I had a '98 QC 5 speed 4x4 with the 318 and it would give my '01 360 QC 4x4 auto a run for it's money. It ripped just like moparmarks '98 mentioned above.

Just started running my '01 Reg Cab 5 speed 4x4 318 and it is definitely slower than the '98 and has almost no torque under 3000 like you are mentioning. I hooked my Torque app to it and the timing is showing anywhere from 23 to 31 degrees out on the highway at steady cruise. Well, that definitely can't be right. On the plus side, I guess it comes Turbocharger-ready from the factory. I'm thinking about finding a '98 computer to get around this death flash nonsense.

My info on those "tuners" is that all they do is have a circuit in them interupting the coolant temperature that fools the factory computer into thinking the engine is cold and they run in closed-loop rich to make it feel like you have more power.

You have "Turd" and 46re transmission close together, and you would be 100% correct on that: I found out just how much of a power-sucking turd the 727-based platform is when I got my first 318 a833od. It was like a night and day difference to any 318 automatic I previously owned.