Quote: You ought to clarify what you mean by "inefficient".
Yes, i should have.
Here are my stipulations for this project:
1 - MUST be a V8.
2 - BEST gas mileage possible (and dont lecture me on driving or hypermiling) By this i mean hammering on a 4.6L mod will still get me past far more gas stations than hammering on a 440 Mopar in the same car with the same gearing.
3 - Must make decent power. Now 'decent' for me, at this stage anyways means 300HP net or close to. That'll go fast enough for my 3000lb daily driver.
The PERFECT plant for this project would be a 99-up 4.6 DOHC mod. 320HP net (350 as installed), high-20's highway MPG, lighter than a /6, sounds amazing. I dont have the money for this.
Right now, i'm very time-limited and poor as dirt. HAD THEY MADE ONE... (read: i'm NOT making one) a 273 Magnum would have been interesting. The 318 Magnum is the closest CHEAP, EASY bolt-in i can conjure up. The intake and exhaust issues will be addressed with the install (Doug's headers and RPM air-gap/Holley 4bbl).
Quote: This beefed up lower end also makes it about 57 lbs heavier than a 318,
Can anyone else confirm this? I have NEVER read about any smallblock Mopar being heavier than another... and certainly not 57lbs. I cant see it. Yeah... the crank is bigger at the bearing, but on the 318, the webs would make up the same space. The 400 is around 20lbs heavier than the 440, even the 426 Hemi cant be 57lbs heavier than the 426 wedge. Theres just no way.
For 57lbs difference, i'd go with the 318 even if i lost 50HP. Hell, i'd go with the 318 if it was 20lbs lighter. Weight means everything in this project.
