383 240z Posted May 10, 2002 Share Posted May 10, 2002 First off let me say that I know NOTHING about mopar interchances. what I have is a 86 318 1/2 ton truck (I use this to tow me and the race car to and from the track) It is a bit under powered with the 318 was considering a 360 swap but first my wallet said can't we just build the 318? I need a TRUCK motor lots of low end grunt this truck wears 33-12.5 shoes and is 4WD Please help this truck is very important to me it just needs a good shot in the arm!!!!!! Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bang847 Posted May 10, 2002 Share Posted May 10, 2002 Would a aluminum manifold help? I pulled one off a 318 at the JY for under $30.. I believed back in the early 318's Mopar contracted out the manifolds to edlebrock before casting their own steel ones.. Just a thought might not be worth any power though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1 Posted May 10, 2002 Share Posted May 10, 2002 If you really want some grunt go with a 360 block and MP's stroker crank for a 408. Crank is about 375 and pistons are available from mancini racing or several others. Check out the Q&A board on www.moparts.com. tons of good mopar info and some great guys hang out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 10, 2002 Share Posted May 10, 2002 there are a few considerations with swapping a 318 for a 360. the first is that a 360 is externally balanced while the 318 is internal. You could get a 273/318/340 with a steel crank but you couldn't get a 360 with one it's always cast. the dampner is also special for a 360. the second thing is that the mounting points on the block are different for on the 360 than the 318. I believe the ears are like 2 inches back on the 318. so to put in a 360 you would need a new torque converter and balancer. also you need a new mount on the one side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Shasteen Posted May 11, 2002 Share Posted May 11, 2002 Funny you should ask....I have spent the last couple days, off and on, scanning thru my Mopar Perf.Books. Your S.O.S. 318 call for help will not go unanswered...as you can see by the few who have already offered assistance. I would suggest that you go check out your local book stores 1) Barnes & Nobles 2) Hastings and scour thru their automotive sections. Look for two specific books particularly: 1) "High Performance Chrysler Engines" which is [the best of Hot Rod Magazine: vol#12] & published by CarTech. This book discusses half/half big blocks & small blocks. In it you'll find phase 1-phase5 build up's of the Small Block Mopar. Its a grey-ish paper book w/a black binder. 2) "How to Build Dodge/Plymouth Performance" by Larry Schreib & Larry Atherton, published by SADesign w/a 1991 copywrite....this book has boo-coo's of info also but yields more to the "Do-it Yourselfer". If you find a good bookstore that keeps their automotive section fully stocked-you dont have to buy the book; simply go in there w/a notebook & pen/pencil & jot down your notes/part #'s: AKA-No Money Out of Your Pocket! Woo-Hoo/my kind of book. Anyway-dont give up on that 318-there's still at least another few hundred thousand miles left in her yet. Kevin, (Yea,Still an Inliner) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 11, 2002 Share Posted May 11, 2002 actually there are quite a few things you can do on the cheap to get some pretty decent power out of a 318. 1. slap on a set of 360 heads. these heads flow way better than the stock 318 and it is a dead bolt on swap nothig special to do at all. i've heaqrd people quoting a gain of around 50HP or more 2. mopar perfromance "purple" cam. good high perfromance cam to make use of your new found breathing. 3. here is a really odd one but it is actualyl listed in my MP smallblock book. take out your stock pistons and and rtate them so the pat of the pistons that sat closest to the lifter valley is now pointing the opposite direction. somethinig about the shape of the pistons that when you rotate them it actually reduces friction and will free up almost 15-20HP but if you have aftermaret pistons its a moot point and don't worry about it. i personally don't knwo if this wold be worth the hassle but i figured i would tell you abot it ad let you decide for yourself. 4 shave the 360 heads a little bit. since you already have them off you might as well i figure. the stock 318 came with a rather low 8.5 to 1 comp so shaving your heads should bring it up to anytwhere from 9 to 10 to 1 compression that would yield a nice perfromance jump i feel. 5 aftermarket manifold. nuff said, they are just better. you don't have to buy new either look around on ebay or go to some swap meets and see what you can score. hoep this helped you out man. good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest John Adkins Posted May 11, 2002 Share Posted May 11, 2002 Here's the skinny on Mopar small blocks: there are two generations: the orginal LA ('60s-early 90's) and the Magnums (about '88 up) Mopar small blocks are: the 273, 318, 340, and 360. The 3.9 V6s in Dakotas are essentially a 318 with two cylinders cut off (same bore and stroke). Generally, heads, intakes, timing covers, timing chains, cams, & oil pumps, and connecting rods are interchangable between all small block v8s, though there are some differences between magnums and early small blocks. The 273,318, and 340 have interchangable crankshafts. However, most 340 cranks are forged while the others are cast. These motors all have the same stroke, just the bore size is different The 360 crank has larger main bearing journal diameter than the others; the 360 crank can't be dropped into the smaller small blocks without machining. The 318 is a good engine... think of it as a junior 340 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
383 240z Posted May 12, 2002 Author Share Posted May 12, 2002 Hey Kevin thanks for the imput I picked up the How to build mopar power $20 bucks. I found a good set of 360 heads at the JY on sat another $50 I need to pick up about 50 HP PAW has a good cam for about 155 bucks (mopar purple shaft) this and a good 4bbl Holley and a AL torquer manifold should do the trick. I'll let you know how it turns out!! Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 12, 2002 Share Posted May 12, 2002 are you going to have the heads shaved a bit to bump up your compression to a more "healthy" number? or just try it with the stock compression? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
383 240z Posted May 14, 2002 Author Share Posted May 14, 2002 Most definatly going for more compression might get a new set of slugs but most likly just mill the heads Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 14, 2002 Share Posted May 14, 2002 Reversing the pistons is an old trick. What it actually does is relocate the pin offset and will free up a few hp and add some torque. The one drawback is that the engine will "rattle" a bit upon cold start up. You'll have to watch to making sure the valve reliefs have the correct orientation. I've never done it with a Mopar, but have on several Ford small-blocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 14, 2002 Share Posted May 14, 2002 hey quantrex, you said you've done this to a few small block fords. i was wondering if this trick will apply to the ford 2.3L turbo motor? i ave to rebuild it anyway but i plan on just honing and reringing the short block and usng the same rods and slugs. if i can pick up some free horse power i might as well do it since i have to tear it apart anyway. i might go with some aftermarket rods and pistons, not sure just yet. i guess time will tell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 15, 2002 Share Posted May 15, 2002 I don't know about the stock 2.3L pistons, to be honest. If you are considering better rods and pistons for your rebuild, I would suggest a set of Keith Black pistons and a set of Chevy 250ci 5.7" rods. www.kb-silvolite.com has the details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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