first off, i have yet to work on this or any engine, so i may ask some "dumb" or "obvious" questions, im sorry, but i dont know it, however i am willing to learn.

so. i have a 318cid v8 engine. i would like to do some upgrades, including upgrading to edelbrock carb and intake manifold, however the manifolds i have found are listed to fit a 318 with 340 or 360 heads. why is this, is the swap to 340/360 heads easy, what parts are needed to complete the swap, and is it direct bolt-on or would i need to pay someone to modify any of the parts?


i am also looking to install a comp cam kit on the engine. would i need to use a different kit with 340/360 heads? what sort of kit am i looking for? this engine is staying in a 87 ram, 4wd, and will be used mostly for street use, i would just like to have more power on tap. the kits im looking at all are above .550" lift, is this a good amount, or do i need less/more for road use? would i need to purchase other parts to safely complete the upgrade, or is it safe to do the upgrade of just cam/valve/timing?


this will be a "long term" project, and by that i mean taking likely a few years to learn all i need to learn, prepair the truck/engine, and purchase all necesary parts/tools, as i intend to do the upgrades in a short period of time once i start swapping parts on the engine. the truck is/will be my daily driver so i cannot afford to take a few months with the engine dis-assambled to get all issues and upgrades sorted out.


thanks! ~ Ram Runner



if there are good articles on these subjects within these forums that i have yet to find, a little push in the right direction is appreciated!

 

they say 34/360 but its the same as the 318. all three are the same for bolt on parts except 340 heads are best.

 

so its a matter of performance rather then fitment?

 

For the manifold: install and go. I put an eddy performer on my 318 and everything worked out just great. You can have everything port matched and all that if you have extra scratch, but it’s not necessary.

For the cam, I would look at the comp cams XE256. it’ll bring really nice torque and mileage for your truck. I got the same one for my ’68 fury with a 318.

Check out an article I wrote; may help a tad.

http://voices.yahoo.com/performance-...28.html?cat=27

 

alright thanks. checked the article and it has some good info. the intake im looking at is the edelbrock 7576, with edelbrock carb 1813. does this work, or am i going to need adaptors or machining to match these two parts? also, is the 800 cfm too much? would 600/650 be more "in the ballpark", and is electric choke a good idea for a beginer on engine work?


i currently have a holley 4 bbl carb, not sure which (came on the truck), should i keep it or should i spend the money to update/upgrade while im doing the work/spending the ?


cost wise, port/polish 318 heads vs buy 360 heads, which is more benefitial? even with engine work im looking for more wallet/pocket friendly options.


im finding it hard to find that comp cam, where did you track it down, and are they still available?


thanks! ~ Ram Runner

 

Sometimes the difference is weather you have 2bbl heads or 4bbl heads with bigger intakes ports I would keep the cam lift under 490 other wise you need to remove the heads and cut the guides for clearances, which would probably be a good ides as you will need to change the springs. For street ? some thing around 270 480 lift & use 1.6 rockers for the extra lift. You don't want to over cam your 318 You need torque in a Truck and lots of gear if running big 33" tires
As far as 340/360 heads? By the time you purchase and have them reworked You could possibly get a set of Edelbrock heads

 

no big deal, cant afford bigger then 31"s if i do the engine/suspension work i wanna do.

taking notes now. lower cam? got it. more torque? if that means better burnouts, im all for it. it may be a truck, but i still want it to shred tires at will!

 

Welcome. Here is a good read that will answer many of your questions:

http://www.allpar.com/mopar/4bbl.html

Search this forum 318 and likely find LOTS.

Like this https://moparforums.com/forums/f75/t...639/#post79059

 

With what you are planning - getting the parts all together first ? Have you considered just getting a later Magnaun 318 and later do a swap

 

no, because i do not yet know if the engine is a 318 LA or a 318 MAGNUM. my uncle had the engine swapped i think 200k miles ago, so the engine is not original. if i were going to do a swap, i would be saving for something a little les v8, and a little less gasoline. i would prefer working with a cummins, but i dont feel like going through the trouble of doing engine swaps, as this is my first car and first real project, so i feel planning on an engine swap will be taking on a challenge i simply am not prepaired for. i would rather make mistakes with an old, original engine then have my first learning experience be on a new engine i just bought and installed, just to realise i did something wrong and it all blows up in a cloud of smoke!

 

A 318LA/318Mag You pull one out and install the other.. IF you reuse the LA timing cover you can use all of your accessory brackets

 

again i dont know if the engine put in was an LA or a MAGNUM. either way, if im going through the effort to swap engines, im moving up to a cummins. its not just motor mounts, bolting up the trans, ect., its renting the tools needed, finding the space, cleaning the mess, unhooking EVERYTHING from the 318 and re-attaching everything (or almost) to a new motor, 318 or cummins. im only willing to put in that effort for a cummins. dont ask me why, because that answer is long and confusing aswell.


i just want to upgrade the engine i have.


as far as purchasing upgrades go, are parts off the LA interchangable with the MAGNUM, or do i need to buy parts specific to that engine. if i need engine specific parts, how can i tell, by looking at the engine, if i have the LA 318 or the MAGNUM 318.


thanks! ~ Ram Runner

 

The LA valve covers have 5 bolts Magnum I think have 8

 

alright. mine has 5, so from that info i have the LA.


seeing as you are stuck on swapping the magnum in, what is the benefit? more power, more torque, or just one of those things where you prefer the magnum over the La?

 

A good place to start would be to do a hot compression test, run the engine with a vacuum gauge, take off a valve cover and note the casting number on top of the port, take a wrench and move the crank back and forth to see how much slack is in the timing chain. Do as much of a full inspection to know what you have and if something is worn it can help your decision process as to what may need replacement or just freshened up. Knowing what you have and a plan is the best way to do it in steps and keep costs down. Buying one of the rebuild or hot rod your small block mopar books would be a good investment too.

Don't worry if any of your questions are "dumb or obvious" most here are very willing to help and not judgemental, the guy that knows only learned by asking questions, or by making stupid mistakes which I have done more than I would like to admit.

 

the inspection i know i can do, or at least inspect the upper engine componants. the issue is i dont know how to do the compression test. vacuum gauge, can this be found relatively inexpensive at a local parts store, or is this a piece of specialty equiptment? can i run the test in my back yard where the project currently lives?

 

Compression tester and vacuum gauge not too expensive and maybe loaned out by some parts stores, I would still buy my own, make sure compression tester has a check valve.

1- Warm engine to operating temp.

2- Pull all sparkplugs.

3- Remove 12V from ignition system or coil wire from distributor and ground.

4- Remove carb return spring and block fully open.

5- Install tester in one sparkplug hole and crank engine over with starter
3-4 times or until gauge needle stops going up. Record number and cylinder.

6- Repeat for 7 others.

.A You Tube search will find an example of this too.

 

Yes, 800 cfm is way, way too much for the 318. Stick with 600-ish.

 

you can get away with 600 or 650 with topend work. 800 is alot of carb and its ment fior alot of motor

 

so now that i have an idea for simole engine work, what about "power adder" equiptment, nos boost ect.


can the 318, stock AND "upgraded" handle boost of any kind? im talking low-output supercharger. can it be done easily, and would it aid power, or do i need a stronger base? can i just mount the supercharger to one of the un-used accessory brackets, or do i need custom mounts?

 

It is possible but not the first place I would look to make power. Most of those systems are in the many thousands of dollars.

 

Do a good tune up and make sure the carb's dialed in--that's where many lose power.

 

Power & torque difference is night & day stock for stock

I've done the swap a dozen times or so now