buddies and I get along. More than once folks have tried to break up a fight that wasn't happening.
We are good buddy.