duster318:
I want to add around 150 horsepower to a stock 318 without having to spend too much money and I want to replace as few components as possible.  Someone please give me some input on what I should do.  Also, how much HP will a 600 cfm carb, intake and mild cam add to a stock 2 bbl 318?

PEOPLE ARE GOING TO TELL U WHAT THEY THINK WILL WORK & WHAT WONT WORK. BUT MOST DONT KNOW WHY. NOW 1ST U DONT USE AN RPM ON 318 HEADS BECAUSE OF PORT MISALIGNMENT WHITCH WILL KILL POWER. 2ND YOU DONT THROW 360 HEADS ON A STOCK 318 BOTTOM END BECAUSE GOOD BYE CYL PRESS, BESIDES THERE GOES CHEAP.3RD THOSE WHO THINK THEY NEVER MADE A HEART SHAPED CHAMBER HEAD ....WELL U NEED TO SPEND SOME TIME IN A JUNK YARD AND LEARN SOMETHING MAGAZINES DONT SHOW U CAUSE IM LOOKING AT THEM RIGHT HERE, 1964 273 HEADS, YES HEART CHAMBERS AND OH HERES A SET OF 85-86 HEART CHAMBERED HEADS TO WHITCH ARE USUALLY CRACKED, BUT  DO EXIST ALONG WITH THE 234 CLOSED CHAMBER 67' 318 HEADS I RUN ON MY BACK UP WHITCH MAKES AROUND 275-290 HP., WITH THE FOLLOWING ....84 BLOCK .020 BORE JUNK AND I MEAN DOWN IN THE HOLE .080 PISTONS ALL WITH NOTCH TWORD THE BACK OF ENGINE ,LESS SKIRT DRAG MORE TORQUE., 360 PRESS FIT RODS,.020 STEEL CRANK NO TRAY IN THE PAN, CRANE BLUEPRINT 340 CAM FROM THE 90S ,"YES THERE ARE BETTER CAMS"  219* 221* .050 .427 .444 114 WITH 5* ADVANCE TO KEEP BOTOM END TORQUE  WHITCH IS OF MOST IMPORTANCE HERE  OLD '234 ' 57cc HEADS STOCK VALVES, NO REAL BOWL WORK JUST VERY MINOR SMOOTHING OF MACHINING , PERFORMER MANIFOLD ,600 EDL CARB WHITCH WAS CALIBRTD FOR 350 CHEVY AND I HAD TO RICHEN W/100 JET SIZE 1 5/8 HEADERS. CAR IS 67 VALIANT 4SPD 3.73 GEAR. THIS SAME COMBO WITH 2200 STALL WILL KICK *** IN AUTO TRANS CAR. IF U GO WITH 360 HEADS ANYWAY ,U BETTER GET 2600 + STALL & A 3.91 + GEAR  FOR AT LEAST THIS REASON.... LACK OF PORT VELOCITY=THROTLE RESPONSE.GOOD LUCK!  

I've got a 1991 Dakota with a factory 318.The motor is blown.Was looking to replace it with a 360 but that seems to be a headache too.Looking for added power in the 318 when I rebuild it.Any suggestions on how to get this done?It's an automatic if that makes a difference and it's 4 wheel drive.  

Well limited by smog I assume , with that in mind what increases in power can we make with out effecting smog...well compression u can raise it astronomical amounts with out neg effect on  emission,10:1 would be good ' GOOD HEAD WORK'., DONT GO 2.02 INT stay no bigger than 1.92 on int. valve  1.60 EX.That you will feel! focus on low lift flow increases .250-.300-.350-.400, cause see you are limited in cam lift, dur, ect. Theres only 1 maybe 2 cams up from what you have that will pass smog . Good news is what u have is a roller cam. Then headers and all the ignition crap 'MSD' high flow cat dual 2 1/2 exaust. After it passes throw 1.6 roller rockers.U should not have to modify the computer more than a chip. enjoy  

Carb and mild cam willnot get you 300 horses. For
just a few bucks more go roller on the cam and
lifters,and up the lift and duration just a ***
Spend your money on head work,that is where the
power is.I had a 273,350hp with Jardine fender
well headers.You can useDenso double platinum plugs,
non finer.The small plug of the magnum motors will
fit perfectly in all older small blocks.Only difference
is the nut size.You go from a 13/16 to a 5/8.I have
been doing this for several years,and use exclusively
Amsoil 0-30.  good luck  

If your motor is injected,then you are computerized.
The 318 computer will starve the 360 motor.You will
need to make some changes there.  

Thanks for the advice.I'm still sitting on the fence about building up the 1993 Magnum motor.Any suggestions on how to go about this rebuild?The truck is stock.I'd like the suggestions on the exhaust.Looks like I've got plenty of places to spend my money.  

onfinal:
Carb and mild cam willnot get you 300 horses. For
just a few bucks more go roller on the cam and
lifters,and up the lift and duration just a ***
Spend your money on head work,that is where the
power is.I had a 273,350hp with Jardine fender
well headers.You can useDenso double platinum plugs,
non finer.The small plug of the magnum motors will
fit perfectly in all older small blocks.Only difference
is the nut size.You go from a 13/16 to a 5/8.I have
been doing this for several years,and use exclusively
Amsoil 0-30.  good luck

lets see budget 318.... flat tappet solid/hyd cam lifters & springs =$335.00....  roller cam &springs&bits $1100.00 + machining of spring pads guides hum......................    no thanks. your talking about a 25hp gain over flat tappet at the price of $1100.00+dollars ,makes sense that u spend 12$ ea on spark plugs & 9$ QT on designer zero wieght oils for a gain of 2hp. Look I know theres more than 1 way to skin a cat, but this is not one of them. This is not a chevy ,this is not a tiny 273 with slant 6  sized pistons in a hacked up fenderwell header car. this is a BUDGET 318 that is more than capable of making 300+ hp with very little done to it. and though u are repeating what was already said yes head work is of much more importance hence no rollercams are used in nascar, but really really good heads are !!!!!!  

Do you think my 74 stock 318 heads are worth porting?  I'd like to stay with the original heads if possible.  Is a .444 lift cam enough to get me 300+ hp?  What is the lift on the stock 318 cam?  Thanks.  

Yes port &install 1.88-1.60 valves with a todays valve job ,serdi 9 angle 'no stone' throat cut ect .this will cut porting time & material removed in half,besides stones wear with every V job possibly leaving U with crap valve job also get a flow test on at least 1 chamber to pick best cam ,in conjunction with cars intended use.Now with the right amount of head flow .444 lift will make 300+HP and if every thing else is right or/THE RIGHT COMBO =HEAD FLOW,INTAKE,CARB TUNED RIGHT COMPRESSION,EXHAUST ,WEATHER BLA BLA .more questions? just ask. oh stock lift is like .399 lift or something  

Do you think a .444 lift cam would be the best combination along with performer dual plane intake and 600cfm carb?  If I went with a bigger cam, say .480 lift, would I gain much?  It's pretty much going to be a driving/street application.  I'd also like to keep the stock pistons.  Thanks.  

the duration & overlap are whats mainly gonna dictate idle characteristics power band & gear required. Honestly your probably gonna need a little gear like 3.23  alright , 3.55 Good , 3.73 best dual purpose . Now weather your dealing with a decent rering or stock bottom end pretty much doesnt matter for the cyl press is probably not that great and will limit the size of the cam but in this case doesnt matter . this cam will work good for what your doing ...., 262*.475 lift , BUT Flow the heads! that will dictate what cam will best take advantage of them then look at which 1 will suit your driving or  'gear requirements'.  

The 318 is a hardy little engine with lots of tuning ability...I am not a died in the wool Mopar man, I am a hot rod man...in fact I have a 32 Ford(sorry for swearing) and I have a 318 lump... I have a mild cam, an edelbrock performer inlet and 650 Edelbrock 4 barrel....everything else is stock. I am running mid 13s and it has bags of grunt left....I didnt spend lots, infact I bought everything second hand..

I have splashed out this year and bought some Edelbrock aluminum heads and a 6pack for the 318 from a Mopar dealer in the States. I'm still going to run the mild cam so i will post the results as and when.

Good luck with the budget build.  

Thanks! What about my 904 tranny?  Will it be sufficient for this buildup, or should I do an upgrade on it as well?  I have a 8 1/4 rear with 2.45 gears.  Can I fit 3.55 gears in that housing?  I've heard that the inside of the housing would have to be ground down a little for the 3.55 to work.  Thanks again.  

904 trans is a bitchin piece and if its not slippin run it maybe with a shift kit, STREET not strip setup . c about getting ur torque converter cut higher stall like 2200 delenzi converters S.ca has done 3 for me at $170.00 each and work great . your average cut con will stall 2100 /slnt 6 , 2250 w/318 , 2550 w/360 . 904 ,998,999 all interchangable guts so u can take low 2.71or 2.78 1st gear &install in 904 to get out the hole alittle faster , but if u want to use 998,999 as is make sure they are non lockup . Yes there is extra meat cast in the way of putting better gears in, c as ratio # go's up ring gear gets thicker and comes into contact with pumpkin so .....grind it out .  

i also have sleepy 318. ive heard that the pre-emissions 318s were much more powerful than after emissions. so who ever said you have a stock 318 making 300hp maybe thats it. the pollution controlled 2-barrel 318 was only rated at 145hp. i want to build mine up a little and like most people im short on money. if we werent we wouldnt be on here. we would take our motors to someone and have them build it for us or go the crate motor route. so on a budget really means a tight budget for me. i wanna spend no more than $400. can i get from 145 to about 250 or so for that amount? using used parts is this possible. do magnum heads have higher compression? will they bolt on and will a stock 4 barrel bolt to them? do i want a bigger or smaller combustion chamber? and what summit cam and lifter kit should i use? theyre the cheapest out there. are they tough enough? and what about ignition? do i need to change the ignition system too?