budget 318 build

Stock LA 318s were rated at 215HP and still put out about that much power in a manual steering no ac car . emissions taking away 70 hp ?no . testing them with every belt driven alternator , AC TURNED ON ,  POWER STEERING,& lean burn ect .now that takes power . magnum heads do not have ''higher compression '' but do have smaller closed chambers that will raise the comp on a 340 , 360 . they are or are about the same as stock 318 heads 57cc- 62cc and would maintain the same comp u have right now but for the cost in a budget build i'm not too sure id bother . on top of that the 318  heads will flow with more velocity hence throttle response, feeling of instant torque the reason why we don't throw 340-360 heads on stock bottom 318s at least with out lots of gear . one exaggerated example is the ford boss 302 a legendary piece ...of  crap till u hit 4000 then hold on, for our example  3000 rpm . Now i don't think we ''U''  have the bucks for the rest of the drivetrain to get to our power band fast enough to appreciate or really use the the power up. skip slummit cams when it comes to cam don't chence out we've run those and for what's out there now why mess with no name 20 yr old grinds that wernt good then & suck now.u need to raise to more realistic budget like 550-600$. go to elec ignition , be careful most fac dist have bad CAP & ROTOR PHASING =CROSS FIRE MAINLY @HIGH RPM. & remember U GET WHAT U PAY FOR . DID I MISS ANYTHING LET ME KNOW CAUSE ITS IMPOSSIBLE TO NOT FORGET SOME THINGS  
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im not looking to build an all out street machine. i know thats out of my budget. i just want to make the ol dodge run a little better. was the stock holley 2 barrel on 80s model 318s a 350cfm? if so would i benefit from stepping up to a 500cfm 2 barrel or should i just go for 500-600 4 barrel? what intake should i be looking for? ive been watching ebay and craigslist. theres a lot out there. but some say "this one wont fit that engine. this one needs modifications to use on this one, etc." and then carburetors? ive always been told holleys are junk and that i should go with a carter or edelbrock. it has a holley 2 barrel on it now. it doesnt run great. okay but not great. should i stay away from holley? they seem to be pretty popular. and the cheapest ive found. how much will i gain from just putting a 4 barrel on it?   were all the 318s rated at 215hp? i read that in the 80s the dodge trucks and ramchargers with the 2 barrel 318 setup were rated at 145hp. then in 88 when they went to TBI they went  up to 160hp. is this not true? since mine is an 86 and pollution controlled do i have to have an intake that is EGR acceptable or can i block that off? should i put a shift kit in my 904? what kind? the truck is an every day driver and only occasionally sees heavy loads--like 250 gallons of water in the bed or a 600lb honda, every once in a while a 12ft trailer. i kinda like the idea of the manual valve body kit--i think from B&M, Trans go, TCI. would a manual/auto be better? should i go for the 35 dollar shift kit or a complete upgraded valve body for more money? one of the kits claims 4 settings, one claims 2, which one? im sure i have more questions as i am far from being any kind of expert but i think this is enough for now.  

do i have to go after market for electronic ignition or can i pull the ignition system off a later fuel injected model? or would i have to take the computer and all?  

this is HEMI,
a few years back i built a junk yard 318 and it has piston slap, you can hear it! but i put a set of early aawj heads and intake 4v! 11-17-70 early top half on an82
318

hemi  

ihave 1970 360 aawj 4v heads

hemi  

I think one of the best things u could do to pick up performance would be to put a good new roller timing chain & re degree the cam in to spec and swap on a holley universal 350cfm carb in between smogs =2yrs in ca. On the egr .... yeah have to run it, if they'll even pass it with a 4brl , to which with stock cam I'd run 390cfm holley or 500cfm edl. Put a MSD blaster 2 coil on it , b&m or turbo action shift kit set for street ,35$ kit would be fine . with correct tunning EGR can be blocked. stock 2brl carbs like carter bbd flow somewhere around 290-300 cfm but dont '' me on that.  
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In your opinion, what's the best cam on the market?  I'm thinking about going with a lunati voodoo, 256 duration/.454 lift.  I've heard some good things about their cams.  Would I need to change my stock pushrods and rockers to run them?  On the carb, edelbrock or holley 600cfm?  Thanks again.  

the best cam on the market is the cam best suited for what u are doing. for u are playing it safe with the 256*454 ,which is alright .I my self like to have 1 step bigger than just enough for future changes ,u can always advance .  check engle cams also , and remember most stock heads quit flowing @ around .450 lift and flat tappet cams are only at full lift for a nano second ,unlike rollers hence the advantage,so this means that extra lift say .030 over that would make up for the short amount of time the valve is at full lift or what they call LAG TIME. If ur gonna run a holley  run a dbl pumper with a trained foot , otherwise run the edlebrock 500-600 will be fine .stock push rods will be fine w / s.rockers  , adj would always be better crane sells a kit thats adjustable.  
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The lunati cam is actually 256 int/262 exh, .454 int/.475 exh. if that makes much difference.  I also was thinking about a Mopar purple 280* .474 lift cam.  Which would you prefer?  I'd like to keep as many stock parts as possible due to my budget, but should I get roller rockers or stay with the stock ones?  After porting the heads that should get me to 300+ hp shouldn't it?  Thanks for the help.  

the 280* .474 is a good cam, but too much duration/overlap,which bleeds off the cyl pressure , for what ur putting it in/doing . id rather run 1.6 rockers with the 256*262*.454 .475 at 1.6 you'll up the lift & dur a little but not too much and you'll speed  up the valve lift getting u closer to a roller rate of lift . but make sure to get valve springs that will handle the extra lift a 1.6 adds.1.6 x.303=.484 lift 1.5x.303=.454. try it w/1.5 first then try 1.6 but get springs that will handle the 1.6 to start with for they'll work w/1.5. If the heads flow the #s 300hp will be had. TELL ME YOUR EXACT PLANS FOR THE HEADS.  
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Would you suggest changing the pushrods if I move up to a 1.6 rocker?  On the heads I planned on having 1.88, 1.60 valves put in and port them real good.  Maybe shave them a small amount, .020 depending on how they look when I get them off.  Whenever the weather warms up a bit, I'll pull the engine and start the build.  Thanks.  

RIGHT ON!    comp cams , Jegs ,crane ,Mancini ect all sell a pushrod checker/adj pushrod along with any rocker shaft shims necessary to get every thing right . U need to get the rocker pad centered on the valve tip/shims ,u can use dye/marker on V tip to c wear, then get the length needed with ur checker, try Jegs part#555-80681 $11.99 7-8.170.    your welcome.  
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Forgot to mention that header flange sealing can be a pain, at least with Headmans.
Try raising gaskets maybe even the headers themselves 1/8.
Usually the gasket raising does the trick. Go no bigger than 2 1/2 exhaust, go no smaller than 2 1/4.  
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I have an issure with my 318. I added a 268h comp cam and an RPM edelebrock intake with a 600cfm. I also have headers with a 3 in. dual exhaust.  But I don't feel it's running as good as it should be. Plus I think I need a new trans. What so you guys think my issue could be? I think I should be in the high 200's in HP with these bolt ons. Can I get some help please.  

If you have stock 318 heads then the manifold is a mismatch, ports are way bigger than the heads ports. For street 318 2 1/4-2 1/2 pipes.
Besides that if your trans is slipping it's gonna run slow.
I'd address trans first then the manifold -unless you have 360 heads.
Fix that then get 2100 stall converter. BTW good cam choice.  
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